WEDNESDAY'S WORD- SUFFICIENT - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Our Heaven Father understands our disappointment, suffering, pain, fear and doubt. He is always there to encourage our hearts and help us understand that He's sufficient for all of our needs. When I accepted that as an absolute truth in my life, I found my worrying stopped." - Charles Stanley       For many, a question constantly looms, "Am I enough?" Books are written, videos are made, and seminars are held to try to convince us we indeed are enough. Yet, the constant pressures of life, work, family, friends, society, the call of God, our inward desires and our internal thoughts scream back, "No! You're not!"" SUFFICIENT means enough, or adequate; legally satisfactory; or meeting the need of. It is humbling to come to grips with the fact that even as a leader, clergy, a parent, boss or head of household...you really are insufficient to do or fix everything, to help everyone, or to meet each need that comes your way. It will take you down a peg or two to realize that at times, you can't even meet your own needs much less those of others. In Matthew 6, Jesus attempts to relieve the stress of his followers with this admonition, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Sufficient to the day is it's own trouble." (Matt 6:34) So often our sufficiency concerns are whether we'll be able to do something, make a decision, pay a bill, or handle a relational issue in the future. Jesus says, "You don't have enough capacity for all of that anxiety. Dealing with what's before you today is sufficient. Today's trouble is enough." Fear speaks of imminent danger or threat. Anxiety pertains to uncertainty about something in the future that may not even occur.  Try focusing on today.   God gives us His GRACE to deal with our insufficiency.  Grace is not just the unmerited favor or kindness He bestows on us that we do not deserve. Grace is also Divine enablement - or God's supernatural ability superimposed upon our weaknesses and insufficiency. Just like Paul in 2 Cor 12, at times we need to be humbled and receive God's grace. If not, we'll get a bad case of the big head. The revelations that Paul received, his closeness to the LORD, and his leadership responsibilities could easily put him in arrogance and make others give him 'credit beyond what they see in my life or hear in my message." (vs. 6)  He said, "So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me..." (vs.7)  The thorn that keeps us on our knees dependent before God, seems like a curse but is really a blessing! To be willing to pray, "LORD, I am NOT enough...but YOU are! Please help me!" is one of the greatest appeals one can make. His name El Shaddai, means MORE than enough. Like Paul, we ask repeatedly for difficult situations to be removed, "Each time he said, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Cor. 12:9) It's not time to give up or quit; it's time to admit your insufficiency and trust an All-Sufficient God.

SUNDAY Worship 11:00 AM Worship The Great Room Sunday Class 9:30 AM Youth Room Basement at Wyoming Presbyterian 225 Wyoming Ave., 45215 For information 513-212-1131