Simply Angie How to Overcome Spiritual Burnout and Access God’s PowerYou don't need more grit; you need more knowledge and understanding locating His supply.
You Already Have What You NeedIn our first look at 2 Peter, we saw that our faith is a ‘precious’ treasure. It’s the foundational gift from God we need to truly value, protect, and invest in every single day. But once you receive this treasure and realize its value, the next practical question is: How do I live this out in my daily life? I think many of us feel ill-equipped. Perhaps you've looked at the world, your own struggles, or your tired spirit and thought, ‘I just don’t have what it takes to be godly today. I’m too weak. The temptations are too strong.’ We find ourselves begging God for more patience, more strength, or more courage. Or we simply want to give up. But Peter gives us an incredible promise in verse 3. He tells us that we don’t have to find the power through our own strength and grit; it has already been given to us.
It’s important to meditate on that phrasing: “...His divine power hath given unto us all things.” This isn’t a promise of power that might show up one day; it is a deposit that has already been made into our spiritual account. He hasn’t called us to a standard of holiness without also providing the “all things” required to live it. The Channel: Not Self-Help, but Savior-HelpThis power doesn’t come to us through self-improvement seminars or willpower. Peter tells us exactly where the “all things” reside: “through the knowledge of Him.” The key to accessing God’s power is getting to know His character. The more we know Him, the more we can rely on His power. This is why spending time in the Word and in prayer is so important. It isn’t just a “religious rule” or a “ritual.” It is the literal lifeline connecting us to the power source. When we are scared, we need the knowledge of Him as the Mighty Protector (Psalm 91). When we are tired, we need to know Him as the Restorer of our Soul (Psalm 23). When we have messed up, we need to understand Him as the Wise Disciplinarian who corrects us “...for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). When we are scared, we need to know Him as our Mighty Protector (Psalm 91). When we are tired, we need to know Him as the Restorer of our soul (Psalm 23). When we have messed up, we need to understand Him as the wise Disciplinarian who lovingly corrects us “...for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). As we get to know and understand Him, the more access we have to that “divine supply” that enables us to live a life of glory and virtue.
The Key to Genuine TransformationPeter continues to tell us of a crucial key for accessing the ability to be like Jesus in verse 4: The Promises.
Notice the result of acting on God’s promises: We become “partakers of the divine nature.” We trade our fallen, worldly nature for His! We can only truly begin acting like Jesus when we start thinking like Him. I love what Paul wrote to the Philippians after he reminded them about how Jesus was our example of obedience and humility. He goes on to say:
When we realize that it’s not really us that must ‘do’ and ‘be’, but rather God working through us because He is in us, we begin to draw more naturally from that divine supply. If we understand that we are a conduit or a channel meant to fulfill His will and His purposes, it changes our thinking completely. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that we become transformed. We are joint heirs, and we begin acting like it. We find the yoke and the cross easier to bear and actually find peace and joy in it. Precious Promises:We need to recognize that many (dare I say most?) of these “precious promises” are conditional. God provides the bridge, but we have to walk across it. Consider just a few of these exceeding great and precious promises available to us:
When we hold Him to His promises, we aren’t being presumptuous; we are using the tools He provided to “escape the corruption that is in the world.” This is how we trade our fallen, worldly nature for His! We stop living in our own limited power and start relying on the "exceeding great and precious promises" He has already made. Locating the SupplyWhen we look at our own weakness, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It feels like we are standing in front of an empty shelf. But that feeling is a lie. The supply is not missing; it has simply not yet been accessed. My husband has often preached about putting our faith into action. This is that action! Following Jesus isn’t about sitting back waiting for God to change us with a divine “zap.” It is about knowing where to locate the grace you need in that very moment. If you are feeling afraid, the “item” on the shelf is Peace. To get it, you must meet the condition: keep your mind focused on Him. If you are feeling a fresh weight of guilt for a sin, the “item” is Forgiveness and a Clear Conscience. The condition is simple: confess your sins. You cannot hold God to a promise you do not know. This is why we must prioritize the “knowledge of Him.” Spending time in the Word is how you locate the specific tool you need for the trial of that day. “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6 You don’t need more power. You just need to access what He has already provided. Know the word, find the promise, meet the condition through His sufficiency, and watch His power transform your life! Growing together, P.S. This week, instead of asking God for more strength, try asking a different question: “Lord, what promise have You already given me for this moment?” Then open His Word and look for it. The supply may be closer than you think. Talk to you again soon. Can’t wait?
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