Standing in the Overwhelm - Encouragement Café - March 10, 2016

Standing In The Overwhelm

Café Menu for Thursday, March 10, 2016

Today’s Special is:  Allowing God To Author Your Life

Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Aj Luck

Main Ingredient:

“… When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against them.”

Isaiah 59:19 NKJV

Entrée:

A few years ago I had a dream that I will never forget.

In the dream I was standing just beyond the oceans shoreline.  The ocean seemed calm far out, but around where I was standing, angry, horrendous waves were churning around me.  The closer the waves rumbled towards me, the more anxiety rose within me.

The waves, now tall and ferocious were against me, ready to take me under.  Preparing to be overtaken, I held my breath in fear.  Then in a blink; my eyes refocused onto what I thought were white water curls of waves, yet, that was not at all what they were.  The water STANDS UP only to be revealed as thousands and thousands of angels now surrounding me.

Then I heard Isaiah 59:19 resound inside of my heart.

I have no doubt that God sent me that dream.  It was only days before that I found myself sitting in the back of my closet.  Lights off.  Me.  Sobbing into a bath towel.  Crying out to God.

My life felt out of control.  Spinning, without direction.

I knew I needed to:

Make a list
Set goals
Prioritize

Yet, I was struggling to:

Get out of bed
Help my son get off to school
Adult

Dreaming seemed simply too impossible.  Dreaming God-sized dreams for my life?  Daunting.  Overwhelming.

Setting goals?  In my heart, I desperately wanted to.  However, my life just seemed too overwhelming to do so.

Then I had the dream, and I remembered.

It is not me who authors my life.  Not anymore.  

I surrendered my life to the very One who gave it to me years ago.  He reminded me through that dream, that no matter how overwhelmed I may feel, He is always with me.

I just needed to allow Him to bring me back to center, back to Him and allow Him to continue penning the pages of my days.

Setting goals for our lives is always a good thing.  Doing it in our own strength… not so much.

So whether your sitting at your desk in corporate America, or sitting on your bed with your heart and journal in hand, trying to figure out the next steps in your life, invite God to set the goals for your life… together.

Take Out:

Do you have a life verse?  A verse that you have chosen to live your life according to?  A favorite verse?

If so, write it down on a piece of paper.  Underneath it, write the word GOALS.

Then leave it blank for a few days.

Hang it in your closet or where you have your quiet time with Him.  

Ask God to begin to birth His goals and dreams for your life.  

As you begin to hear His answers within your heart, write them down one by one.  This may take a few days or even weeks.  That’s okay.  This is God authoring them with you.

Dessert:

Dear Jesus, You are the Greatest Author I know.  You are the Author and Giver of life.  Thank You for the life You have given me.  I’ll admit, there are times when I get overwhelmed.  I know that I need to set goals and priorities for my life, but without You, it seems like an impossible task.  

Please speak to me in the secret places of my heart.  Show me how to set goals and enable me to trust You to author them in my life.  For without You, I shall surely fail.  I love You and need You every moment of every day.  Thank You for loving me unconditionally.  I love You.  Amen.

© 2016 by Aj Luck.  All rights reserved.

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