Life. To. The. Full.

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

When I think about how much I hate satan my blood starts to boil.

His ways and his tactics are futile in the end, but he is vicious in his attack and SO subtle. He convinces us that his way is better because maybe it may “appear” to be fulfilling or satisfying… and the whole time he knows that he has plans to destroy every aspect of who I am and finally to sever my trust and love for Jesus. BUT he will not be successful.

The plan begins by small things… and then it turns into a slippery slope of destruction. Jesus warns us that satan’s only idea and desire is STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY us. That is his entire intent. I have seen his attack multiple times in my own life and the life of others around me. I get so angry when I realize that he had even the slightest victory. I never want to allow satan to have ANY ground in my life.

But how do we know when he is doing is disgusting subtle attack before it is too late?

I believe that Jesus gives me the answer through this whole passage of scripture in John 10, but He hones in on the answer in the second portion of this verse. Jesus says that “He came to give life and life to the FULL”. So a good test to see whether a decision, an action, an attitude or a thought is of Jesus or of satan… is to ask… is there FULLNESS OF LIFE in this choice. Will this bring me closer to my savior or will I grow and change to be more like Him, because of it. This question seems so intense… but I believe that if we are going to combat satan in his sick and disgusting plans to rob, kill and destroy us we must be alert at all times to his intention. 

And what a beautiful promise we have in this verse. Jesus ONLY has life for us… not just mundane normal ordinary life… He has LIFE TO THE FULL!! I don’t know if I totally understand that concept.

I try to live my life fully… never settling for second best, never being willing to compromise what God has spoken to me, and never allowing my humanness or people’s opinions to minimize what God has for me.  I want to be able to look back as an old woman, or whenever God decides it’s my time to go Home, and think “wow… I truly pointed people to Jesus and reflected the FULL life He desired”.  

If I were to try to describe what I imagine it feels like to live in the FULLNESS of God… words would not be adequate and I am not sure I can imagine accurately… but to attempt would sound something like this…

The valleys are seen as times of shade instead of times of desolation.

There is peace that surrounds me.

There is a sense of Him in all aspects and in all ways.

The will to push on is covered in His grace.

The feeling of His strong hand holding mine as I look into the face of giants.

The gentle wind of His Spirit kissing my cheek as I stand on the mountain tops.

The fragrance of His presence as I step into each day.

The difficult moments being the most intimate exchanges with Him.

A deep longing for more of Him grips me and directs me.

The unknown creates curiosity instead of fear.

There is a confidence not in myself but in the One that is more than faithful.

A true revelation of the Alpha and the Omega.

A passionate cry from the depth of me to live for something bigger than I can accomplish on my own.

A purpose that is for others, completely.

There is a joy that invades even the worst trials.

Take Heart!

“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have troubles. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

What does Jesus mean when He says “in Me…” I have wondered about that. I have a concept in my head and heart about it that I struggle to put into words.

I sort of imagine like following the shade. I am a red head and I burn easily… so I am very familiar with this action. When it is hot outside, like really hot… not just a “oh what a beautiful sunny day”… I long for shade. And if I am in a chair or just standing in the shade I find myself shifting as the sun shifts so that I remain in the shade. Maybe if you’re blessed with tan or beautiful dark skin you do not fully understand the NEED for shade from the scorching sun at times. But this picture of an oasis in the midst of heat is powerful.

In this verse Jesus is not “candy-coating” anything! He is brutally honest. He tells us that being in this world is hard, it’s a challenge. We will face situations and circumstances that are difficult and disheartening. I know that I have faced situations and circumstances that I would love to have not gone through, but nonetheless I survived and most times thrived at the other end of those trials. And if I think back I know why I did not crumble… I know why I stood up under the difficulty.

Jesus.

That is the answer. So simple.

Jesus tells us the way to get through the difficulty… AND He tells us the end result!! How amazing of Him… It is like He totally just “cheated on the test!” He gave us the answer!

He says the way we get through it is to remain IN HIM. Like the picture of the shifting to remain in the shade. I need to remain in His shade… practically (cause I’m a very practical person) that would mean for me to be seeking Him for answers, for grace, for my sustenance during difficulty. This would mean that He is the One that I cling to and NOT push away from. I would spend time with Him, I would praise Him even when I do not feel like it, and maybe I would even declare His victory into the specific situations I am facing. The amazing thing I have come to realize is that God will bring me through tough things… and SO THAT I am able to walk with others through similar things. Nothing we go through is in vain. Nothing. It’s also a powerful thing that He promises us PEACE in the midst of difficulty. He says that as we are IN HIM we WILL have peace. Peace is a sustainer like few other things on this earth. If our souls are at peace most things are bearable.

Jesus shows us the way… AND He tells us the end! HE WINS!!

No matter what you are fighting through, and I am sure some people are facing things I could not handle, what I DO know is that Jesus has WON! He is the victor!!  

The phrase “take heart” is not used today… but what I understand it to mean is…

Be encouraged!

Keep strong!

WE can do it together!

Don’t give up!

And any combination of the above.

So if you are in the midst of some things that need His victory… TAKE HEART… He has won the victory! And in the midst of the continuing onslaught of difficulty… there IS PEACE for you! Find Him. Find His heart. Tap into HIS strength… that is where the “sweet spot” of His peace is. He is never far. He strength is ALWAYS accessible.

Open Invitation

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30

Have you ever had a friend whose house was truly “open”? Like you could stop by anytime, any day. An open invitation. These sort of homes people are drawn to. We feel totally accepted and not even just that, but we feel wanted. These are the sort of friends that we all long for. In the scripture in Matthew I feel like Jesus is extending a true “open invitation” when He says “Come to Me…”. He invites us to come to Him and I would add in there (anytime, any day!)  

The next part of this scripture describes our state. The weary and burdened. I know that when I feel overwhelmed my first reaction is not always to run to Jesus, I want it to be that, but it’s not always. I feel like I initially try to manage and handle life with my own logic and understanding before… THEN when I REALLY can’t do it that’s when I run to Jesus. I hate that this is my natural reaction to a heavy and burdened heart. Jesus is so honest and He desires us. He wants to be the One to be our REST. When I cannot handle life and the difficulties or burdens I am carrying HE is just waiting for me to come over to His house and hang out with Him so I can feel HIS rest. He knows His house is comfortable and warm and the fridge is always full!   

One thing that I have felt God speak to me time and time again is that He wants to teach me Himself. He wants me to learn from Him directly. I do not have to depend on other people’s understanding or logic but He wants to be my personal tutor! Other people have incredible value and amazing perspective, but ultimately they are not God. So I utilize the wise people in my life and gain from there insight. BUT God is the One who brings change and true heart and soul lessons. Too often we place man’s thoughts as gold without ever consulting God.

God’s beautiful promise in these verses is mind blowing. Life changing. He tells us that if we come to Him, learn from Him and really just seek Him… we will find rest for our souls. This sort of rest is not just a good nap and feeling energized; it is a deep inner rest and peace that can only be brought by Christ’s kingship in our lives. With this sort of inner rest, God can speak; God can manage and carry our burdens for us. When we have “unrest” in our souls we just scrounge for scraps and struggle to keep our head above water. God never wants us JUST to exist, He was us to LIVE. And living can be very difficult without accepting that open invitation to come to Him.