Little confession: I have actually had this word since the beginning of July but later realized that this was my word for August.
In July we were praying as a team to find the heart of the team. We were looking for what God was calling us into as a team. We were trying to figure out what our team culture was going to look like (because we are responsible for the culture we carry). During the prayer I kept hearing John 15:7. Now, John 15 has been my chapter for the race and even inspired my first tattoo. So at first I was a little hesitant that it was for the team and not just God reminding me. It says,
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,
you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Shortly after sharing with the team we began to ask God to move in crazy ways. We even prayed for divine air conditioning and ended up in a 5 star hotel in downtown Athens. If it wasn’t for our time in Athens then none of the rest of the stops in Europe would have been possible with our budget. We went to:
1. Corinth, Greece
2. Rome, Italy
3. Grenoble, France
4. Le Puy to Conques, France
5. Altea, Spain
These past few weeks have been a dream. All because we decided as a team to Abide and ask.
At the beginning of this month we did part of the Camino. The first few days of the month is usually when I ask for the next word. With all the hiking and tenting across France I was tired. I was still loving Hallelujah as my word but I knew it was time for the next one. (Just because the month is over and it’s time for a new word, it doesn’t mean the previous word becomes void.) In fact every word is building off of the previous.
Abide
Meaning: verb 1. accept or act in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation) 2. (Of a feeling or memory) continue without fading or being lost
Biblical meaning:
1. To remain:
– In reference to place: to sojourn, tarry, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept continually
– In reference to time: to continue to be, not to perish, to last, to endure
– In reference to state or condition: to remain as one, not to become another or different
2. To wait for, await one
Abide is found all through scripture. Some of the results when we choose to abide in Christ are, we walk as He walked. We are able to love one another We are not walking in sin. We become a witness of the Holy Spirit, our prayers are answered, and we begin to bear heavenly fruit. When we are living a life of abiding in God, we find peace in the storm. Fullness of God requires abiding. When you abide you are fully known. All that we are comes from a form or place of abiding. Abiding results in sanctification.
One more thought on abiding comes from Bill Johnson in his book, “The Resting Place”
“Kingdom in view: The apostle Paul gave us this important instruction, but most of the time we miss the point. God is my armor. He’s not saying, “Put something on that is a reality that is separate from Me.” He’s saying, “I’m it. Just abide in Me. I become your salvation. I am your righteousness, the breastplate over you. I am the Gospel of peace. I am the good news. I am the sword of the Spirit.” This list paints a profound word picture enabling us to realize the fuller benefits of abiding in Christ. Simple is better.”
When we put on the armor of God we are simply just abiding in Him.
Who or what are you choosing to abide in?
