My weaknesses and God's power

A lot of times I feel inadequate. Like I don’t have what it takes to finish what I am called to do. The second I find something to brag on myself about, I mess up on something else. A friend of mine posted this passage on facebook a couple days ago:

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12:7-10

It was so encouraging to know that my weaknesses make it easier for God’s power to be seen in me. When I feel inadequate it becomes that much easier for God to be given the glory He deserves. Another friend of mine commented on this passage with this quote from Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

– Return to Love

I am encouraged that even though I may feel weak, inadequate, and lacking the confidence necessary to be who I was created to be, I have God’s power to do the most amazing things with my life, and that starts with the small tasks in front of me today. I hope that everyone can be encouraged by this. 

-Rachel

What does Live the Life mean to me?

Watch this video and others from Live the Life on our YouTube Channel. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/ilivethelifeblog#p/a/u/2/kxTwl-3B6dY

Made for Love: Devotion 365

Ever since I heard the song Made to Love by Toby Mac I have wanted to study and write about Deut 6:5, the Jewish Shema or declaration of faith.

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and

with all your soul and with all your might.

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart."

I loved realizing that God made me to love Him. You see when God commands us to love Him it sounds impossible to obey that command. Then I realized that God made me perfectly to love Him. I am uniquely made to love God in just the way that delights Him. Each person created by God has the same commandment. Each person is made perfectly to love God.

So I decided this year I would write a daily devotion called Made for Love - Devotion 365. I want to devote myself to loving God every day this year. I thought others might want to share the journey with me. I have experienced God in so many dramatic ways in my life I want to share the amazing things I have seen Him do with my own eyes. I have seen miracles happen, I have faced death twice, I have saved others from drowning, I have been apart of one of the great movements of God in Africa. I want to share His walk with me with others. 

Join me this year at: www.edsonlivethelife.tumblr.com  

 

Edson Knapp

LIVE THE LIFE, INC.

New for Spring 2011

Live the Life is about following God and having a blast doing it. As we were creating the new shirt designs for 2011, we wanted to find a way to have this conveyed through our products. To make this vision a reality, each season the products will be themed off of a passage from the Bible. The Bible passages will be chosen based on how they depict themes from the season, (weather that is winter, fall, summer or spring), and the shirts will pull themes from the chosen passages. This way, each shirt will have a message behind it, and the person wearing it will feel they have purpose and passion in their clothing. It is our hope that through this system God will be seen by this generation, and that this generation will choose to Live the Life.

The Spring 2011 product line will be themed from two Bible passages; Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 52.

Isaiah 35

¹ The desert and the parched land will be glad;
   the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom;
   it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
   the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
   the splendor of our God.

 ³ Strengthen the feeble hands,
   steady the knees that give way;
⁴ say to those with fearful hearts,
   “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
   he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
   he will come to save you.”

 ⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
   and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer,
   and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
   and streams in the desert.
⁷ The burning sand will become a pool,
   the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
   grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

 ⁸ And a highway will be there;
   it will be called the Way of Holiness;
   it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
   wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹ No lion will be there,
   nor any ravenous beast;
   they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
 ¹⁰ and those the LORD has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
   everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
   and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 52

 ¹ Awake, awake, Zion,
   clothe yourself with strength!
Put on your garments of splendor,
   Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
   will not enter you again.
² Shake off your dust;
   rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
   Daughter Zion, now a captive.

 ³ For this is what the LORD says:

   “You were sold for nothing,
   and without money you will be redeemed.”

 ⁴ For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

   “At first my people went down to Egypt to live;
   lately, Assyria has oppressed them.

 ⁵ “And now what do I have here?” declares the LORD.

   “For my people have been taken away for nothing,
   and those who rule them mock,”
            declares the LORD.
“And all day long
   my name is constantly blasphemed.
⁶ Therefore my people will know my name;
   therefore in that day they will know
that it is I who foretold it.
   Yes, it is I.”

 ⁷ How beautiful on the mountains
   are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
   who bring good tidings,
   who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
   “Your God reigns!”
⁸ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
   together they shout for joy.
When the LORD returns to Zion,
   they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹ Burst into songs of joy together,
   you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted his people,
   he has redeemed Jerusalem.
¹⁰ The LORD will lay bare his holy arm
   in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
   the salvation of our God.

 ¹¹ Depart, depart, go out from there!
   Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure,
   you who carry the articles of the LORD’s house.
¹² But you will not leave in haste
   or go in flight;
for the LORD will go before you,
   the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Keep a look out in the next couple weeks for more information about our upcoming Spring 2011 product line.

Check out the new Clearance section in the Webstore!

Awakening Fest

 We had a great time at Awakening Fest this past September. We met lots of awesome people living their life! We hope to see everyone next year in Leesburg, VA.

20% off the Live the Life Web Store!