Tapping into the Power Source

For those of us who have been raised in a hustle culture, we’ve been taught that we need to push and grind to succeed. While it’s good to work hard and be high achievers, if we’re not careful, hard work, ambition, and desire for success, money, and recognition can easily become an idol. It can become a “god” in our life and the thing that we chase after, make sacrifices for, and desire more than anything in this world. Burnout is becoming more common in our culture and maybe one of the reasons for this is because of our idolatry of success.

Jeremiah 17:5 (NLT) states, “This is what the Lord says: 'Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.”

Whenever we depend on and trust in our own finite human strength, ability, and wisdom alone, we are bound to burn out, be depleted of energy, and experience dry seasons in our life.

But whenever we remember that God “is the one who gives you the power to be successful” (Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT), we will always flourish and thrive.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT) says, “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

A life of ease and prosperity even in the midst of challenges is possible for those who remain rooted in their trust in God. Throughout scripture, God refers to Himself as the vine and we are the branches, so as long as we remain connected to the source, we continue to flourish because apart from Him, we can do nothing.

This is good news for us because this reveals that our natural state is to always be fruitful and flourishing. He designed us to exist intimately with Him at all times because He is our power source and life with Him comes with ease because we live in our sweet spot.

Matthew 11:28-30 states, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Nothing in our life is meant to be heavy or burdensome. We don’t need to be strong on our own:

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT)

We never have to wrestle with imposter syndrome or try to be someone we’re not because His grace is sufficient for us and His power shows up where we are weakest.

Stay encouraged!