At times, especially during a hard trial or excruciating
pain, we may begin to wonder what separates us from unbelievers in their
trials. We may question what the difference really is? We all suffer, we all
cry, we all get confused. But there is a difference, an immense difference. The
unbeliever’s god is his belly, but our God is the Creator of the Universe, the
One who says a word and it happens. So, if God said He will be our Father,
guiding, protecting, and loving us, why do we not feel this at times? Although
God, who forced His will upon the rest of Creation, does not force His will on
mankind, He requires that we, out of our own will, would fill ourselves with
the knowledge of His Word, living in a close relationship with Him, humbling
ourselves, completely trusting in Him. God truly is enough, but do we live as
though He is enough?
As a born-again believer, God has given you and me all we need in order to be “more than conquerors”[1] in life,
and live a truly godly life. This is not conditioned by the severity of our
circumstances, but is a reality especially
in the hardest trials of life. We know this because Paul said he was more than
conqueror through tribulation, distress, persecution, nakedness, peril, and
sword. How dare we wallow in the mire of depression, self-pity, and bitterness
because of past mistreatment, rejection, loss of loved ones, or loss of
relationships, when God’s grace will enable us to be super-victorious? Sometimes
we may excuse ourselves by saying, “I’m not the apostle Paul”. But the apostle
himself said it was only when he was weak that he was the strongest through
Christ. It was when he emptied himself of “Paul” that he was the strongest. God
is enough, but we must humble ourselves, as Paul did.
You may doubt the statement that God will give you all you need, but the Bible really says so: “According as
his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and
virtue.”[2] Could it
be that we fail to experience the fullness of this reality simply because we
don’t believe it? God is enough, but without faith we cannot please Him, and much
less experience His power in us.
Or maybe we are suffering from a case of “zeal without knowledge”? We are
excited for the Lord and want to do what is right, but we don’t know enough of
God’s Word to know how to do what is right. The Bible says that God has given
us all things “through the knowledge of him”. This means that God can only give
us His power when His Word dwells in us, as Paul says in another place: “Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.”[3] In order
to experience the fullness of God’s power, we must have a deep knowledge of the
written Word, the Bible, and a deep relationship with the living Word, Jesus
Christ. This is clearly taught by Christ Himself in His defense before Satan:
“It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of
God.”[4] Do we
know every word of God? Are we at least working diligently towards that goal? If
not, why are we surprised when we don’t fully experience God’s power in our
lives? God is enough, and He has given us all we need through His Spirit and
His Word. Are we diligent in feeding from the Bible?
God is “able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”[5] If we
are not experiencing this we dare not blame our circumstances, our father and
mother, or God! Rather, we should be deeply ashamed of ourselves for being
faithless, claiming to belong to God but failing to identify ourselves with Him
and His power. Sin and unbelief in our lives prevent us from experiencing this,
and bitterness and pride are two idols that prevent God from taking control of
our hearts. God is truly enough, but are we humble, full of faith in God’s Word
and provision, living daily in a close relationship with Him?
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