One dark summer night, I gave up.
I could not convince the one debating me, so I gave in.
Despite my years of walking with God, and my study in the Word, and the call on my life, I threw it all away.
“I’ll just put all religions together. They’re all the same,” I proclaimed.
But they aren’t.
As soon as I uttered those words the ebony night seemed to grow darker, and an emptiness invaded my spirit. I attempted to fill it with parties, shopping and relationships. I tried church. But the emptiness haunted me until . . .
I. Came. Back. To. Jesus.
I clung to the truth of the Bible, was washed by water and grace, and professed my faith in Christ again.
What I didn’t realize on that fateful night was that when I combined all religions, I denied Jesus as the Savior of the world.
But there is no other.
I’m living proof that He is the only way to God. I found the truth when I tried to make them all the same. But when I came back to faith in Jesus, Holy Spirit filled me again.
Did I still have lonely days?
Yes.
Did I still struggle with sin twenty-somethings deal with?
Yes.
But I was no longer empty. The black hole was gone and my cup runneth over with hope.
It’s been twenty-nine years since my return to faith. And what the enemy meant to harm me, the Lord used to make my faith stronger, more assured, and filled.
What has the enemy used in your life that God has used for greater faith in Him? (Leave a comment!)
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). My life is an example of this truth.
Righteousness means to be right with God. So many people are walking around this world not caring about their relationship with their Creator. Their focus is all on themselves, and they don’t even recognize the black hole inside. But Jesus promised that those who hunger and thirst to be right with God will be filled and they will be blessed.
Blessed was translated from the Greek word, makarios which means happy or fully satisfied.
I love the definition fully satisfied.
Fully satisfied is to be satisfied to the very top, from the depths of your soul to overflowing. Many of us think that fame or fortune will fully satisfy us, but it always comes up empty. True success is fulfillment. And honestly, if you’ve lived very long on this earth you know that no human or profession can satisfy either. Only Jesus can fill us completely.
But here’s the thing: He will only fill that which can be. We need to make room because Jesus is the only one who can truly make us makarios. It’s His presence that fills our souls and thus makes us blessed . . . fully satisfied.
Fill me up with you, Jesus!
This week we are going to study scriptures about being filled. I’m so excited! I cannot wait to walk through these bites with you on the Daily Broadcast.
Sneak Peek
Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 3:19
. . . and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
John 1:16
Out of his fullness we have all received one blessing after another.
Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,
1 Kings 8:10-11
When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.
Scripture Printable Available
How full are you? Are you satisfied? Let’s dig deep to live fully, full of the only one who can satisfy our empty places. Download the printable with the scriptures and extra prompts to help you go deeper in your time with the Lord. And don’t forget to make your time with Jesus special. Quiet house (if possible). Favorite cuppa, lit candle, journal, and your favorite Bible. Mark it up!
Join the Conversation
What has the enemy used in your life that God has used for greater faith in Him? Or What fills you with Him? (Leave a comment!)
Digging Deep,
Andy
[bctt tweet=”Bible reading plan on being filled by God. #BiteofBread” username=”wordsbyandylee”]
The enemy has used abuse, illness, rebellious children, poverty, suicidel thoughts and failure . God has used it all to build my faith.
Love you Sis❤
Dear Venus, you are one of the strongest faith women I know. You’re testimony is huge. Keep on keepin’ on! I’ve got your hand. Love you too!
I love this one Andy! As to the question…27 years ago satan tried really hard to destroy our marriage and our family. We had moved from upstate NY to Florida for my husband’s job. Our little boys were two and four…and hubs decided he didn’t want to be married anymore and wanted me to go back home with the boys. There aren’t words to describe the devastation I felt. Within a week or two we both had a health crisis at almost the same time. I needed surgery and he had a serious back injury and had to be on complete bed rest. Sometimes God will MAKE us lie down so we HAVE to look up! Robert was told he’d never work construction again (God knew differently), so we all moved back home…TOGETHER! But God took us back home completely changed. We had seen His hand and now knew Him in a more intimate way than we ever had before. He became really personal for the first time. I would never want to relive that time again, but I wouldn’t change it at all because that’s where we honestly learned what a relationship with Jesus truly is. We went from knowing all about Jesus to knowing HIM!
Wow Debbie! What a powerful testimony!Thank you for sharing with us!