Eileen and Kelli Blog swap!
When Kelli asked me if I wanted to blog swap, I began praying for a topic I could write on. My personal desire was to share something new and fresh, an original never before addressed topic! The other morning as I was driving into town, (this is where I tend to have my most rewarding talks with God by the way) I was asking the Lord what I should share. The words that came to me were...
God is big.
And, of course, I answered God by responding, Yes, Lord, but I talk about that all the time. People have heard that phrase so many times. What could I write about instead? You know, something new and fresh, Lord. Something I haven't written about yet.
God is big.
And again, I argued with the Lord. Yes Lord, but like I said, haven't people heard this enough? Don't people already know this? Then I heard this...
Eileen, how many times did you have to hear it before you truly believed it and decided to apply it to your life and your situation? And how many times throughout your day do you tend to forget this and I need to remind you?
Well, Lord, you got me there.
Several years ago, while I was sitting in church one Sunday morning, our Pastor was talking about the subject of God being big. As he began his message I remember thinking, yeah, yeah, yeah, I already know this... God is big, I am small. I had heard this phrase a thousand times throughout my life.
But then, at one point during the message our Pastor made this statement.
God is bigger than____________.
The point was for us to fill in the blank with whatever problem/struggle we might be holding on to. For some reason, this statement got my attention and I was instantly aware of how I needed to finish that statement.
God is BIGGER than... my drinking problem.
At that very moment, the light came on in my heart and I started to understand something that had been missing in my relationship with the Lord. I was failing to recognize God's greatness in my life. I was restraining His power in my life because in my mind God had never been big enough. For years, the words "God is big" were simply that...words. I was restraining Him from doing what He could do by not trusting with all my heart that he was indeed bigger than this area of captivity.
Over the next several months, God became bigger in my life. During the whole journey, I found myself repeating this phrase over and over, God is bigger than my addiction to drinking. The battle was not easy and there were even days when I would come face to face with my weakness and with my enemy. I would stand in the fighting ring with my Savior and confidently choose to stand my ground...
"...back off Buddy, you don't know who you're messing with. I've got the KING Of ALL KINGS fighting in my corner. And He will crush you!
And you know what...He did! When I finally handed over the gloves to this fight to my Redeemer I watched Him fight this particular fight for me.
I think we often forget that we have access to God's greatness and to His power every moment of every day. Everyday when we face struggles (big or small) we need to remind ourselves that
God is bigger than (you fill in the blank).
I love how The Message translates God's greatness.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.--Ephesians 3: 20-21
In what areas of your life do you need to give God permission to fight the battle for you?
What is holding you captive today?
Are you beating yourself up for past regrets and mistakes?
Does the uncertainity of tomorrow have you worried or fearful?
Are you trapped in a cycle of addiction?
Are you holding onto bitterness from a betrayal?
The God we serve is bigger than every problem that we will encounter today. Step aside and give Him permission to fight the battle for you!
When Kelli asked me if I wanted to blog swap, I began praying for a topic I could write on. My personal desire was to share something new and fresh, an original never before addressed topic! The other morning as I was driving into town, (this is where I tend to have my most rewarding talks with God by the way) I was asking the Lord what I should share. The words that came to me were...
God is big.
And, of course, I answered God by responding, Yes, Lord, but I talk about that all the time. People have heard that phrase so many times. What could I write about instead? You know, something new and fresh, Lord. Something I haven't written about yet.
God is big.
And again, I argued with the Lord. Yes Lord, but like I said, haven't people heard this enough? Don't people already know this? Then I heard this...
Eileen, how many times did you have to hear it before you truly believed it and decided to apply it to your life and your situation? And how many times throughout your day do you tend to forget this and I need to remind you?
Well, Lord, you got me there.
Several years ago, while I was sitting in church one Sunday morning, our Pastor was talking about the subject of God being big. As he began his message I remember thinking, yeah, yeah, yeah, I already know this... God is big, I am small. I had heard this phrase a thousand times throughout my life.
But then, at one point during the message our Pastor made this statement.
God is bigger than____________.
The point was for us to fill in the blank with whatever problem/struggle we might be holding on to. For some reason, this statement got my attention and I was instantly aware of how I needed to finish that statement.
God is BIGGER than... my drinking problem.
At that very moment, the light came on in my heart and I started to understand something that had been missing in my relationship with the Lord. I was failing to recognize God's greatness in my life. I was restraining His power in my life because in my mind God had never been big enough. For years, the words "God is big" were simply that...words. I was restraining Him from doing what He could do by not trusting with all my heart that he was indeed bigger than this area of captivity.
Over the next several months, God became bigger in my life. During the whole journey, I found myself repeating this phrase over and over, God is bigger than my addiction to drinking. The battle was not easy and there were even days when I would come face to face with my weakness and with my enemy. I would stand in the fighting ring with my Savior and confidently choose to stand my ground...
"...back off Buddy, you don't know who you're messing with. I've got the KING Of ALL KINGS fighting in my corner. And He will crush you!
And you know what...He did! When I finally handed over the gloves to this fight to my Redeemer I watched Him fight this particular fight for me.
I think we often forget that we have access to God's greatness and to His power every moment of every day. Everyday when we face struggles (big or small) we need to remind ourselves that
God is bigger than (you fill in the blank).
I love how The Message translates God's greatness.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.--Ephesians 3: 20-21
In what areas of your life do you need to give God permission to fight the battle for you?
What is holding you captive today?
Are you beating yourself up for past regrets and mistakes?
Does the uncertainity of tomorrow have you worried or fearful?
Are you trapped in a cycle of addiction?
Are you holding onto bitterness from a betrayal?
The God we serve is bigger than every problem that we will encounter today. Step aside and give Him permission to fight the battle for you!
A special thanks to Eileen for blog swapping today! Please go visit her at http://eileenknowles.blogspot.com/ for daily encouragement.
About the Author:
Eileen Knowles is a small town Arizona girl who now lives in small town North Carolina with her husband, Roger and their seven-year old son. When she is not working part-time loving on animals at the local animal hospital, she leads women's bible study at her church and writes about how cool it is to journey through life with Jesus holding her hand.
God is big - what an awesome statement. And I think it is something we take for granted. We think we understand His greatness, but then we keep Him in a box. I want to let God be BIG in my life today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this with us!
I love your honesty in this post. You are so right. God is bigger than any "fill in the blank" we can imagine. That's how we can rejoice in the good and the bad times. I am so honored to have your post here today! I love and appreciate all my new bloggy friends!! Happy Friday!!:)
ReplyDeleteLisa, you are so right, we often do keep God in a box. We underestimate His power all the time!
ReplyDeleteKelli, Thanks again for the invite. I've loved getting to know my new friends too!
Hope you guys have a beautiful weekend. :)
Eileen... such a powerful post! You are right we can get caught up repeating the words "God is big" with out the magnitude of that truth really sinking in. I love how you wrestled a bit with Him over this being the message and how He pressed you until you got it... it's awesome when He does that! Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty, your passion for Christ is so evident. I am filling in my own blanks today and sizing up just how BIG He is for myself! So happy to have you over on our spot today :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful Post Eileen!
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right in that we can know God is Big in our heads, but until we apply that knowledge in our hearts to battle the challenges we face, it's just words. He's so much bigger than anything we'll ever face!
Thank you for sharing this with us, and I'll look forward to reading your blog from here out!
Have a Blessed Day!
God is bigger! He is bigger than my financial worries, my fear, my cravings (for food), He is bigger! Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteThank God that He is sooo big! Bigger than anything I ever face! Like Jenifer said bigger than my fear, cravings (of any kind)...
ReplyDeleteGreat fill in the blank..God is BIGGER than my ____..
ReplyDeleteWhat a great swap.