PREACHERMAN

Is Jesus enough? I've had this thought on my mind for a while now. What prompted it was an article I read from a Christian woman who had experienced thoughts that weren't mentally, emotionally, or spiritually healthy. She had prayed and prayed and ask God to take the thoughts away. She had sought out help from the professionals, joined support groups, anything she could to help, but nothing did. She made the comment that there needed to be more study in this area to find a way to help her and others struggling with these thoughts that plagued them.


I am all for learning more on the subjects of mental, physical and emotional needs. God has the answers and gives doctors and scientists the knowledge they need in order to help people with these needs. And He uses these doctors and scientists in this way for His glory whether they recognize where the knowledge came from or not. It is to God's glory. All of life's heartache, sickness, evil and death comes from sin. It all started in the beginning when the humans wanted their way instead of God's way. Hence, we have lived ever since in a world full of trouble and pain.


After I read the article, I felt this lady was saying that although she was a Christian, Jesus just wasn't enough. He didn't take away her thoughts. So I would like to pose the question to you..... Is Jesus enough? For whatever you are going through, is He enough?


We have a preacher friend who stops by often for coffee and conversation. We talk about all kinds of things but we always talk about the Lord. When he was at our home recently, he made the comment that he preached a sermon entitled - "Is Jesus Enough?" My heart started pounding because I had this blog in mind to write with this same question. While I didn't get to hear his sermon, this is what I have pondered in my heart:


1. Paul's thorn was not removed when he asked it to be (2 Cor. 12:8-9). He was to be dependent on God's grace for whatever it was that plagued him. God's grace was and is sufficient for any and every circumstance. The preacherman told us that he lived with a constant struggle, but his struggle is what kept him in close contact with God.


2. Are we in relationship and fellowship with Jesus? Before we can be, we must be born again. Transformed. Then we must be in the Word and prayer, not once a week, once a month, whenever we feel like it, (some of us would never feel like it), but daily. Every day. Do we see our great need of God? If everything is going just fine we may not see how much we need Him.... a ploy of the enemy. The enemy (Satan) comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). The enemy is the one who puts thoughts in our heads that can harm us, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. I've witnessed that just this week with my small group at church. We're going through a tragic situation where we were betrayed by one who we thought was one of our own. But the enemy put thoughts in his head and he acted on them, and now we are devastated and that one is dead. Horrible tragedy. So this leads to number 3:


3. Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Give God those thoughts that you know are not from Him but from the enemy and thoughts you are unable to deal with. Think pure thoughts. The only way we can do this is from the help and strength of the Lord. We all struggle with impure, unholy thoughts, but if the Bible says we can take them captive to the obedience of Christ, we can. Let me give you this whole verse out of the "Easy to Read Version" (ERV) of the Bible: "We tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ."


4.  Do we believe that last sentence? There is a stipulation to receiving God's promises and that is believing them. Believing is receiving. Sometimes this can be very hard to do especially when you are stepping out in faith on a promise when you see nothing under your feet. However, again in 2 Corinthians 1:20, "For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are all answered 'Yes.'"


5.  Hope in God. This is not wishful thinking hope. Biblical hope is a confident assurance that what God says will come to pass. His promises have never failed and they will not fail now.


Preacherman told us, "If our hope fails... God fails. He will not, nor cannot fail. Our hope is unfailing."


This question, "Is Jesus enough?" reminds me of the story in John 7  where Jesus had just healed a man on the Sabbath and the people were questioning who He really was. They asked, "Have the authorities really concluded that He is the Christ?"  REALLY? This sounds so absurd to me. Could these people not think for themselves? Could they not believe the prophesies regarding the Christ? Could they not do their homework and know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Did they really have to have someone else tell them what to believe? Could they not open their eyes and see the miracles; open their ears and hear the teachings? However, after further study on these verses I found that they did know about Him from an earthly standpoint, didn't believe He was who He claimed to be, and with their question, were insinuating the religious rulers to do what they wanted to do: kill Jesus. This mob was probably part of the same who later cried "crucify!" "He came to that which was His own (that which belonged to Him - His world, His creation, His possession), and those who were His own (people - the Jewish nation) did not receive and welcome Him" (John 1). Following these verses, Jesus cries out to the crowd. "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him."


Jesus is still calling out. If we do not respond, we have no excuse. Romans 1:20 states this. Does it take too much time to get to know Jesus for ourselves? To study the Word and pray? It's easier just to say Jesus hasn't been enough for me than to search for Him with all your heart and soul and mind. And we hurt Him with our words and our lives.




The question, "Is Jesus enough," has already been answered and it is answered correctly. Whether we recognize that in our lives or not doesn't determine the answer. God has determined the answer. He is enough! He will always be enough!