Catalyst Track: Nothing to Prove // Day Three

This track comes from Jennie Allen’s new book, Nothing to Prove.

For so many years the voice has been in my head: I am not enough.

 Is it possible you hear that same voice?

We walk around desperately afraid we don’t measure up. We slap on self-esteem strategies that feel a little like playing pretend dress up when we were seven. We think that we are someone grown up and lovely and accomplished, and we want to be someone grown up and lovely and accomplished.

But deep in our marrow, we know it is pretend. We are not enough. So we spend our lives trying to shift that reality.

But what if we have everything backward? What if there was a story where the ones who aren’t enough, the ones who recognize they don’t measure up, are the very ones the God of the universe picks to move wildly in and through?

What if I told you today you could stop trying so hard and simply rest? What if I told you today you could start enjoying yourself and your life without performing or striving for another minute? What if I told you that you don’t measure up? And that it’s okay. In fact, it’s necessary.

In this 3-day track, Jennie helps us explore how we can let go of our own sense of independence and find freedom in the abundant resources of Jesus. By sharing her personal story of brokenness and freedom, she invites us into a richer understanding of what it means to let go and be fruitful in our areas of influence by truly abiding in Christ.   

 

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DAY 3:  Reject Complacency

The danger of accepting God’s enoughness is that we would become com­placent. We would feel like He had it all covered so we wouldn’t need to do anything.

 

While we have overcomplicated our calling, the solution is not swinging to nothingness and checking out and disabling the work of God through our lives. People need our God, and we are the method God chose to display Himself. We just realize we are empowered by the God of the universe to go and do the work. Again, the way we move forward in this is awfully simple and backward. You ready?

 

We quit being afraid to do the simple things Jesus said to do.

What did He say to do? He said,

We pray.

We hold tightly to His Word.

We love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength instead of pretending as if we do.8

We love our neighbor.

 

We fight for people to believe God. In fact, it all boils down to this: Abide and love.

 

See, I love John 15 because He gives us such a picture of how this is going to work. He says, Listen. You stick with Me; you abide with Me, you pray, you read the Word, you be with Me, love Me, stay near. You're just going to be this little branch. I'll build fruit. I'll build it through you.

 

He has a big vision for us, but He will cause the big part to happen. He says, You're going to display Me. I'm going to go up to heaven, I'm going to give Myself to you in the form of the Spirit, and you're going to go out, and I will grow fruit through you.