Overwhelming to Overflowing

“I am the Vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to Me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without Me.” - John 15:5 (CEV)

It’s better to rest in God’s goodness than to be overwhelmed with work and worry. Yeah, I know...it’s easier said than done. It can be hard to take the steps that lead to rest and the abundant life God has for us.

Let me share four daily habits that will help move you from overwhelmed to overflowing.

1. Stay connected to Yeshua every day. “I am the Vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to Me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without Me” (John 15:5).

If you try to go through life on your own power, you’re going to be overwhelmed. You cannot fulfill your purpose and enjoy God’s goodness unless you’re plugged in to His power.

2. Replace your complaining with gratefulness. “Do everything without complaining and arguing” (Phil. 2:14).

Complaining is a deeply unhealthy emotion. On the other hand, studies have shown that gratitude is the healthiest emotion. It produces serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin in your brain; those are the chemicals that boost happiness and lower stress.

3. Stop being stingy, and start being generous. “Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things” (Malachi 3:10).

God wired a universal law into the world: The more you give away, the more you’re going to get. God did that because He wants you to become more like Him…and He is a Giver.

4. Stop comparing, and start being content. “It is better to be content with what little you have. Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more, and that is like chasing the wind” (Eccl. 4:6).

Contentment doesn’t mean you don’t have any goals, dreams, or plans for your life. It simply means you don’t need more in order to be happy.

By nature, people are discontent. But by God’s grace, you can rest contently in His goodness to you. When you grasp that most things in your life are simply gracious gifts from God, your life will go from overwhelming to overflowing with God’s abundance.

My Plans or God's Plan

There are many plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s plan that will stand. Proverbs 19:21 NLV

Every day we awake we make plans. Today, I will do this and tomorrow I will do that. At times, we act as if we are in control of everything. Scripture tells us, we ought to say if God will. Listen! You who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this city and stay a year and make money.” You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? It is like fog. You see it and soon it is gone. What you should say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” But instead, you are proud. You talk loud and big about yourselves. All such pride is sin. James 4:13-16 NLV.

It is okay to have dreams, goals and to make a plan to achieve them. What is more important as children of God is to have God’s involvement when we are making plans. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths, Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV. We must remember that we are not our own. We belong to God. He is Lord of our lives.

When we seek the counsel of God concerning what to do, we can never go wrong. This does not mean we will not have opposition, but we are assured victory, because we did not move in our own strength. God is omniscient, He knows everything. Remember the things of long ago. For I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is no one like Me. I tell from the beginning what will happen in the end. And from times long ago I tell of things which have not been done, saying, ‘My Word will stand. And I will do all that pleases Me.’ Isaiah 46:9-10 NLV.

Let’s look at the life of Joseph. God had chosen him to be the earthly father of the Messiah. Joseph and Mary had plans to marry. Then Mary told him, she was with child. Joseph’s initial thought was to discontinue with the marriage, which is understandable, but God had a plan. Joseph was her promised husband. He was a good man and did not want to make it hard for Mary in front of people. He thought it would be good to break the promised marriage without people knowing it. While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is to become a mother by the Holy Spirit. A Son will be born to her. You will give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from the punishment of their sins.” Matthew 1:19-21 NLV.

Had Joseph not listen to the instructions of the Lord, he would have missed out on the important role of fathering the Messiah. But God is faithful! I do not know what plans you have made, but one thing I would encourage you to do, is to seek the counsel of God. He will not fail you. He knows the end from the beginning. God also tells us in His word that He has good plans for us. For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope. Then, you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you - Jeremiah 29:11-12 NLV.

I will show you and teach you in the way you should go. I will tell you what to do with My eye upon you – Psalm 32:8 NLV.

God Is Faithful

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Hebrews 11:11

How many of you love weddings? I do! I enjoy seeing two people coming together as one. The love, the joy, the excitement. One of the most important parts of the marriage ceremony is the exchange of vows. We know what they are, and the vows ends with, till death do us part. Then, sometimes after a few years, we see the couple gets a divorce. Now this is not to bash anyone, but it’s the reality of what we know or may have even experienced. Today, people are not willing to remain faithful to each other and work through the difficult times. They give up easily.

Not only in marriages, but also other areas of society, we see people do not remain faithful. Many times, people would give you their word, make promises and even reassure you that they will be there for you. Then when you are faced with a difficult situation, they are not there for you. Some people may have a genuine reason why they cannot be there for you and then there are those who just do not keep their word. I know it takes endurance, patience and resilience to remain faithful. The truth is, there is nothing new under the sun. However, despite the fact that men may not remain faithful, there is one we know that is and has remained faithful, even when we have not.

Let’s take a look at the Israelites. God made a covenant with Abraham, that He would give them the land of Canaan. We know they were slaves in Egypt and God delivered them in a mighty way. God gave them His word, that He will be with them always. All that He required of them is that they remain faithful to Him by obeying His commandments. Time and time again, we see they disobeyed God and worshipped other gods. God would allow them to be defeated by their enemies and even after that, when they cried out to Him, He forgave and restored them. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; Deuteronomy 7:9 KJV.

God is and remains faithful even when we are not. When He gives us a promise, He keeps His promise. Many times, we doubt, we may not say a word, but in our thoughts, actions or even none action, we question God’s faithfulness. God promised Abraham that he would give him a son. When Sarah heard that, scripture tells us she laughed. Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So, she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” Genesis 18:10-12 NLT.

God has a way of demonstrating to us His faithfulness. It’s like, God would say, ‘oh, so you don’t believe me, well, we will see about that.’ Sarah laughed when she heard what was said, but in the end, she counted God to be faithful. Through faith also, Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Hebrews 11:11 KJV. Sarah laughed when she first heard, but when the promise was fulfilled, she counted God as faithful.

What about us? Has God made a promise to you? Know this, that God is faithful! He keeps, He fulfills His words to us. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11. Never forget, God is faithful!