Now to Him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWsSkL8SMjo

Terrify the Dark ~ Skillet

Now to 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 in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. ~ Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

Most authors dedicate their books to loved ones in honor of their encouragement. In Ephesians 3, Paul dedicates his letter to God, saying: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. Have you ever wondered how much is immeasurably more?

Because Elizabeth and I can’t have regular ice cream, we try to find new frozen yogurt bars. Last time, I helped Elizabeth make her selections. I assumed Brad was helping Savannah, but we quickly discovered Savannah helped herself! When she was done, Savannah’s frozen yogurt towered twice as high as the top of her container! While our excited and very full Savannah knew she’d gotten more than everyone else, it was nothing compared to God’s immeasurably more. Immeasurably more means, “beyond measure; more and greater than all,” (blueletterbible.org). That’s the God we serve, the One to Whom Paul dedicated his letter.

It wasn’t enough for Paul to tell us who God is, he also wanted us to know that God uses His power at work within us. The God who is incomprehensibly powerful chooses to display His power by working in and through our lives. Let that sit in your heart till you feel incredibly empowered by God to do anything He asks.

When you’ve lost the faith and fight to go on, God empowers you to take another breath and another step. When you’re wearied by the constant changes, God enables you to focus on His unchanging nature and faithfulness. When you’re overwhelmed by the hopelessness and anxiety of others, God inspires you to encourage those around you.

No media report or circumstance is more powerful than our God! With that in mind, what will you do and who will you impact with God’s immeasurably more empowering you?

©Heather Potts 2020

Something Different

…You have seen with your own eyes all that the LORD your God has done…The LORD will do the same…where you are going. Do not be afraid…the LORD your God himself will fight for you. ~ Deuteronomy 3:21-22 NIV

Change: something different.

Growing up, things were constantly changing. I felt like nothing could be trusted. For a non-military family, we were moving all the time. When I grew up and moved out, all I wanted was stability, consistency.

We’re currently in a season of change. This season has had “immeasurably more” blessings (Ephesians 3:20-21), but also mountains of crushing stress. Unfortunately, my response has been to try to hold everything together. The other day, the stress was so overwhelming that I felt tightness in my chest. The following morning it was still there. But I climbed into my God-chair and put on worship music. And in natural response to my God, I lifted my arms to worship Him. It was with my arms lifted that I could take a deep breath and all the tightness was alleviated. That’s when I remembered what He had said to me during our fast at the beginning of the year, “When you’re choking, you lift your arms to open up your airways and receive oxygen, which is needed for life. When you’ve choked out life by trying to hold it so desperately in your own hands, open your hands and lift them up to the Lord in surrender. For only then can you open yourself up to receive His life.”

Life taught me to try to hold it all together. But Holy Spirit has taught me to surrender it to Him. If you’ve been holding on to something so tightly that everything within you is bound up, lift your hands in surrender. Draw in God’s sweet breath and exhale, allowing everything within you to release. Releasing everything to Him is safe, for He is trustworthy.

©Heather Potts 2017

Expectation

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. ~ Psalm 62:5 KJV

Expectation.

This word has been resonating in my ears for about a week. A friend invited me to a conference, a Princess conference to be specific. She invited me because that’s what Holy Spirit said. I had great expectation of what God was going to do as the conference approached and especially throughout it. There was something specific I was hoping God would do. I didn’t know how or where He would show up, but I fully expected to receive from Him.

The thing I love about God is not just where He shows up, but how, because it’s always more: more than we expected, more than we thought possible. Walking into that conference with great expectations of what God would do, I was not disappointed! Awe, amazement, beauty, and excitement are just a few of the ways to describe it. Because He didn’t just give me what I was hoping for in that moment. Instead, He revealed a path toward fulfilling a hidden desire, one that’s been buried in my heart. And though I was willing to move forward without it, He fulfilled it because He can, because He’s God.

Expectation means to bind yourself—your hope, your expectation—to someone or something. When we bind ourselves to men and objects in this world, we will often be disappointed, if not devastated. But when we bind ourselves, through expectation, to God we will never be disappointed because He is the God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or imagine.

To what or to whom have you bound yourself?

©Heather Potts 2016