Power for Living

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Power for Living Part 16 - Don't You Know

by Gail Rodgers
The beautifully wrapped gift sat under the Christmas tree. All the other gifts had been claimed and opened. This one just sat there. Each day someone told the woman to open it – it was hers. Each day she felt content to just know the gift was there, with her name on it. It belonged to her. But she never possessed it… she never used it… she never enjoyed it. What a waste!

Yet that is so often what we do with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We know, as Christians, that when we receive Jesus as our Savior, He gives us the Holy Spirit as our helper and our comforter. But many Christians never really claim this gift. They seem content to just know it’s there, with their name on it.
1 Corinthians 2:12 tells us:

“We have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:12

1 Corinthians 3:16 asks us:

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16

And still more. Listen…

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power!” 1 Cor.4:20

When we live our lives out in powerless Christianity, feeling defeated and overwhelmed, we need to ask ourselves again, “Don’t I know that I am God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in me… that I have received the spirit that is from God and not from the world so that I may understand what God has given me? Help me Lord to truly understand that being a part of your kingdom means more than just talk but it means power… power for living!”
Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you up to overflowing. Don’t be afraid of doing this. God made you to be exactly the unique you that you are! He can be trusted to come in power in your individual life! He will not make you into someone you are not! He will bring you understanding so that you may live in His power in all your circumstances!
Don’t you know, oh Christian, that the Spirit of the Living God lives in you! Invite Him to work freely and bring His power! Don’t settle for anything less!

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Power for Living Part 17 - The Fruit of the Spirit

by Gail Rodgers
The first spring on our new acreage we wondered what some of the trees were. As the season wore on it soon became evident that two of the trees were apple trees. The blossoms were beautiful and fragrant. And at the end of the summer there was fruit to enjoy! As we bit into the sweet apples there was no doubt what kind of a tree we had.

God says we are much the same as that apple tree. His Word says that we will be known by the kind of fruit in our lives. In Matthew 7:15-29 God tells us that if our hearts are true or false it will be revealed in the fruit of our lives. We will be recognized by our fruit.
So what does the fruit of a Christian look like? Galatians 5:22 tells us what to look for:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22

When we allow the Holy Spirit to have power in our life it shows in specific ways. There can be a difference in your life. It will be the difference the Holy Spirit makes as you invite His power to be active in your individual circumstances.
If you are a Christian, ask yourself which of these fruits is in short supply in your life right now?

• Do you need more love in that challenging relationship?
• Do you need more joy in life?
• What about peace? Are you in knots as your head hits the pillow at night?
• Is patience in short supply at your home or job? Or kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control?

Sometimes I find life so consuming. Sometimes I feel there just isn’t enough of me to go around to cover all my responsibilities, never mind additional kindness and goodness! To have these various fruits in abundance almost seems like fairy tale stuff at some turbulent times in my life. Yet while I don’t have enough to go around, God does! When I take time to invite the life flowing power of the Spirit into each circumstance and decision, the fruit begins to show!
We make a choice each day as Christians to either operate in our own strength or to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit and to ask Him to bring an abundant harvest of fruit into our lives. The sweetness of this fruit will reveal Jesus to those around us.
Choose one fruit of the Spirit that you feel lacking in and ask God today to work in you to increase it. It’s His work. You just make the choice and send the invitation!

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Power for Living Part 18 - Daily Encouragement

by Gail Rodgers
It was a time in my life when I was somewhat isolated. I was off work for a time and not encountering the regular contacts that I once had enjoyed daily. I was feeling a bit down…probably the weather I reasoned… and joy seemed in short supply in my heart. A few doubts about my own walk with God were playing at the edge of my mind. Then a friend came over one afternoon. An uneventful visit on the deck in the spring sunshine. But as we talked about our God and how He works in our lives, and as we prayed together, my heart was refreshed. I was reminded how very much we need each other.

Isolation comes at various times in our lives. Sometimes after the birth of a baby, sometimes with a move, with being off work, or sometimes after the death of someone we love or even a relationship change. When these things happen in our lives we can often find an unexpected hardness creeping in at the edges of our heart as we struggle with the change.
Whatever the reason for the subtle heart changes we feel, we need to be aware that God has instructions for us in these times of life.

“Beware then of your own hearts, dear brothers, lest you find that they too are evil and unbelieving and are leading you away from the living God. Encourage each other about these things every day… so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 4: 12 & 13

Find someone to encourage you in God’s ways regularly. Keep your heart soft. Get comfortable with praying over the phone with a Christian friend. Seek out encouragement and find those who need the encouragement you can give.
Encouragement in the things of God helps keep the ground of your heart tilled up. It helps you guard against unbelief and that subtle deceitfulness that leads us away from the Living God.
Seek out encouragement in God’s ways today… both to give and to receive! It is essential and oh so refreshing!

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Power for Living Part 19 - The Great Exchange

by Gail Rodgers
He was just a couple of people ahead of me at the check out counter. We had spotted one another and exchanged our greetings. It had been awhile since our families had visited. He was paying for his purchase when suddenly he turned, and speaking past the other customers he called, “Gail!” I looked up. “Do you have $1.57 I could borrow? I’m short a few cents.” I passed him the change and he went on his way, thanking me. Just a little extra… that was all he needed.

Isn’t that often how we treat God? Glad to have the familiarity of Him around when we need a little extra. We often call on Him only when our resources run short. “Just a little more patience, Lord,” we ask. Or “some added courage or strength please”. Sometimes we even find ourselves more than just a bit short. We may find ourselves with an empty purse at a check out counter somewhere in life. And we call out to God to come and bail us out.
Think what it would be like to exchange your purse with “just a few cents short” for His, which has more than enough for what you will encounter in any day. His resources! His adequacy! His sufficiency!
How do we access God’s resources of strength, help or wisdom? His Word tells us that He is able to do abundantly more than we can ask or even imagine! Then He tells us how.
Jesus says:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

He tells us His grace is enough! He doesn’t stand and wag His finger at our shortcomings. No! He calls us to invite Him into our weaknesses in order to see His power at work! His power is made perfect in weakness. Wherever we are weak, wherever we come up short, that is the very entry point for the opportunity of divine power in our life! We can exchange our weakness for His strength! What a dynamic thought! My weakness…His entry point!
Look at your weaknesses in a new light today! Look at them through God’s eyes and see them as an opportunity for His power! Don’t just keep God as an add-on to your life in those moments when you run out. Acknowledge your weakness right up front and ask Him into it. Don’t wait to ask for a little extra patience at suppertime when you find the day has used up all yours. Exchange your impatience for His patience. Tell Him your weakness; your tendency to be short fused or to let anxiousness grip your soul. Tell Him you are weak in an area of habit or addiction. Choose your most obvious area of weakness and begin today to use it as the entry point of God’s grace and power. Invite Him to begin working in that weakness. Believe His grace is enough for you and invite His power into that area of your life. Exchange your weakness for His strength! Don’t wait until your area of weakness leaves you standing shortchanged today.
Experience His power in your weakness. Experience the Great Exchange today!

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Power for Living Part 20 - Waiting

by Gail Rodgers
He stood at the window waiting. All day he waited. Three years old and the promise of Grandma and Grandpa arriving consumed him. I could not distract him to play or to color or to ride his bike. He was waiting. His child mind could not comprehend the eight hour drive. I knew the time would go faster, be more enjoyable and maybe even productive if he left the window. But he waited… and it seemed to be agonizingly long!

I realized that I am often like that with God. I know He will eventually arrive with the answer to my prayer. I know I can trust Him for an answer to my circumstance, my question or my longing. And I wait… I wait for the answer… and sometimes it seems agonizingly long.
Sometimes when God’s answer seems to take too long I find myself beginning to lose heart. Trust in my God may even waver. (“Are they REALLY coming, Mommy?”)
And then God speaks. His Word touches my heart and He tells me what to do. He tells me how to wait.

“Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14.

Suddenly I realize I am not waiting on the Lord. I am simply waiting on an answer. And waiting on an answer is so empty, as it consumes me to distraction from other things God would have me do or focus on. His Word tells me to be strong, to wait on Him for my strength. Wait on Him…not simply on an answer.
So I turn from the window, from the waiting on the arrival of my answer. I lean on Him to draw courage and strength. I ask Him to point me in the direction of what He wants me to do today… and my waiting changes. It changes from anxious, distracted waiting to a more productive waiting. Waiting that says, “I can trust you with this, Lord. Help me now to be renewed in my strength and to focus on accomplishing what is in front of me today.”
Are you waiting today for God’s intervention or His answer? Do you feel suspended over a cliff wondering if you will fall? Change your waiting. Stop waiting for the answer, trust God with the timing, and start waiting on God to strengthen you to do what He has set in your path today. Days, weeks, even months and years can be wasted if we put our focus on the waiting and not on our God.
Today you can have a heart that draws strength from the God of the universe, in spite of the question marks punctuating your life. Pick up the task in front of you and wait first on your God for courage and strength as you wait for His answer.

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Power for Living Part 21 - Power Steering

by Gail Rodgers
Her small frame perched on the edge of the seat. The steering wheel was huge, the stick shift old and long! It sputtered and started and moved forward. She only had to drive this old truck across the yard. She began to turn the wheel, suddenly surprised at how awkward and difficult the turn was.

Of course! No power steering. As she made her way across the yard and around buildings her arms began to ache as the big steering wheel took so much effort to turn. She had never driven anything without power steering before.
Mission accomplished she changed her clothes and jumped into her sports car heading to town. Keenly aware of the power behind the steering she let her arms relax, knowing that each decision to make a turn would be accompanied by the power needed to accomplish it. Her tired arms would not have to provide it.
What a picture of the contrasting ways we often negotiate our way through life. We can make a decision to turn to the right or to the left in life. We can use all our best thinking and effort to make the turn, to change course and do what’s right or leave behind some undesired behavior or habits. But using all our own efforts soon leaves us aching and exhausted as we try to negotiate the turns in our own power.
Being a Christian and living by the power of the Holy Spirit does not mean staying in neutral and just assuming God will guide our lives. No. We still make the choices to turn here or go there. But when we make choices that honor God; choices that turn us away from the behaviors that spiral us down, we do not need to try to do it in our own strength. We simply invite the Holy Spirit to be our strength in each choice and His power enables us to make each turn. His Spirit provides the power. That is what makes it possible to go the distance. We choose…He provides the power.

“Now unto Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory… ” Ephesians 3:20

What turn do you need to make in your life today? Don’t try to do it in your own strength. Make the choice and allow His power to be at work in you to do it… in ways you never imagined! Believe it! Act on it! Relax in His power!

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Power for Living Part 22 - Staying Connected

by Gail Rodgers
Our house was covered in Virginia Creeper Vine. Beautiful. Cool in summer. My Mom arrived and took upon herself the task of pruning the vine. Armed with large sheers she clipped here and cut there, giving shape and definition. Several days after her departure we noticed one whole area of the vine was shriveling up. Dry leaves became evident and the brittle branches began to break off. One whole patch of the house was exposed! What had happened?

We looked closely. Mom had accidentally cut the main vein of the vine and the life flowing to the branches was cut off. We couldn’t notice it immediately but gradually the green turned to brown and the lack of life was evident.
It reminded me of a verse in the Bible, where Jesus said:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

“Nothing, Lord?” I used to argue when I read this verse. Of course I can do many things!! After all, we are women of the new millennium, thinkers and doers! Then the Holy Spirit spoke quietly to my heart and reminded me that apart from Him I could do nothing that had eternal value. Value for Heaven. Value in God’s economy.
Much of my thinking is done around the concerns of our material economy… to consider God’s economy and what fruit bearing looks like to Him in my life is interesting to ponder. I have found that my investment in eternal things is what brings the greatest return in my life in fulfillment of who God created me to be. If I want to be a woman of God and “bear fruit” in my life by touching others with Jesus love, by responding to my circumstances and in my relationships in the power of the Holy Spirit then I needed to stay connected to the vine.
Staying connected looks different for each of us as we pursue our own personal journey with God. But some of the ingredients stay the same. Allowing His Words to change our lives; choosing our actions and our attitudes daily; talking to God in prayer and listening for His still small voice to answer; choosing to let the Holy Spirit give us power for living… these are the things that keep us connected to the Vine.
When we, as Christian women, become too busy and too consumed with this world’s economy, it is easy to become disconnected from Jesus. The evidence soon shows in our lives in dryness of soul and brittleness of heart. And we miss Him. Our only true fulfillment comes when we are connected to Jesus and living with His economy in mind. Then He can use us to touch other’s lives with a kind word, a hug, forgiveness, compassion, peace in the midst of turmoil, generosity, or patience in chaos.
Check your leaves and branches today. Is there evidence of the life flow of Jesus through your life? If things are getting a bit dry around the edges, reconnect with Jesus, the true vine. Do that by getting alone for a bit with some worship music to dust off your soul, or read John 15 and ask His Spirit to speak to your heart; or pray for a renewed desire to be used in ways that will affect eternity. Go for a walk and pour out your heart to God. Stay connected…it’s the only way to true fulfillment!

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Power for Living Part 23 - Finding my Keys

by Gail Rodgers
He was almost three and that ring of keys was his treasure. He went nowhere without it! I was doing the after school carpool run that day. Kids bundled, baby ready, we were just about to head out the door when he said, “I need my keys”. “You can find them when we get home, Son”, I replied as I shepherded the kids to the door. “No, now!” was his urgent response. I set the baby down and made a quick look around the playroom… no keys. “We have to go now”, I said, taking his hand. He pulled away, crossed his little arms in front of his head and leaned against the wall. I heard a muffled, “Dear Jesus, help I find my keys”.

“Great”, I thought, “now his strong little faith in God is going to be rocked because I couldn’t find those keys right now and we have to go. “I’ll take one more quick look”, I told him, “and then we have to go. School will be out.” I glanced around the playroom and there they were!
A little boy’s faith grew that day. Yes, a mom’s faith too. The little boy’s faith has now become a young man’s faith… still trusting Jesus with the unknowns in His life.
I read a verse in the Bible that reminded me of this childlike faith.

“He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.” 1 Chronicles 5:20

So simple. Yet we so often complicate it. Faith is all He asks. Faith as small as a mustard seed.
James 1:6 tells us when we ask we must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Feeling a bit tossed about in the waves? Is your faith wavering? Even the disciples who walked the dusty roads with Jesus as their companion asked “Increase our faith”.
He tells us that without faith it is impossible to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Ask Him for a tenacity of faith to trust in Him in all circumstances. Ask for your faith to be increased. Trust in Him with child-like faith. Trust and watch His faithfulness! He is totally trustworthy…allow Him to show you today.

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Power for Living Part 24 - Devoured

by Gail Rodgers
Worry consumed her. The kids, the bills. There was talk of layoffs at work. Her stomach churned and the ache across her shoulders never seemed to go away. She knew she should trust the Lord with the challenges that shadowed her life right now, but it was so hard. So overwhelming. It was just devouring her.

Whenever we find ourselves eaten up with worry, fear, anxiety; or devoured by the pressures of the day, God tells us to take note. Being consumed is a red flag and God gives us directions for just such times.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:7

There is an enemy of our souls and his goal is to devour us. God tells us to be alert. Take note when you are being consumed by something. Scripture tells us the enemy of our soul comes to kill, steal and destroy and we are to be watchful. Being consumed by fear, worry, gossip, a particular temptation or the pressures of the day will, at best, steal from you and rob you of peace in your soul and joy in the moment. At worst it can destroy health and relationships and your fellowship with the God who wants to help you.
So what do you do when you realize something is just eating you up? You resist as the scripture says. How do you resist? You begin to see worry as a call to prayer, inviting God into your circumstance to direct you and give you wisdom. You resist worry through prayer. (Phil. 4:6) You resist fear through Scripture, knowing God has said that He has not given us the spirit of fear. (2 Tim. 1:7) You stand firm in your faith knowing that the consuming downward spiral you find yourself in is not your Heavenly Father’s plan for you.
Lean hard on God. Know He cares about you and throw all your anxiety on Him. Pour out your worries, fears, concerns and burdens in verbal or written prayer to God. Release them from your heart. Believe the promises of God as you stand firm in your faith.
The next time you find yourself being eaten up with a problem or a challenge, be alert and run immediately to God. Throw your cares into His lap and stand firm in the promises of your faith. He will carry you. He will enable you to face the challenge without being consumed by it. Pay attention to what’s eating you!

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Power for Living Part 25 - The Wrestling Match

by Gail Rodgers
She understood God loved her. She believed He had her best interest at heart. Connie never doubted His goodness. But she never knew there was an enemy of her soul. She never understood she could be armed and ready in her faith to resist him and stand firm. She didn’t understand how to be proactive in her faith, rather than just reactive in her circumstances.

Could this wall she was feeling in her marriage be more than just the seven year itch that people told her was normal? She didn’t like the irritating edges that ran between her and her husband like sandpaper these days. The arguments were so silly yet they seemed to blow out of proportion so fast. It simply wasn’t like them. She asked God for patience every day. Yet the wall seemed to grow.
Then she read it in God’s Word, the Bible. It jumped off the page.

“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10 & 11

There was a battle going on alright and it was clear that it was not simply between her and her husband. Spiritual forces were at work. God sounded the alarm. He gave His assurance that His mighty power was enough to handle the struggle. He would equip His people.
Connie saw the unusual edginess in her marriage in a new light. When the irritation began to rise within her she breathed a prayer asking God for His mighty power to overcome the powers at work to divide her household. She saw her husband in a different light now, not as her opponent. She silently asked God to pour love for him into her heart. Connie took a stand against the devil’s schemes.
Look around your life. Is there a situation where you find yourself repeatedly struggling with another person? Do you find yourself constantly in a wrestling match which leaves you defeated and deflated? Is the reaction between you out of proportion to the grievance? Know that your enemy is not the other person. Know that the Lord’s mighty power can equip you to rise above the conflict.
Not every argument is a scheme to divide your household… but be aware when you are struggling with another person and ask God to make you strong in His mighty power.

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Power for Living Part 26 - Armed and Ready

by Gail Rodgers
Connie began to understand the idea of putting on the armor of God. It changed the way she began her day. In the morning she would pray through the symbolic pieces of armor and invite the help of the Holy Spirit, the one the Lord said He would send to be our help and our comforter; our strength.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand…
“Stand firm then with the Belt of Truth buckled around your waist,
(Lord, please give me understanding today of what is true in every situation I walk in)
“With the Breastplate of Righteousness in place,
(Lord, I thank You that I am covered in Your righteousness and because of that I can go boldly before God, my own sin and doubt covered)
“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.
(Lord, remind me today to be open to what You want me to do for Your kingdom, may I be ready to go to anyone You ask me to with Your message of love and peace)
“In addition to all this, take up the Shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
(Lord, I thank you that by faith in Your power I can be protected from temptation and wrong desires today. Protect me physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally today)
“Take up the Helmet of Salvation
(Lord, I celebrate the fact that I am under Your umbrella, that because of salvation I am Your child!)
“and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
(Lord, may I today make Your Word a priority and read it, meditate on it and obey it)
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
(Lord, thank you that I can pray at anytime, in any place. May I daily bring all my activities and requests to You)
“With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
(Lord, keep me alert and focused on You today for You are my hope!)
Ephesians 6:10-18

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Power for Living Part 27 - The Secret Place

by Gail Rodgers
It was a beautiful spot. Nestled along the edge of the river it was a little haven of quiet from her busy days. She would wonder down after supper and sit in the shadow of the trees, listening to the lapping of the water. Her secret place. Her spot to sort out the day’s happenings.

God has a secret place too. It also is in the shadow. A place to sort out the day’s happenings with His perspective and with His wisdom. It is the secret place of His presence:

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

God’s secret place is not hard to find. His promise is for rest there right under the shadow of God Himself. It is a place to cry your heart out, or sing your praises out; a place to ask the things you do not understand or to pray with weeping for needs He puts on your heart. It is a safe place. A place to release your spirit from the tight hold of controlled emotions; a place to let His calm envelope you and His strength fortify you. It is truly a place of rest. A place where, once you have found it, you want to return over and over. It is the well of spiritual refreshment for a thirsty heart.
How do you get there? How do you find this place of rest for your soul?

“I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust”. Psalm 91:2

You can only arrive at this place of refuge when you have put your trust in God. Oh, not only trust in His grace to save you, but trust in Him completely and absolutely. Trust in Him for the details of your life even when the pieces of the puzzle don’t seem to match up. “My God in whom I trust!” Personal, confident trust.
If you doubt God’s goodness toward you and believe He is somehow out to default you or simply doesn’t care about you…you will never find the secret place. The secret place can only be accessed through trust in a very personal God who shelters you under his wing and is your refuge from the storm.
If life has a stranglehold on your heart and you are hanging on for dear life…run to God with full trust in His loving ability to be your refuge. Find a quiet corner and get on your knees or go for a walk, sit in the tub…it matters not where you are physically…just find a place to release your spirit and allow God into not only the cares of your world but into the emotions of it as well. Sit in His presence, be sheltered, and fortified and leave with a peace that the world does not understand (John 14:27). Leave with a rested soul.
If you have not experienced the secret place of His presence, ask Him to help you find it today. Ask Him to help you find Him to be completely “My God, in whom I trust!” Once you have been there you will find yourself wanting to dwell there!

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Power for Living Part 28 - Jars of Clay

by Gail Rodgers
He handcrafted the clay baby cup with her name on it. It was beautifully glazed and I hardly wanted to let her use it. But he said, “Please use it, that’s why I made it.” And so we did. She loved her own cup with her own name on it!

Today the cup sits in her cupboard in her own kitchen. It is still beautifully glazed with her name on it. But the lines on it show where it was carefully glued back together. A clay pot is oh so sturdy yet oh so fragile!!
God calls us clay pots. And true to the name most of us sport cracks, carefully glued back together. We are oh so sturdy, yet oh so fragile. Why would God entrust clay pots with the light of His love? We try to fulfill His purposes but we get cracked and broken.
Yet His strategy is clear… He knows our weaknesses yet He chose clay pots anyway. He tells us why…

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7

Don’t be ashamed of the cracks in your life… don’t be afraid to show how God has mended you. This is the testimony to the watching world. Our God fixes broken pieces!
If you are broken today because of circumstances in your life, or because of choices you wish you had made differently, don’t stay in pieces on the floor. If you know you have disappointed God in your walk or in your talk tell Him you are sorry.
God will forgive you, pick you up and mend you. Changed lives, lives lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrate that it is His power at work in us. This is our hope…this is the hope we hold out to a needy world.
God uses you and me, cracked pots, to demonstrate His power. Stop the guilt trips and the pity parties and tap into the power that changes lives. Raise your voice in thankfulness to God who put His Spirit in us so that His amazing power is visible!
Allow Him to show through your cracks!

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Power for Living Part 29 - Everything You Need

by Gail Rodgers
She stood at the bank machine racking her brain for that new pin number. She had the bank statement in her hand… the funds were available, totally accessible with the simple knowledge of that pin number. She turned and walked away, frustrated and annoyed with herself for being in this position.

In our Christian walk much the same thing often happens. God has promised us all we need. But, at times, we feel powerless to access it. Why is this? Why does our Christianity often fail us at the withdrawal point?
Listen to God explain it in His Word, the Bible:

“God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:3 & 4

God’s resource, His divine power, is available to us with everything we need for life and for godly living. It’s in the bank with our name on it!
It’s available through our knowledge of Him who called us. He has given us His personal pin number and called us to be His own! He calls us to get to know Him and understand His ways.
Through His goodness He has given us promises; great and precious promises to

• do more than we could imagine (Part 21)
• be our strength in weakness (Part 19)
• teach us wisdom (Part 10)
• and so much more!

Through these promises we may participate in His divine nature and live a changed life!
That’s what walking in the Spirit is all about. That is what being filled with the Holy Spirit means in the day to day journey. Access to Divine Power so that we have what we need to live where we walk… each day.
Learn to know Him better. Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to teach you His ways in the daily steps. Don’t wait for tomorrow to know God better and do something “big” for Him. Let His Divine Power fill you today and give you everything you need for life and godliness today!. Participate in His Divine Nature as you seek to walk by the power of the Holy Spirit. His power will amaze you and you will have the withdrawal of resources when you need it!

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Power for Living Part 30 - That You May Know

by Gail Rodgers
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms… ” Ephesians 1:17-20

This prayer that Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus is a prayer we can pray today for ourselves and for others. It’s a prayer I pray for you as you conclude this 30 part devotional series.
As the Father gives you His Holy Spirit to bring wisdom and understanding you will grow to know Him better.
Your eyes will be opened to see with deeper understanding the hope that God holds out to the world through the Holy Spirit working through you.
You will understand in new ways the resources He offers as you rely on His Holy Spirit in new ways in each day.
And you will get a glimpse of that power, that same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the grave.
And you will know that you know Him. And others will want to know Him too.
Give yourself unreservedly to the work of the Holy Spirit today in every area of your life.
It is the only way to live!