GOD IS ABLE

“….. being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Romans 4:21NKJV)

The reason we don’t turn to God more often is because at some basic and unconscious level we are not “fully convinced” that, He is able and willing to move on our behalf. Being able to admit that to yourself is humbling; it’s also the point at which you begin to deal with your lack of faith in God. Nothing in your life will change until you pray:

‘Lord, help me. I say things with my lips that I don’t follow through in my behaviour.

Once you begin to pray that way, you can start walking through your bible, re-discovering that, ‘God is able.’ He is able to provide for you when you are in a wilderness. He is able to defeat the giants that stand in your way. He is able to go through fiery trials with you and bring you out unharmed. He is able to promote you when you’ve been overlooked or oppressed. ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us’ (Ephesians 3:20NKJV). Whatever it takes to own the words, ‘God is able,’ do it; otherwise you won’t be able to pray with confidence. You’ll make a few wishes on your knees, but you won’t be able to persevere in prayer until you know in your heart of hearts that God is able and that He is willing! Nothing is too difficult for Him. He is just waiting for you to recognise that, and to come to him in faith asking for help.

THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP

"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:7NLT).

The Bible says, ‘Better a nearby friend than a distant family’ (Proverbs 27:10). Sometimes it’s easier to develop close friendships with those outside your immediate family circle. But there’s another kind of ‘blood relative’ mentioned in the Bible: brothers and sisters joined together through the blood of Jesus (1John 1:7). It’s the kind of relationship that doesn’t allow you to go off and do your own thing (Colossians 3:15 TM). It requires us to ‘do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with…honour’ (James 3:18). It calls for a long-term commitment not readily understood by the ‘me generation,’ where, when the going gets tough, it’s acceptable to bail out of a relationship and move on. One pastor points out that the world doesn’t understand the Christian concept of brotherhood and sisterhood: ‘It says find friends among like-minded, like-income people who vote like you and have the same golf handicap. These friendships work until the bottom falls out of your life, you face a pressing problem, or a tragic loss, or a serious illness, and suddenly you realise that no one cares much about you. Why? Because you’ve made no investment in anybody’s life, and now when you need to make a withdrawal there’s no money in the friendship bank.’ Sacrificial love is the foundation of true friendship. Paul writes, ‘I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. All the others care only for themselves…But you know how Timothy has proved himself’ (Philippians 2:20-22 NLT).

UCB