In two of my previous posts (Identify Your Thief and Step Two On The Yellow Brick Road) I have written steps one and two towards overcoming your weaknesses and therefore living a more fulfilling life.
Step one to a more peaceful life is to step out of denial and admit to yourself, to God and to another human being what your weakness is.
Step two to a healthier life is accepting that there is very little that you have control over and that it is only through dependency on God that you can live a righteous and pure life.
Step two is admitting your powerlessness.
Step three on the road to an abundant life is to believe with all your heart that Jesus exists, that you matter to Him and that He has the power to help you overcome your weaknesses.*
It’s not always easy to believe in God. Our nature is to want to control things and to surrender to Him means we have to let go of that control.
We believe in Jesus by faith.
Without faith we have no hope. Faith, therefore, is the key to our goal of living a peaceful and rich life.
For some, faith comes easily and for others it is more difficult. This could be because of past betrayals that created deep insecurities within and therefore make it difficult to trust anyone, including God.
Many people put their trust in other people, or in their job success, their popularity and/or in their talents and abilities.
Where you put your faith in is where your hope will also be.
What have you placed your hope in? This is something to really be honest with yourself about.
You have to make a choice – You either place your hope in Jesus Christ or you choose to sink back down into denial and continue to live life your own way.
But how do you trust Jesus?
First of all ask. Simply ask Him to help you have more faith. (Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 7:8)
Secondly, get to know Him; study His character through reading His Word, the Bible.
Spend time with Him talking to Him (prayer).
If you take these simple steps you will begin to trust Christ more and surrendering your struggles to Him will become easier.
Jesus is trustworthy. You can always rest assured of His love and faithfulness to you. There is nothing that can separate you from His love (Romans 8:38).
That’s a pretty awesome promise.
Not only is Jesus passionate about you, there is nothing too hard for Him to handle (Jeremiah 32:17). In fact, nothing is impossible for Him (Luke 1:37).
He is stronger than your struggles and His love is more powerful than any woundedness you are carrying.
You only have to do your part and that is to choose to surrender your life to Him.
You have to decide to sincerely believe that you are important to Him and that He has the power to help you become the man or woman of God that you were created to be.
Twelve years ago, before I put my faith in Jesus, I was always looking for approval from others and specifically from my husband.
When my marriage fell apart and my husband moved out, I realized my life had become completely un-manageable.
Since I had put all my hope in a human being, I completely fell apart when my husband left me.
However, I can honestly say that I am so grateful for that painful time in my life because it was through that brokenness that I realized I needed a Savior.
When I was going through this separation from my husband, I could not handle my life on my own. I needed a “power higher than myself.”
I needed Jesus to show me that I had value.
I needed Jesus’s love for me to believe in myself.
I needed hope.
I praise God for being the God of hope and the God of restoration and healing.
Because of Jesus, I have truly become a new creation in Him. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17). [You can read more of my story here.]
You too can be transformed through Jesus’s love.
It’s your choice.
In order to overcome your weaknesses and inner battles, you must first choose to put your faith in the one and only source of hope ~ Jesus Christ.
Please leave me a comment below on what is holding you back from putting your hope and confidence in Jesus Christ?
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Romans 15:13
Photo Credit: Google Images
*Please note: Some of these thoughts have been adapted from “Stepping out of Denial into God’s Grace” by John Baker.
Dear Tweeny,
Beautifully written with so much wisdom and hope for the times we are living in. Step three is always still a struggle for me I have to admit. I do believe with all my heart that Jesus exists and that he cares about my everyday struggles. I think get confused about the having the power to help me overcome my weaknesses. I do believe he is all powerful, I think I often struggle with frustration in not being able to overcome my own weaknesses. I grew up in an alcoholic home and although I believed in Jesus I never remember learning to ask him to help me with my struggles and fears. I just remember trying to survive and become smarter and more adaptable to unmanageable situations. I am so thankful for the reminder in this post to ask for Jesus help with everything. I often times think because I can’t solve my own problem no one can. This is a great reminder that not only does Jesus want me to cling to him with my very life, I am not grabbing onto a blade of grass hoping I won’t fall. Jesus is sturdy and trustworthy and completely capable of saving me from myself. It reminds me of the woman who says Jesus I believe but help me with my unbelief. Thanks for sharing your heart and healing journey with us.
Julie- Naperville, IL
Julie,
Thank you so much for sharing so openly here. I love everything you said. It is as simple as just asking Jesus to help us with our struggles and fears. I think most of us are not raised this way and we humans tend to think we have it all in control when we don’t at all. I’m so proud of you my friend. You have grown so much in your recovery journey. You are a big gift and blessing in my life. I love you~