I might be behind.....some of you might have already heard about it and read it.......but others, like me, might not have even heard of it until now! Let me know if you buy it and if God speaks to you like He did me! " i am not but i know I AM " Louie Giglio
Here are a few passages from the book that completely blew me away......................
" I am not, but He knows my name.
I am not, but He has pursued me in His love.
I am not, but I have been purchased and redeemed.
I am not, but I have been invited into His Story, THE STORY.
I am not, but I know the Creator of the universe.
I am not, but I know I AM. "
" God was telling Moses during the story at the burning bush...............
I AM the center of everything
I AM running the show
I AM the same everyday forever
I AM the owner of everything
I AM the Lord
I AM the Creator and Sustainer of life
I AM the Savior
I AM more than enough
I AM inexhaustible and immeasurable
I AM GOD.
In a heartbeat, Moses knew God's name-and something more. He finally knew his. For if God's name is I AM, Moses' name must be I am not.
I am not the center of everything
I am not in control
I am not the solution
I am not all powerful
I am not calling the shots
I am not the owner of anything
I am not the Lord
That's my name too. And yours. I AM NOT. Just try it under your breath. "MY NAME IS I AM NOT!"
I am not running anything
I am not head of anything
I am not in charge of anything
I am not the maker
I am not the savior
I am not holding it all together
I am not all-knowing
I am not GOD. "
One chapter of the book gave me a whole new perspective on the Sabbath........... It explained that "the day of rest" is not your normal, lazy, Sunday afternoon nap......but SO MUCH MORE!
" But be encouraged. Today is the Sabbath. Oh, it may not literally be Sunday, but Sabbath is a state of mind and attitude of the heart. Sabbath happens anywhere and everywhere we let go of the controls and lay the cares of our lives at His feet.
So where is your future right now? Where is the outcome of your pressing dilemma? Is it in your hands? Is it in the hands of a businessman or woman? Is it in the hands of a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife? Is it in the hands of a team of doctors?
Or is you life and all that concerns you, in the hands of the God who constructed the universe effortlessly in one week?
If you want more rest and less "stressed" declare this very moment your Sabbath - the place where you pry your fingers off of the circumstances and people who you are trying so desperately to control, the place you discover that life does work better in His hands instead of yours. "
The book explains how God has invited us to be apart of HIS STORY, THE STORY........but He is the Star. NOT US!
How do we know when we have slipped back into the story of us? We know when we see these telling signs:
When I live like I am privileged, I have lost the plot. In other words, when I start acting like I deserve a certain outcome or a higher standard of life, I have failed to strike the fatal blow to self and am living like I actually have rights in this world apart from God.
When I am demanding, I have lost the plot, insisting that God and others meet my needs on a timetable that I see fit.
When I act pompous, I have lost the plot, thinking that I am somebody while only providing that I haven't had a good look at God today.
When I crumble under pressure, I have lost the plot, declaring the outcome of life rests squarely on my shoulders, not His.
When I start protecting, I have lost the plot, marking turf as though it were actually mine and forgetting that I have comes first from above.
When I crave the spotlight for myself, I have lost the plot, losing sight of the story line and the one true Star. And every time I do it I waste one of life's fleeting chances to make my life truly count by amplifying Him.
When I fail to celebrate the successes of others who are living for His fame, I have lost the plot, thinking that possibly we are on different teams when we actually share supporting roles in the same story.
When I dwell on feelings of being uninvolved, unnoticed, or insignificant, I have lost the plot, abandoning the miracle of knowing God on a first-name basis.
All of these privilege, demanding, arrogant, frazzled, turf-protecting, glory-stealing, self-loathing moments are nothing more than a clarion call alerting us to the fact that it's time to die to self again, reminders that the life of smallness requires vigilant watch and constant willingness to strike the fatal blow in the heart of me.
* But to die to self is to gain an unfathomable scale - a daily funeral that is nothing more than the doorway to a life filled with the matchless WONDER OF ALL THAT HE IS!!!
And in the days to come, when you are questioning, needing, searching, wondering, asking, and struggling, you will find His sufficiency at the end of every desperate prayer. When you cry out all the things that you are not, you will know His answer is, " I AM."
FOR EVERY CRY THERE IS AN ANSWER:
I need help. I AM
I need hope. I AM
Who could possibly be smart enough to figure this out? I AM
What works? I AM
What lasts? I AM
What's the latest thing? I AM
What's the hippest thing? I AM
I need a fresh start. I AM
I need a bigger story. I AM
My vision is bigger than my resources. I AM
Nothing's real anymore. I AM
Who can I trust? I AM
I'm not sure who's on my team. I AM
Nobody's listening to me. I AM
I don't have a prayer. I AM
My marriage is sinking and I don't know where to turn. I AM
I can't hold on. I AM
My kids deserve more. I AM
I'm pouring into others, who's pouring into me? I AM
If we fail who will get the job done? I AM
I'm not sure why I'm here. I AM
I've given all I can give and it's not enough. I AM
I'm tired. I AM
I quit! I AM
I can't! I AM
I need a drink. I AM
I need a fix. I AM
I need a lover. I AM
Somebody just hold me. I AM
....................And what does this great I AM say of Himself? He says to you and to me: "I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. I am the ressurection and the life. I am Savior. I am Jesus - the solution, the restorer, the builder, the answer, the Wise One, the Coming One, the Mighty One. I am the Lord and there is no other. I am God and there is none besides Me. I am the First and the Last. I am Alpha and Omega. I am the Beginning and the End. I am the Lord, that is My name, and I will not give My glory to another, or any of My praise to idols.
I AM THAT I AM, and that is My name - My memorial name to every generation."
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