Welcome back. Nice to see you around here again.
Alright let’s deep dive and cut straight to the heart of things. So last week, I reflected on my developing struggle to believe that God is sufficient for me. If that message resonated with you, if you’ve ever felt the suspicion in yourself that your fulfillment comes from earthly things rather than eternal things,
let’s go.
Let’s tackle this lie together and get into what is the truth. Because we know that ultimately God IS enough. It’s just our perception that needs work. For myself, discerning truth from emotions is a serious struggle that largely affects my outlook on my worth, my future, and my hope for things to become better. The same can likely be said for any struggling Christian – that distractions from the truth can lead to warped perceptions of our eternal worth, our eternal promises, and our eternal hope in Christ. It makes sense that lies and distractions are such a common method of spiritual attack. What possible way could Satan possibly deter us away from the unbelievable gospel of grace and redemption other than convincing us of “alternative facts” that trivialize the work of the cross?
God has placed an answer in front of my face that I’d love to be able to tell you all I’ve learned and mastered in this past week, and that this post will teach you exactly what I’ve learned on the other side. Nope. Again, I’ll be open with you and tell you I’ve only taken a couple baby steps on the way to owning this solution.
Part of the solution to dissatisfaction is gratitude. Simple as it may seem, it absolutely requires a lot of research and a lot of prayer. Which is great! Lord knows I need to be more in the Word and more consistently in communication with Him. The reason that gratitude is an effective solution is that it requires knowledge of what God has already done, which means knowledge of truth. And as I’ve just talked about above, acknowledging truth leads to freedom in the present.
Matthew 6:21:
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
As long as I continue gratifying myself in earthly things, my heart belongs to those things. But I’m not meant to live that kind of life. I’m meant for better things, like what’s mentioned in Colossians 2:6-7:
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
A life rooted and built up in Christ and overflowing with thankfulness. Well dang, if that isn’t the road to contentment in God then I don’t know what is.
But for the times when I feel that there’s a gap between the kind of faith in Christ I have now and the kind of faith I long for, there is Biblical proof that I don’t need to be discouraged. Thank God, because I’m pretty sure that’s a feeling that may not ever go away. Not only does Romans 8 make it clear that believers are no longer subject to condemnation (v1), but also in v38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I’m also convinced that being weighed down by lies or by forgetfulness of the goodness of God doesn’t separate us from Him. Again, it just prevents joy in the present. Whether we acknowledge it or not, He is always with us. Psalm 139:1-12 makes it so clear that His presence follows us through every circumstance, from the very best and brightest of days to the days we feel are so dark that the Lord could never enter that space. He has promised to always be there. And so He will be.
Ephesians 1 & 2 are great passages covering the truth of who we are in Christ. They’re pretty long to include here, but they’re so valuable to spend some serious study time in. Some key words to take away from those passages –
Blessed. Chosen. Holy and blameless in His sight. Adopted. Redeemed. Lavished in grace. For His glory. Included in Christ. Marked. Alive. Saved. Raised and seated with Christ. God’s handiwork. Reconciled by the blood. Citizens. Sons. Dwelling places of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 6 speaks of why we have no need to worry, to fear, to doubt God’s provision, or to seek anything else but him. If he clothes the lilies of the field (or bluebonnets for you Texans who know the beauty of those classic bluebonnet fields) in so much beauty and splendor, won’t he much more care for us (oh, us funny people of little faith)? We are told not to worry for anything in our lives, because of the simple fact that He is enough and He has promised to carry us through the whole way. Verse 33:
33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things [our worries and cares] will be given to you as well.
Anxiety, depression, lies from Satan, wrestles with the flesh, and earthly solutions can all distract from God’s sufficiency and faithfulness. It’s so gut-wrenching that we obsess over these earthly things when He has promised us so many times over that we receive eternal fulfillment when we seek Him. Not that fulfillment is the goal, though.
HE is the goal. He is enough.
And I’m praying for the day when my heart knows that as deeply as my head.
~Hal
Soundtrack of A Blog (with italicized lyrics of personal significance to me)
5. God is Still Here by JJ Heller
“What if I believed that God would meet me in my trouble and my pain?
And all the truth that’s in my head would move down to my heart and then
I shall not want for anything and finally be at peace again.”
“What if all my life I wrestle with my worry and anxiety?
What if the thorn deep in my side is only there to help me see
That though I never ask for it, the desert is God’s gift to me?”
6. Nothing Stands Between Us by John Mark McMillan
“Have I tried to scale Your walls in vain?
To cross Your seas, I pushed against Your waves
What for all the miles have You to say?
Were You there beside me this whole way?”
“You always find me
In between the thunder and the lightning”
7. If… by Beautiful Eulogy
“What’s concealed in the heart of having
Is revealed in the losing of things.”
“I will praise your name in the giving and taking away,
If I have you I could lose everything and still consider it gain”
8. Moving Forward by Colony House
(The whole song, to be honest. This song is my life mantra)