So how does all this breaking news impact my daily life? Let\u2019s review.<\/p>\n
God makes all things new.<\/strong> This amazing adventure called \u201cthe Christian life\u201d began when I trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. He did this incredible thing\u2014he made me a new person!<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new\u201d (2 Corinthians 5:17).<\/p>\n The past is gone! I have a new life centered in Christ! I\u2019m no longer defeated by past mistakes and controlled by regret. Christ offers forgiveness and cleansing and opens the door to exciting opportunities to serve and glorify him.<\/p>\n I have assurance God can handle impossible.<\/strong> My walk with the Lord is not a blissful stroll through meadows of fragrant flowers. Sometimes it takes me through stony ravines where crashing thunderstorms blind me to my next step. I cry out to him, believing, \u201cFor with God nothing shall be impossible\u201d (Luke 1:37). And he rescues me\u2026again and again.<\/p>\n I keep going forward, confident that nothing can touch me without his consent and knowing God is stronger than all the giants.<\/strong><\/p>\n When the rogue disciple Judas led soldiers to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus, his beloved follower Peter drew a sword and swung it at a servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Jesus restored the ear and told Peter to put up his sword. \u201cThinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?\u201d (Matthew 26:53).<\/p>\n That encourages me to live without fear since vast divine resources are available for any need in my life.<\/p>\n I can live in joy no matter what.<\/strong> That liberating reality means circumstances cannot rob my joy, a fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit. \u201cBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control\u2026\u201d (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).<\/p>\n Whatever life throws at me, because the joy of the Lord is my strength, I can also set my heart to choose to joy and rejoice in the Lord.<\/p>\n I can live in hope in lonely places, <\/strong>knowing I\u2019m never alone because the Lord is with me and I have hope, no matter how desperate the situation. ). \u201cThou art my hope, O Lord; thou art my trust from my youth\u201d (Psalm 71:5).<\/p>\n All of this adds up to one awesome fact\u2014I can live the abundant life anywhere! <\/strong>Jesus spoke of this way of living in John 10:10. \u201c\u2026I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.\u201d<\/p>\nI can live the abundant life anywhere! Jesus spoke of this way of living in John 10:10. \u201c\u2026I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n What is abundant life and how do we get there? The possibility of this amazing life sent me searching.<\/p>\n At age seven I\u2019d trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, but I struggled with doubt for many years, uncertain that decision would get me to heaven. At age twenty-eight I finally settled the fact, claiming the promise of Romans 10:13. \u201cFor whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lord gave me a thirst to know him better and let my life be pleasing to him. But something was still missing. Where was all that joy and peace I thought came automatically with the Christian-life package?<\/p>\n As I searched for the answer, God honored the promise of Jeremiah 29:13. \u201cAnd ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n I learned joy any peace are part of the cluster of fruit produced by the Holy Spirit when we surrender completely to Christ (Galatians 5:22-23). But I couldn\u2019t understand how to surrender. A book by a Christian author suggested thinking about an altar such as those in biblical times, placing on it everything in my life, and offering it to God.<\/p>\n In prayer I did that, making a total surrender\u2014all I am and have forever, no strings attached. Immediately I sensed astonishing joy and peace. I’d found the key to abundant life\u2014surrender.<\/p>\n But the Lord had much more to teach me about \u201cwalking by faith\u201d and \u201cabiding in Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n Grasping to hold on to my joy and peace, I struggled in this new life and in God\u2019s time began to understand those concepts. Walking by faith is simply trusting Jesus. Abiding in him is just staying as close as I can get, resting in his arms, like a child climbing into her father\u2019s lap. It pleased his heart to teach me precious truths.<\/p>\n These hard-learned truths did not come quickly or easily. This condensed version reflects many miles of my walk, crying out to God and listening for his answer as I practiced abiding through a continual surrender of every circumstance, walking with him moment by moment, depending on him alone.<\/p>\n Abundance is not a place. It\u2019s a Person. Although I have much to learn, I know this\u2014I can live the abundant life anywhere.<\/p>\n Absolute surrender is the sweet dimension that turns the ordinary Christian life into an extraordinary adventure.<\/p>\nAbsolute surrender is the sweet dimension that turns the ordinary Christian life into an extraordinary adventure. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n If you desire to know the Lord better, consider printing this article and keep these points in mind as you pray, asking the Lord to teach you. He promised, \u201cI will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye\u201d (Psalm 32:8).<\/p>\n I\u2019d love to hear about your journey to the abundant life. Please leave a comment. And I\u2019d appreciate your sharing this article with your friends.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2021<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So how does all this breaking news impact my daily life? Let\u2019s review. God makes all things new. This amazing adventure called \u201cthe Christian life\u201d began when I trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. He did this incredible thing\u2014he made me a new person! \u201cTherefore if any man be in Christ, he is a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[27,9,723,28,254,724],"class_list":["post-1610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-abide-in-christ","tag-dianne-barker","tag-i-can-live-the-abundant-life-anywhere","tag-surrender","tag-walking-by-faith","tag-what-is-abundant-life"],"yoast_head":"\n\n