Spacious Places
By Ashley Moore
“He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.” - Psalm 18:19, ESV
As I rounded the corner of the field while out running on our family's farmland, my breath caught in my chest. The view of the vast open fields led me to praise God for how He has blessed our family with His beautiful creation. The irony is not lost on me that the life I have now is far from my experience growing up. Maybe you can relate?
Did you grow up in a dysfunctional home where God was not talked about or honored? Did poverty or tough circumstances leave you feeling as if your life was small, insignificant, or unimportant? Or perhaps, from the outside your life looked amazing, but internally you were in bondage.
This was me too. And there is only one difference between how I used to define my life and the spacious life I now have. His name is Jesus. And because He delighted in me, He saw fit to rescue me and enlarge my life. And if you still feel shackled in life because of the things I mentioned above or something else entirely, let me encourage you that a broad and abundant life can be yours too. Here’s how you can begin to deepen your relationship with Christ.
Study the Word
The Bible is a book about God. In the pages, we learn what His characteristics are, what He loves, and what He hates, and as we read it we learn to detect His voice.
John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
When we study the Word, we get to know God. We learn that He is a good shepherd and that we are the sheep of His pasture. As we attune and familiarize ourselves with how God speaks to us, we will more easily know when God is prompting us to move with Him to broader places. Like sheep, we will follow our trustworthy shepherd to places where we can experience freedom.
Surround Yourself with Believers
Sometimes when you grow up in a dysfunctional setting, you have to break ties with the people from that environment to experience the abundant life God has for you. This is so painful, especially when those people are family. Sometimes God will redeem the relationships in time, but sometimes He doesn’t. However, we have hope, even if our relationships remain broken in this life. God has promised us eternal life; we can rest assured that our relationships with Christ and our brothers and sisters in Christ are secure.
In Matthew 19:29, Jesus said, and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
While we continue in the present and wait for the future restoration of all things, we lean on the body of believers for comfort. God has adopted us into His family; we now have many brothers and sisters in Christ. We will need our church family to help us do what Peter exhorted the early church to do. 2 Peter 3:18 says, rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… Living under the mentorship of other followers of Christ will deepen our relationship with God.
God longs to be in a close, loving relationship with us, and He delights in us! Studying God’s Word and surrounding ourselves with other believers allows us to fully experience the spacious places He has for us in this life and eternity to come!
Intersecting Life and Faith:
Open your planner or calendar app and set two appointments. Block out ten minutes each morning to read the Word of God. As you read, ask yourself, “What did this teach me about God?” Then set a weekly appointment to talk with a fellow believer or join a small group at church. Nurture these relationships so that you can be an encouragement to God’s people and so these relationships can be a place of support for your growth as well.
Further Reading:
Ashley Moore is a writer and host of be the two™podcast. She is known for her relatability and for passionately writing and speaking about mental, emotional, and relational health from a biblical worldview. She has written for Kingdom Edge Magazine, Guideposts, Crosswalk, The Secret Place, enLIVEn, The Bubbling Brook and more. If Ashley isn't writing, you can find her with her husband, three children, and two floppy-eared Goldens on their south Georgia farmland. The best way to connect with Ashley is to grab a free devotional or Bible study and join her newsletter at free.ashleynicolemoore.com.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
Related Resource: How Habit Stacking Will Help You Discipline Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
The process of success is not hidden. It is on display for anyone to see. However, it is a daily grind that requires a great deal of work that is tedious and often uncomfortable. Successful people simply do the work. They embrace the grind and everything that comes with it. Ultimately, successful people understand this truth - Hope doesn’t produce change. Habits do! Everyone has the desire, but many lack the necessary discipline! That’s why today on The Built Different Podcast we have a very special guest who understands the importance of discipline and habits at a very high level. Don’t just focus on changing the thoughts in your head and the habits in your life, but also allow God to transform your heart from the inside out. If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to The Built Different Podcast on Apple, Spotify or YouTube so you never miss an episode!