Am I Enough? (ATP)
“For a long time I’ve never felt like I’m doing enough, I’ve never felt like I’m spreading the word enough, using my faith enough, praying, reading and studying enough. How do we know we’re doing enough?”
This is a question many Christians have had, especially Christians who are being taught the Word of God and have gained revelation about the heart of the Father. Of course, this is because we understand that the heart of the Father is to both reach more people and to spend time with His children (i.e. Christians). This thought process could quickly become bondage if not balanced properly. If you’re like me, a doer, always working, always trying to do more, you’ll have to try not to become works-minded in your walk with the Lord.
It is true that it is important for us to be witnesses to this lost and dying world. We’re all familiar with Mark 16:15, “…Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” We’ve also read scriptures like, Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” Witnessing to others and speaking with others is an important responsibility we have as Christians. It is important for us to understand though, that when we are led by the Holy Spirit we will be most effective.
Look at Psalms 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.” The important principle here is that we need to learn to follow the Lord in our daily lives in order to walk out His plan. He will lead us and guide us, making us more effective, even in our witnessing and speaking with other people.
What does this look like? Always be willing to speak up for Jesus and always be willing to discuss your faith with others. Never let your flesh, your mind, or even your experience be a hindrance in this. At the same time, do your best to follow the inward witness. There have been many times where I knew not to speak any further because someone wasn’t open to hearing. Then there have been other times where even though my flesh crawled, I knew the Holy Spirit was leading me to speak up or to reach out. The inward witness works a lot like a whisper and if we’re not paying attention we’ll miss it. It takes faith to follow that!
If we aren’t spending time getting to know the Lord, the inward witness will be harder to follow because distractions and outward voices will be louder and more commanding. If you’re not checking your spirit and that still small voice, you’ll want to practice this. Ever been to a store and something tells you not to buy that item and you ignore it, but then you get home and it’s the wrong fit or it’s broken? Ever have an inkling that you’re not supposed to drive down a certain road but you do it any way and there’s an accident or the road is closed? Start to listen to that still small voice in the little things and you’ll understand how to listen in the bigger things, including in regards to your witnessing to others.
As far as whether or not you are praying enough, reading the Word enough, etc., let’s consider that. It is true that we’re meant to read the Word and pray and fellowship with God. But, there’s no way to measure what is “enough”. We can know whether or not we could use to build more faith in an area when we consider the different areas of our lives. Am I in fear over something, in worry, concerned? I need to spend more time reading and speaking the Word of God on this topic. Have I learned to come boldly to the throne and ask, believing I receive when I pray? If not, I need to spend more time fellowshipping with the Father. Am I seeing fruit, or changes in my life in my peace, in my physical body, in my relationships, in my finances? If not, I need to focus my attention more on the Lord (Matthew 6:33).
This is one reason being a part of a local church is so important. As we see in Ephesians 4:11-12, pastors (found in a local church) are there to equip and to build us up in the things of God, by the teaching and preaching of the Word. Then we see an important truth in Ephesians 4:13, that these ministers are called to equip the saints, “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Notice here, we will never arrive at “enough” knowledge of God or “enough” revelation. Even the Apostle Paul who penned more than half of the New Testament, confesses he had not arrived at perfection but presses towards it! While we walk this earth we are in a good place if we’re endeavoring to learn and grow. You know you’re doing enough if your heart is always to do more. Don’t get in bondage, but don’t ignore the desire for more either. Remember Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”
Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée
