Our Great and Abundant God
by Annalene Holtzhausen
Recently I spoke to a lady who has actually given up on herself and God’s restoration in her life. She has become stuck in wrong beliefs about herself, her life, God and all people. My heart breaks for her and all that has happened to her, but she has made a decision to cling to her own belief system. She is in a place where she cannot ‘see’ that she has chosen this, because she blames everyone else and feels she had no choice in ending up where she currently is. The enemy’s lies have become her truth.
I absolutely believe that this is not the Lord’s heart for her. The enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10), but Jesus came ‘that we may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance’ (John 10:10). He never gives up on anyone and so we should follow in His footsteps.
Maybe you are reading this today and find yourself in the same place as this lady. Maybe you have also given up on an abundant life. So many hurtful and traumatic things have happened to you that you eventually gave up on a God who is full of mercy and loving-kindness, because it is difficult to believe something you haven’t experienced.
I don’t know your journey and all the hurt people have caused you, but just ask today, that you can take one small step towards the Father’s truth. With so much hurt caused by others, one can get so focused on them that you eventually see the Lord in the same way. Your vision is so obscured that there is no way that you can even trust Him. But that is the enemy who came to steal and destroy. Your Father, who formed you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), is the Good Shepherd who came down to lay down His life for you (John 10:11). Allow the truth of James 1:17 to settle in your heart: ‘Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]’.
The Lord never changes, and His Word never changes. The truth of today’s scripture is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His tender compassions are new every morning, His stability and faithfulness great and abundant. He longs to bring healing to hurting places, and nothing is ever too big for Him.
If you need to start taking one small step towards trusting Him with your pain, perhaps you might like to pray the following prayer:
Prayer: Lord, I feel so confused and lonely. I’m sorry for actually giving up. But today I choose to trust You enough to ask that You show me where the enemy’s lies have taken over my belief system. Please help me to see where I am holding on to wrong beliefs about You. I long to see the truth of Your goodness and kindness in my life. Amen.
Annalene Holtzhausen is on the Associate Team at Ellel, Africa. She is married to Renier, who introduced her to Ellel Ministries. She is a full-time mother to their two boys. Her passion is for the restoration of women’s hearts and for people to find their worth in the Lord.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
