More Power Than You Need

Do
you want to cultivate and enjoy a great marriage?

Do
you want to be more energized and less discouraged, regardless of what is
happening around you and how others are treating you?

Do
you want to see God use you in tremendous ways?

In
one sense, it all begins in your head.

During
my Cherish marriage seminars, I make
the case that those who are able to sustain a cherishing marriage with an
imperfect spouse (of course there are no perfect spouses) meditate often on the
kindness and grace of God; those who give up cherishing their spouse meditate
often on the faults and failures of their spouse. A high-functioning
marriage depends largely on what direction our minds are pointed: “Be
transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:2).

The
same is true for effective parenting, or for any lasting and great
accomplishment for the Kingdom of God. Our thoughts encourage or discourage
us on an hourly basis, growing hope or sowing the seeds of anger and fear.

I’m
not advocating the power of positive thinking; I’m advocating the power of
focusing on God. One of the most helpful, joy-producing
disciplines for me over the past two and a half years has been learning and
re-learning to set my mind on who God is, what he has done, and what he
promises, rather than the fears I am facing.

In
the past I have spent entirely too much time obsessed with myself, my
circumstances, and my obedience, or (more commonly) my lack thereof. Meditating
on myself is the certain path to discouragement because I’m not all I want to
be, whereas God is everything we need him to be and so much more.

What
we think about most often will usually determine how we feel most often.

I
am currently going through the entire Bible writing down every positive
statement about God, transferring that onto a list, and spending time each day
meditating on one of those affirmations:

“God
has reconciled you through Christ to present you as holy, without blemish, and
free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22). This is great medicine for a day in
which I feel I’ve blown it.

“God
rewards us” (Colossians 3:24). This is great encouragement for when I feel
taken for granted by others.

“God
will strengthen and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). This
is a much-needed reminder when I feel I am under spiritual attack.

I
could have learned this decades ago if I had just listened a little more
closely to my theological mentor and advisor in seminary, Dr. J.I. Packer. In A
Passion for Faithfulness, he urges us to follow Nehemiah’s example and focus
our thinking on the beauty, power, glory, and might of our God. This was the
discipline behind the strength, motivation, and empowering presence that fueled
Nehemiah’s incredible accomplishment of rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall in just
fifty-two days:

“The
God of Nehemiah is the transcendent Creator, the God ‘of heaven’ (Nehemiah 1:4-5;
2:4, 20), self-sustaining, self-energizing, and eternal (‘from everlasting to
everlasting,’ Nehemiah 9:5). He is ‘great’ (Nehemiah 8:6), ‘great and awesome’
(Nehemiah 1:5, 4:14), ‘great, mighty and awesome’ (Nehemiah 9:32)… Lord of
history, God of judgment and mercy, ‘a forgiving God, gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love’ (Nehemiah 9:17; see Exodus
34:6-7). God was to Nehemiah the sublimest, most permanent, most pervasive,
most intimate, most humbling, exalting, and commanding of all realities. The
basis on which…Nehemiah attempted great things for God and expected great
things from God was that…he had grasped the greatness of God himself.”

To
do great things, meditate on a great God.

To
build a great marriage, meditate on your great God.

To
overcome great challenges, spend more time meditating on your great God than
your troublesome trials.

Don’t
focus on how weak you or your family are or how desperate the situation is with
one of your children. Focus on the greatness of your God. It’s entirely
reasonable to do this, as God has already saved the radically rebellious in
numbers too many to count, so yes, he can save your loved one. He has emboldened
the cowardly; he has healed the sick, given wisdom to the foolish and even made
this amazing world out of…nothing. He
raised Jesus from the dead! A God who can do all that is a God who can do
whatever needs to be done in your life, family, or ministry.

Think
less of the problem, and more of God’s intelligence; less of the challenge, and
more of God’s provision; less of your sin and more of God’s grace; less of the
need and more of God’s promised provision. Begin your prayers thanking God, end
your prayers adoring God, and never let a significant point of time go by
without celebrating the wonders of God.

God’s excellence in every way is the surest platform from which we can face every challenge.

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