Fully Filled and Fully Surrounded
4-8-2020
I have a question for you!
Do you believe that God is able to do what He has promised, even in the middle of the chaos around you?
I want you to think about that for just a minute.
So, do you?
What we BELIEVE is always going to be seen in our behavior and our actions. Are they lining up?
Just curious.
This morning I was having a conversation with God. I have found myself a bit discouraged this week. Not necessarily discouraged like.. I want to throw it all away and veg out in front of the tv the rest of my life. Hey! I’ve been there before! Don’t judge! It’s no fun! But no, on a more serious note, discouraged like, I feel like I’ve given the last part of myself and I’m very empty. Moms, you know what I’m talking about, right?!
As I was visiting with God about this I just said, “I need some encouragement from You. I want to see Your glory, just like you showed Moses. I want to feel Your presence, just like David would as he sat with You. I just need something from You right now.”
Immediately I heard, “You are FULLY FILLED and FULLY SURROUNDED by Me”. He was reminding me of what He taught me ‘last’ season, before all this started, but I had gotten sidetracked and lost that focus. I love when He reminds me so lovingly.
I repeated, “I am fully filled and fully surrounded by You” over and over until it just began to sink in. Until I literally began to feel Him surrounding me. What more encouragement do we need in this life than to KNOW we are FULLY FILLED and FULLY SURROUNDED by our God, our Father, our Creator, our Savior?!
I got up and opened up my Bible to Ephesians, yes, still camping out there. I read Ephesians 1:22-23 for the hundredth if not thousandth time… Jesus Christ IS the head of the “C” church, the “C” church IS His body, His body IS the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (we are FILLED by Him)
That phrase “the fullness of Him who fills all in all” means to be wholly filled and flooded by God!
1 Corinthians 13:12 tells us that as we mature in Christ and spend time in the Word, letting it be our ‘mirror’ we begin to see Him face to face! We go from knowing in ‘part’ to KNOWING HIM FULLY just as we have been FULLY KNOWN by Him!
To know Him fully and be fully known by Him is to be filled and surrounded!
We are reminded of this exact picture of being filled and surrounded in Ephesians 2:6. It tells us that we have been raised together with God and set in heavenly places of authority and power IN Christ Jesus (we are IN Him, He SURROUNDS us) and at God’s right hand.
We are also told in Ephesians 1:13 once we BELIEVE in Jesus Christ we are saved and then SEALED with the promised Holy Spirit.. So not only are we FULLY FILLED with the resurrecting power and authority of Jesus Christ and FULLY SURROUNDED by the creator Himself, we are also FULLY SEALED with the empowerment, strength, and comfort of the promised Holy Spirit!
I believe, to understand this level of His glory in and around us… we have to be FULLY AWAKE! I think I’m beginning to see a pattern here!
In Luke 9 we are given the story of Jesus taking Peter, James and John up to the mountain to pray. While up there Jesus’ appearance changed (God’s Glory was shining through Him) and Moses and Elijah showed up.
There’s this amazing, beautiful, holy moment taking place that is revealing the awe-inspiring glory of God… but Peter, James and John were ‘sleeping’ heavily! They were missing it! I believe so much of the Church and the world is under this same heavy sleep, missing so much of what God is doing in such a time as this. But check this out… it says in verse 32 “BUT when they became FULLY AWAKE they saw His glory and the two who stood with Him.”
I hope with all that is in me that you are getting this! He has given us all we need and it’s something the world can’t take away! HIS GLORY!
Romans 4 tells us the story of Abraham through Paul’s account. Starting in verse 18 it says… “In hope he BELIEVED… that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told… He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body or the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. NO UNBELIEF made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, FULLY CONVINCED that God WAS ABLE to do what He had promised.”
So, as it highly encouraged me, I want to highly encourage you, please meditate on the TRUTH of His Word! As children of God, although we may ‘feel’ empty and alone… The TRUTH is..
Child of God… YOU ARE FULLY FILLED AND FULLY SURROUNDED BY HIM and FULLY SEALED WITH PROMISE!
He wants each of us to be FULLY CONVINCED and FULLY AWAKE so we can SEE His glory IN us, AROUND us and working THROUGH us!
Remember… what we are convinced of, we believe… what we believe shows in our actions and our behaviors. There’s your measuring rod!
I love you my friend and I pray this spoke to you as it did to me!
Father, thank You for filling me and surrounding me and sealing me with the promised Holy Spirit!! Amen!