Ever since the devil heard about God’s plan to redeem us and have a personal relationship with us, he has done all he could do to stop that from happening. The devil hates the idea that God created us in His image and that He loves us so much He gave His Son to save us. And if the enemy can’t have your soul, he’ll go after your life. He will work overtime to make sure you never realize the victory, freedom, and abundant life Jesus has promised you.
“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. – John 10:10 ESV
The devil’s plan is to steal, kill, and destroy.
He steals peace, joy, and contentment. He kills hopes, dreams, and motivation. He destroys bodies, relationships, and futures. But he only has the power to do any of that if we let him. When he comes at us with his arsenal of weapons, we must remember we’re dressed for battle and guaranteed victory. We do not need to remain trapped in a cycle of defeat and despair. We are free to live an abundant life in the power of Christ.
Jesus said He came so we may have life abundantly.
The word here translated “abundantly” is the Greek word, perisson, which means exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate. In other words, you have no idea what Jesus has in store for you if you truly surrender everything to Him.
There was a time when abundant life was not my reality. My life could have been better described by the word scarcity. I never had quite enough of anything. Not enough time, energy, or money. Not enough peace, hope, or faith. Not enough contentment or joy. I was so focused on my circumstances and what I could do to change them that I left no room for God to work. I was like a hamster on a wheel. Frantically running and running but getting nowhere.
But that all changed! When I began to truly surrender everything to Jesus, I moved from living in scarcity to living in abundance. No, I did not wake up one day with newfound success and riches. What changed was my focus and my perspective.
God created you. Let Him be the One to sustain you.
The secret to surrender is realizing that God gave you life and He has a purpose for you. When you step into His plan and allow Him to sustain you, you will experience the abundant life He has for you. Focusing on your circumstances or on what you think you can do to change them distorts your perspective. If you focus instead on your Creator and what He has promised, you can trust Him to take care of it all.
Abundant life comes when we live in the groove God created for us, following Christ, and living to give God glory. When that is the pattern of our life, God will take care of the rest. When we surrender to Jesus, He takes the weight of all our burdens and carries them for us.
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. – 1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
