What Would Happen If ? Part 1

What Would Happen If You Had Everything?

“Sit with me as I delve into and roll out my mini reel series, “What Would Happen If ___?” I’m starting this mini reel series on Instagram and thought I’d have it here on a more permanent space, too. Follow along and share this mini reel series on Instagram and TikTok!”

-Lindsey

What would happen if you had everything? If you had everything, what would you want then? If you had everything, what would your heart treasure? If I have everything, why do I still have nothing? The simple answer is: it’s because you don’t possess the most life saving thing.

What is your definition of living abundantly? What would your job look like? Your family? Your bank account? Your heart? I Googled the definition of abundance. Here’s what it said, “plentifulness of the good things of life.” This definition makes sense, right? To have plenty of the good things in life. As humans living a fleshly life in a sinful world, we relate words like ‘abundance’ and ‘good things’ with our fleshly desires and worldly possessions.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT) says, “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever!”

I am not perfect, you are not perfect. You sin, I sin. But we have a God that is more than adequate, more than enough. We have God’s fullness everywhere we go and in every season of our lives. We have an inner strength that burns from within us like no other-the Holy Spirit.

I get this overwhelming peace when I sit and marvel about how long, how high, how wide, and how deep God’s love is for me. When I think back to when I let Jesus into my heart and fully surrendered my life to God, I felt, and still feel, so full of life and like I am living a life where I don’t need to have everything the world is telling me I need. That is living abundantly. So, what would happen if you had everything-would you be living in abundance with God or living for everything else that is fleshly + worldly?

Paul’s prayer for spiritual growth in Ephesians 3:14-21 is also my prayer for you and your life whether you’ve been walking in faith for a long time or for not very long.

Be a light + stay salty!

Talk soon!

Other Bible verses to soak in:

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) says, “But the Holy spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT) says, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT) says, “For I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Trusting God Even If

This topic is one that the Lord has put heavy on my heart: Trusting ain’t easy! It can be easier to say, “That’s just our luck,” and have this lackluster or “pity me” attitude about what is happening in your life. Even worse, blindly trusting that only good things will happen in your life and you will reap from the rewards that you have not earned. Trust is something that is earned and requires to be worked on continuously. As Christians, often times our prayers can be for immediate healing or for landing a new job offer that will financially benefit your family and then some. That if we rub this lamp, God will grant our wishes and our heart’s desires! In that skewed view of Godly trust, we have this misunderstanding that we trust God to only do the things that would benefit us, solve all of our problems, or what we want to happen for others according to our plan. If God answered our prayers according to our will’s, could you imagine what the world would be like?

We should trust the Lord not for an outcome, but regardless of an outcome.

When we truly put our trust in God, we are praying in faith that He is powerful and strong enough to answer our prayers according to His will regardless of the outcome. We need to trust that even if He doesn’t do that or even brings a good thing to an end, His plans are greater and He has a greater purpose for us. Isaiah 55:9 says that His ways and thoughts are higher than our own. We can’t comprehend His ways and thoughts. God can do anything. Proverbs 3:5 says when we lean away from our own understanding and lean into God’s word, we are leaning away from a worldly perspective and leaning into a spiritual perspective, thus building trust. He is going to use that justification to sanctify you and grow you in His-likeness. He will use it to grow you in your faith and in your walk with the Lord. Romans 8:28 says not that all things will be good, but all things will work together for good. This is not an earthly good, it’s a spiritual good. Yes, sometimes there are worldly, good things that happen, but His plans and outcomes are always focused on spiritual good. He is greater. His thoughts and plans are higher. God must become higher and we must become lesser (John 3:30 NLT).

One thing I’ve learned (and it’s a hot one) is that the closer you are to God, the more you seek God, and the more you live like God, the more that the enemy and the world will attack. If you feel like you’ve won, then you have more than likely blindly accepted worldly desires, fleshly desires, sin, and the devil into your life. Put on the armor of God and fill yourself with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT).

What do you do when God doesn’t answer your prayers according to your plans? See my blog post about ‘God’s Planned Delays” about seeking God in seasons of waiting.

Be a light + stay salty!

Talk soon!

Other Bible verses to soak in:

Isaiah 55:9 (NLT) says, “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.”

Romans 8:28 (NLT) says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT) says, “A final word: be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

John 3:30 (NLT) says, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”

Songs to praise Him in:

“Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Hillsong UNITED

God’s Planned Delays

Deferred. Held up. On the shelf. Staved off. Pushed back. Expecting. Hopeful. Suspenseful. Sitting tight. PREPARING.

What are you praying for? What are you saving for? What are you expecting? What’s holding you up? Are you delaying, or is God?

Peach-picking at The Southern Peach Company April 2023

Waiting, while you’re trusting God when it seems like He is not answering, is hard. Waiting, while seeing others around you receiving what your heart longs for, is hard. Waiting, while you’re ill or hurt and seeing others being healed, is hard. It feels like you’re playing Tug of War between yourself and God, thinking you know what’s best and showing obedience towards God’s will. It’s easy to be frustrated and resentful. It’s easy to compare your seasons to other’s seasons. You may be telling God that you are ready and feel like He may be delaying you. In your season of delay, God is preparing you for what you’ve been praying for. Those weak parts of your faith will be tested. You may be in the trenches, battered and hopeless, that’s when the enemy will come for you in these weak moments to tell you:

He isn’t good.

He isn’t listening.

He isn’t working.

He isn’t trustworthy.

He isn’t faithful.

He doesn’t love you.

But YOU must choose:

Choose to live in Him because He lives in us.

Choose to persevere and endure because He is building your character, firm foundation, and faith.

Choose to love because He IS love.

Choose to keep praying fervently because He is listening and working.

Choose peace because He fights our battles with us.

Choose patience because it is the utmost humbling surrender to the One who promises to keep no good thing from you when you fully trust in Him.

Choose to cling to hope because if not today, and if not tomorrow, eventually, God is going to show up and bless you.

In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus says, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Peach-picking at The Southern Peach Company April 2023

Our pastor, Corey Abney, once said, “God’s delay often precedes our deliverance. God’s love is not always obvious in His actions or His inactions. You don’t know what hangs in the balance of your obedience to King Jesus. What seems like a small, average, or unusual thing today, might produce the fruit in your life that changes the trajectory of it and/or your family.” I have actually had these quotes written on cardstock and taped above my vanity since last year. God did not say in our deliverance that there will not be hard and sorrowful times in our lives, but to ask and seek Him all the time, every time. In John 16:33 NLT Jesus says, “I have told you all this so that you have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” He will wither away the storms. He will calm the seas. He will mend and use the broken. He will bring light to the world. He will guide and protect you. He will bring purpose to this season.

Pray for strength to surrender your anxieties and worries to God. Ask God to replace them with His peace, to fill your heart with trust in His care and planned delay. Pray that your faith only grows stronger. Thank God for walking you through these hard and long seasons. I encourage you to share one verse from this blog post with someone who has been on your heart. Pray for them through their season of planned delay and that they will find peace through trusting in Him.

Be a light + stay salty!

Talk soon!

Peach-picking at The Southern Peach Company April 2023

Other Bible verses to soak in:

Luke 1:45 NLT says, “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

Habakkuk 2:3 says, “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. it will not be delayed.”

Romans 8:32 says, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything?”

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

Songs to praise Him in:

“What Are We Waiting For?” by King & Country

“Jireh” by Elevation Worship & Maverick City

Ordained Moments from God

On my Facebook memories today, popped up a post from four years ago when Ada turned one week old with the exact photograph below on the right. I’m still in disbelief that she was born four years ago. In this Facebook post, I talked about things Ada loved, milestones she was accomplishing, how well she was sleeping, how well she was nursing, how great of a father Jesse had become, and how much we were in love with her. Behind the scenes that most people didn’t see, were the family and friends that were being beacons of light in that new, utterly blissful, sometimes dark season of our lives. Ada was born in 2020, just a few months before the pandemic and everything shut down. I stayed home for 6 months after she was born. I remember feeling robbed of our freedom and a lot of firsts as a new family. I remember thinking with a pit in my stomach, “I just brought my babygirl into this crazy and lost world.” Family and friends selflessly and willingly offered to bring us meals, listen to our newborn babygirl cry, and change her poopy diapers. Selflessly and willingly, guys-if that isn’t love. But I witnessed first-hand how one tiny human being brought so much tender, loving care into that crazy and lost world. Then I flashback to the mom I was four years ago in the left photograph below. I had an minuscule idea of the mental and physical toll labor and delivery can have on a woman’s body plus postpartum depression. Throw in a pandemic-it was hard. I’ll confess, I wish so hard that I had leaned more on Jesus and given myself more grace during that time rather than just pushing through and convincing myself it was normal to feel that way everyday. I was so hard on myself to be enough for her. I was so anxious. I was terrified of SIDS so I didn’t get any sleep. I was terrified to put her in her infant carrier-I constantly checked the rear view mirror. When I was out in public, I was terrified that someone would try to take her. I didn’t sleep while she slept until she was much older. All of these seemed like valid worries at the time. If you are feeling you are having symptoms of postpartum depression, seek professional help right away. We are so extremely grateful for our village of family and close friends that helped us four years ago and still do now, some were new parents themselves.

Matthew 5:14 (NLT) says just this, “you are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” Sometimes God puts people on our hearts or on our minds for what seems like no reason. They are ordained moments from God that just can’t be explain any other way. It’s cliche, but you don’t know what challenge(s) someone is facing. It could be a financial challenge, grief, infertility, chronic pain, marital challenges, etc. Pray that God will use you today and everyday to be a blessing to a friend, a family member, a coworker, or someone in your life group. There’s a greater purpose to why God put them on your heart, or put you on someone else’s heart. Be intentional to let the light of the gospel shine through your day. God may use you one way today and another tomorrow. It can be as simple as delivering a meal to someone, picking up their drive-up order, posting a Bible verse on your social media, sending a quick text message letting them know they’re in your thoughts, or just lending a listening ear. I’ve learned that talking about your challenge(s) with loved ones is sometimes the best therapy. Give all your worry and burdens to God because he WANTS to take them all and carry them for all of us. He WANTS all the hard, grimy, sad, anxious, painful stuff. I pray that whatever challenge(s) you are going through, you lean on and turn to Jesus, and see him as your one true source of healing and peace. In Matthew 11: 28-30, Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Be a light + stay salty!

Talk soon!

Other bible verses to soak in:

Philippians 2:4 (NLT) says, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

Hebrews 6:10 (NLT) says, “For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.”