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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Relying on Our All-Sufficient God

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Charles Stanley

2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Many people would scoff at the idea of inadequacy as a way the Lord blesses believers—the feeling can be so disheartening that it seems illogical to think in terms of benefit. Yet Christians can use shortcomings as stepping stones to blessing:

1. Our inadequacy forces us to do our work in the power of the Holy Spirit. Anything that puts us on our knees and drives us to God has to be good.

2. Awareness of our limitations can relieve us of the burden of trying to do God’s will in our own strength. Without the Holy Spirit, we will be crushed by weights we cannot carry.

3. Another blessing is that such awareness “frees” the Lord to use us to the maximum of our potential. When we are lowly enough to feel our need, then God will raise us to great heights.

4. Acknowledging our shortcomings allows God to get all the glory for His work. Spiritually minded people can tell when something is of God—and when it’s not. If you are in the Spirit, the glory will rightfully go to the Lord.

5. Inadequacy can enable us to live in contentment and quietness of spirit. Either we will give God our burdens and cease striving, or we will proceed in our own strength and become overwhelmed.

Like the apostle Paul, we should not claim competence in ourselves but rather acknowledge that our adequacy is from God (2 Cor. 3:5). What area in your life are you trying to manage in your own power? Relinquish control and anticipate God’s blessings, knowing that He desires good for His children.

 

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Joyce Meyer – A Fun, Generous, Wonderful God

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In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor, which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence)…in accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in Him. —Ephesians 1:7-9

It’s amazing what God will do for you if you just love Him. We complicate Christianity to the point of losing the joy of our salvation. The primary thing we need to do is receive the love of God, learn how to love ourselves in a balanced way, love God back, and then let that love flow through us to the world full of hurting, dying people. God will give back to us not only what we give away but will also give us a great deal of joy with it.

The world is full of rich people who have “things” but are miserable. It’s good to be materially prosperous, but it’s even better to be happy and biblically blessed along with prosperity. The doors that God has opened for us amaze us. I can’t figure it out; but I am determined that as long as I can breathe, I will keep walking through them in trying to help as many people receive God’s joy in their lives as I can.

Our society today is in a major, major, major mess, and people don’t realize that they need God! So many people have an impression of God that is just not true, and they don’t know to turn to Him to solve their problems. God called Dave and me to a ministry in which we can show the world an exciting God Who is fun, generous, wonderful, and who can solve their problems.