24 Apr Driven by Grace

“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ‘” – Jeremiah 29:11

Today I was thinking of the goals and promises God has made when I was a little girl and after looking at where I am at the moment, it brought me down as it seems as if they are so far away. Last night I went to bed and my last thought was,

If I just work a little harder..

I woke up this morning feeling rather exhausted (as we all get from time to time). But truth is, I felt as if I’m further away from what I’m suppose to be doing because I don’t have the energy to do the work to get me closer to these goals. But it seems I’ve missed the entire point of what God wants to do. Yes, we must work hard. Yes, we must persevere. Yes, we do need to put in the extra hours.

But what if we can’t any more?

What if we don’t have the finances or the energy or the support from family and friends to take what God has planned and promised for us and to then pursue it further? Often God brings us to this point – to the point where we can’t anymore. Because He wants do to it for us. So that He can show us His grace, His power and just how much He loves us.

The scripture says,

‘“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’ – Zechariah 4:6B-7 NKJV

Lest you forget that He is the one who makes you whole. That He’ll do all things for you, for His testimony and for His Names Sake.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – II Corinthians 12:9–10 NKJV

What do we do when we’re feeling depleted?

1. Rest in Gods Word. The Bible is the closest thing we can get to Gods word and what he is saying
2. Speak to someone you can trust to open up to. Someone who understands you and can give the best advice
3. Switch your phone off. Social media can take up a lot of time and energy and allow you to put your focus on things where it’s not completely needed
4. Put time aside to be quiet and spend time in prayer
5. Each morning give thanks for five things you’re grateful for
6. Surrender your plans to Christ so that He can make them whole again
7. Lean on the Holy Spirit to speak and guide you on what you should do next..

We give up to easy. The way things seem now, although impossible, God takes our weaknesses and make all things possible. His Word is something that has lasted forever and has never failed. A lot of the time, the glimpses of what we saw ourselves doing as a little girls or boys – our dreams, goals or aspirations are the things God wants to give to us if we’re prepared to surrender them to Him and put all our trust in Him to finalise and complete them.