Live An Abundant Life

            Dear readers I want to talk to you about an abundant life. So there’s a block in my mind about living an abundant life. I’m trying to live an abundant life with a scarcity mindset. I question who am I to thrive while so many are just surviving. Who am I that God would bless me? I was so broken for so long and God has redeemed my brokenness. He’s restored me and leads me on the paths of his righteousness. So why do I live as if I am alone without a Savior who carries me each day? Why can’t I recognize the great blessing in the life that God has given me? I don’t know how to live an abundant life. I mean I’m living my life but I’m not enjoying my life the way I want to. Let’s look at what Wikipedia says about an abundant life:

“Abundant life" refers to life in its abounding fullness of joy and strength for spirit, soul and body. www.en.Wikipedia.org

I want that. I want to live my life in the fullness of joy and with strength for my spirit, soul and body.

Let’s see what the bible says about an abundant life:

                        The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Jesus has come to give us life. He saves us from death and brings us to life. We shall one day be with him in heaven. When I was my most broken he came to me and offered me salvation. I have been living my life in fear of living it. If I would just look at my life I can see what’s scarce in my life these days and that’s Fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, depression and sadness. God has replaced them with joy, love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. What does God’s word say he will do for the lost?

I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick…Ezekiel 34:16a

God is speaking to me through his word. He has sought me out. I was lost. Broken. In despair. Depressed. Suicidal. Driven away by the past. God has strengthened me. I am thriving right where I am. I’m like a sapling on my way to becoming a tree. A sapling lives for the moment and has within it the ability to become a mighty oak. I am like that sapling. I have great potential and I need not look to the past. In the past I was once a seed. I didn’t know the word of God for myself but God watered me with his word and I’ve grown into a sapling and I have the potential to be that oak. I can embrace the moment as a sapling and have the courage to weather all the storms and continue to grow into that mighty oak. I can choose where my mind will land. I can stay stuck in the past, avoid the moment and fear the future or I can feel the sun on my face and embrace my life right now. So often I’ve let my life pass me by. Just striving for the next thing and the next instead of living in the moment. Living in the moment is rare for me. I so often let my mind wander and I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m sick and tired of letting anxiety, fear, worry and doubt overtake my mind. I want to embrace the Lord. I’m just not quite sure how to do that.

So where do you find yourself today dear reader?

Are you embracing the life God has given you?

Are you cherishing every moment he gives you?

Are you living in the soil as a seed when God has called you to be a mighty oak?

I’m that sapling and I want to just enjoy my season as a sapling and wait on the Lord to grow my branches and allow me to bear fruit in due season.

                I want to live an abundant life.

How about you?

 I’m here.

I’m listening.

Genuinely Yours,
Amy Z.

Pour Out Your Oil

           There’s a parable in Matthew 25 about 5 wise virgins and 5 foolish virgins that were going out to meet the bridegroom. Now the wise virgins brought extra oil for their lamps so that they would have enough oil/light to travel to the bridegroom. The foolish virgins had no extra oil. When the cry came that the bridegroom was coming the foolish virgins asked the wise virgins for them to spare some of their oil but they said no go buy some for yourselves lest we not have enough. So the foolish virgins went to buy some and the wise were able to go into the bridegroom. When the foolish virgins tried to get in they were denied entry. Now ultimately this parable is about the Lord coming when we do not know the hour and for us to be ready when he does. I’d like to look at it a little differently. See Matthew 25:1-13 for this biblical account.

So the oil represents God’s word. We hold it until we’re called to speak in essence to pour out the oil. Pour out your word to God and to others. Your light will shine. Shine your light into the lives of others.

Pour out your oil into the chosen vessel. The lantern represents the person you are sent to give a word of God to. The foolish virgins are those who have been given the word of God but don’t take it in. Kind of like the parable of the sower where the word falls on the rocky ground or is choked with thorns. The foolish virgins are those who know God on a surface level but don’t study themselves worthy of their calling. Therefore they can’t pour out the word to others because they themselves are empty. This is much like the call to the bridegroom, the foolish virgins were happy to hear that the bridegroom had come but had no oil to get to their destination. It’s much like someone who hears the word and lets it fall by the wayside. They don’t have enough of the word to last for the journey of life.

            Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Ephesians 4:1 NKJV

The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke in parables. Jesus replied,

“Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. Matthew 13:11-12 NIV

This is much like the wise and foolish virgins. The wise virgins will be given more of God’s word and will take it in and pour it back out. While the foolish virgins even what little they do have will be taken from them.

The wise virgins have the word and use wisdom on who to pour it out on. Where do you find yourself today? Are you the foolish virgin or the wise virgin? I feel as though I’m in between. I’m so close to being that wise virgin but if I take a step back I’m foolish. It is foolish. I keep looking back at my old life and trying to do new things with an old mindset. Lord please transform and renew my mind and the minds of those reading this. It’s time to look forward to the eyes of the bridegroom, my Savior and go into the marriage feast and embrace my new life completely and let go of the old.

I have a new name, beloved, I am cherished by my Lord and I will no longer bear the shame of my old life for the new has come.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

 

I can just embrace it, I can step into it and I am free. You can’t put new wine in old wineskin it would burst, it’s time to let go of the old wineskin and take on the new and let God pour into my life. I used to live a life of scarcity. Abundance has come. There is fruit on the vine. I can feast and be fed, no longer starving for the world’s affection. I am cherished, beloved, precious. It’s not about what I do it’s about who I am. It’s about whose I am. It’s about what Jesus has done. It’s about who he is and who he says I am.

What new beginning can you embrace today?

I’m here.

I’m listening.

Genuinely Yours,

Amy Z

Throw Off That Shell

           So I’ve been feeling like a hermit crab lately. They shed their old shells and their exoskeleton when they become too big for their current shell. I’ve become too big for my old life. The old Amy was riddled with anxiety. The new Amy has less and less of it. Yet I’m still trying to use coping mechanisms that no longer serve me. Not even coping mechanisms these things are old defense mechanisms and they are just detrimental to me. So my exoskeleton is the bad habits, the old ways of thinking that I’ve been holding on to. One thing I am wanting to get away from is procrastination. I want to start tackling things as they come. God needs to prune me in this area. I know the Lord will work it out of me for his word says,

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT

So I know God will not leave me this way and I also want to keep in mind,

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me and the life I know live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 ESV

The old shell is where I’ve been hiding. I’ve outgrown my old life. I feel as though I’m coming out of the old shell. Now I’m exposed to the elements and I wonder will God leave me here alone and vulnerable? It is when we are most vulnerable that God can do the most work in our hearts. I feel like I’ve been hiding from God in my shell of complacency. What a joke. You can’t hide from God. No one can. I’m running in the opposite direction of where God wants me to be. Why? I’m scared that I can’t fit the role the Lord has been putting on my heart. I fully believe I’m going to be in full-time ministry one day. I believe that I’ll be on stage ministering to thousands. I believe I’ll be like the hero ladies of faith in our time, Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, Lysa Terkeurst and Christine Caine who reach out to many with their ministries. This calling that God’s placed on my life is far bigger, far more reaching than I can even imagine. Think of the biggest thing God could do for your life and then dream bigger. The word says that he will do abundantly exceedingly more than we can imagine. I believe it. Yet still I question. Can God really use me in such a big way? Why would he even want to? Why doesn’t he just leave me where he found me? Broken hearted. Having low self-worth. Not believing I served a purpose in this world. Of course God wouldn’t leave me where he found me for his word says he will bind up the broken-hearted. He loves me and he can use me for his kingdom and his glory. I just pray that I believe it. I feel too small for such a huge task. And I am too small if I go in my own strength. But I’m not going in my own strength. I’m going in God’s strength with him before me, behind me and beside me. How about you dear reader? Do you struggle with this? What has God put on your heart? In what way is he trying to use you? Are you running and hiding like me? If you are I just encourage you to give it all to God. He’ll take it all in and minister to your heart. He will be the lamp upon your feet.

So what are some of these new habits that can usher me into a new shell with the Lord as my protector and shield? Well for one I have to spend time with God and be immersed in his word. I have only been reading my bible sleepily in the morning before I start my day. I want to meditate on his word and think on it. Another thing I have to do is fellowship with fellow believers. This is so key to ushering in God’s encouragement in our lives. Having women of faith who can encourage us and face the storms with us. I also need to sit still and allow God to speak to me. Lastly, I need to let go of the last of these anxious thoughts and lean into him. My sphere of influence is growing. God needs me to shed my old ways and lean on him.

There’s not just a physical battle going on with my new beginning. It’s a spiritual battle as well. I am no longer a baby Christian. Paul called it spiritual milk versus spiritual meat. I can no longer just drink the word in, I need to chew on it and meditate on the word. I can no longer just read the bible as if it’s something to be read leisurely. I need to be an active participant. Don’t get me wrong I have read the bible as an active participant, but I’m just not getting enough time with God. I also need a new prayer life, selfless prayers as opposed to selfish prayers. For example, Lord what do you want me to learn out of this situation? How do you want me to grow? I need accountability partners that set me straight when I go awry. I’ll leave you with this,

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:21-24

What old ways do you need to shed today?

I’m here.

I’m listening.

Genuinely Yours,

Amy Z

The Masks We Leave Behind

           So I got to thinking when the Covid Pandemic is over we will finally be able to leave the face masks behind. It got me thinking what other masks can we leave behind? Maybe just maybe we could leave behind our pretenses, our hidden agenda, our ulterior motives. Maybe we could leave behind our false smiles, our hidden pain. Maybe we could leave behind our neediness to be perfect. Maybe we can be a new creation in Christ and leave our old baggage behind. Maybe we can leave the past behind and face the dawning of the day. Maybe, just maybe, we can shed our masks like old skins and just be who we are flawed and perfectly wonderful just as we are.  

So this week I had a challenge that I had to face. God shined a light on some old hurt that I didn’t even know I was holding on to and I was able to let it go. It got me thinking about how God reveals the darkness in our hearts not to hurt us but to heal us. Much like the masks we have to leave behind so too do we have to leave the darkness behind. I had a situation where something I perceived as initially negative I can look at it as positive because it revealed some darkness in my heart. I’m able to see it through the lens of correction. Through the lens of pruning. Through the lens of growth.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

Jesus lives within in us. Therefore we should have no fellowship with darkness. But sometimes we do. I have prayed for God to send me to the deepest darkest places and he showed me that the deepest darkest places are in the heart. So when I go to minister God’s word I need to allow Jesus to shine his light into that person’s darkest places in their heart. Don’t get me wrong. I know my heart has some places that I haven’t allowed the Lord to show up in. I’m a work in progress. We all are. Will you allow God to shed his light into the darkest places of your heart and be healed? Do you have the faith to believe that God will do it?

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Ephesians 5:8

Can you allow that light to move in your heart? Can you allow old baggage to be removed? Can you walk in light and let the light of Christ shine out of your heart? Why does he move upon our hearts and remove the darkness? So we can be fully activated for God’s kingdom.

                I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ Acts 26:17-18

It is to turn us from Satan and toward God. Wow. Let that sink in. When we are in darkness we are under the power of Satan. God has brought us out of the darkness of death into the light of eternal life.

To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:79

What does being in the light bring us? Peace.

For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. Psalm 18:28

Where does the light come from? The Lord.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12

Who puts on the armor of light? We do.

The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned. Matthew 4:16

God has shined his light into our lives. Can we let that light shine out of our hearts and bring an encouraging word to someone?

How can you be the light of Christ in someone’s life this week?

Share it with me.

I’m here.

I’m listening.

Genuinely Yours,

Amy Z