Extravagantly Equipped

Have you ever felt cheated? Inadequate? Wanting?

I have. On nights when unfulfilled desires haunt my dreams, I wake up feeling that I’ve been cheated. While sitting on my bedroom floor and attempting to piece together a Sunday school lesson, I’ve sensed my inadequacy to reach the hearts of teens. And in my prayer life, among other things, I’ve certainly found myself wanting.

But do you know what I’ve learned? I’m not cheated, inadequate, or wanting, for I have an extravagant God who gives me everything I need. Regardless of my self-imposed feelings of inadequacy, I serve a God who is so extravagant that when I really consider what the Creator of the universe gives me, I feel humbled.

Recently, I read The Prince Warriors series by Priscilla Shirer. The characters—boys, girls, parents, and even a Starbucks-loving ditz—are called to fight unseen battles for the Source. As the warriors get their assignments, they often ask for more tools to work with—shields, swords, or a fire-breathing dragon. But whenever they ask for what the Source has not given them, they are reminded that they have everything they need.

That thought has pervaded my consciousness in these last few days, and it’s been an anchoring assurance. I’ve always had the sense that the Lord provides for my physical needs, for Paul says, “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 {KJV}). But I never claimed God’s provision for my spiritual and emotional needs. Yet the God who extravagantly meets our physical needs is the same God who created the soul and the spirit. Whatever longing we have, whatever spiritual warfare we face, Christ—the God of all comfort and wisdom and victory—indwells us and equips us. After all, God’s Word assures us: “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9-10 {KJV}). We are complete—fully equipped—for any circumstance or calling or trial that we encounter.

That the Creator of the universe would pay that much attention to my needs indicates the extravagance of my gracious God.

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Carmen Dillon

Carmen Dillon loves sharing the light of God’s truth through teaching, writing, and editing. She shares her passion for English with her junior high and high school students during the week and humbly shares God’s Word with her teen Sunday school class on weekends. She is blessed to live in Missouri and serve the Lord with her incredibly dedicated, God-honoring family.

Latest posts by Carmen Dillon (see all)

• Extravagantly Equipped - June 12, 2019
• Hearts Lie ~ God Doesn’t - February 6, 2019
• The Compelling Image - December 21, 2018