All right, so this morning. The Lord put it on our hearts to
talk about abiding, you know, with all the responsibilities
that a mother carries, you know, and we, I could make a list and
I did make a list. A mother is a nurse a mother.
Is a teacher. A mother is a chef.
Whether you think you're good at it or not.
The kids have to eat. A mother's a guidance counselor.
A mother is a judge. A mother is a cheerleader.
A mother is a housekeeper. A.
Mother is a chauffeur. A.
Mother is a negotiator. A mother is a peacemaker.
A mother is a seamstress. Yes, we all learned how to put
on a button. OK.
An event. Coordinator Oh man A.
Hostess with the mostess. A.
Stylist. A personal assistant.
A referee. And an investigator.
I was good at. That.
A security. Officer, come on.
A translator, A photographer, A. Financial Planner.
A life coach and an entertainer. Come on, there's so many more.
I could go on with the. List and all of you women say.
But you know one thing that I. Learned in my.
Walk with the Lord. And serving the Lord.
Is that and all the? Responsibilities that a mother
carried and all the things, all the things we have to do
throughout the day, you know, and that's not even the whole
list because if you're married, then you put wife on top of that
and all the list of the wife. So again, there's so many things
that can consume us if we allow it.
But the one thing that I have. Learned that is a must.
In being able to navigate life and that is.
To. Realize that we must.
Be. Women and men that abide in the
vine abide in the vine. So I want to talk this morning.
About abiding and go. In a little direction, because
in today's society. Like I was saying.
Earlier that that we're. In a whole generation that is
trying to convince. Mothers not to have children, to
abort them, just to not get pregnant, to live their own
life, because having children are they're.
Inconvenient. It's too much.
Work. Again feeding.
It's all about. You that self centeredness that
the. Generation is trying to push and
so you know it's and it's all because being a parent is work.
It's work. It is hard in the natural, but
that's why God gave us His Holy Spirit, because He did not want
to just save us so that one day when we die we go to heaven.
He saved us to put His Spirit within us, to give us life so
that we can live through this life with His help.
As the. Helper on the inside.
Of us. To help us navigate being
whatever it is that we are in the earth.
Amen. And the one.
Thing that I've learned is that if we do not abide in him.
Then we will burnout. OK if we do not abide.
In him this has. To be a must.
So let's read our first scripture.
John 15. Four and five, it says.
Very nice. Abide in me and I in you.
As the branch cannot. Bear fruit of itself unless it
abides in the vine. So neither can you unless you
abide in me. I am the vine, you are the
branches, and he who abides in me and I in him bears much
fruit. Here's the key.
Apart from me you can do. Nothing.
Amen. You can be seated apart from me.
You can do nothing. So he gives you a clue here.
It's not that you can do. Nothing.
It's not that you can do, He's not saying.
You can't do anything. Plenty of people do many things.
But not in him. They do many things but not in
him or what we would like to say as an in Christ reality in
Christ. They don't do it in Christ.
And the thing about it is, is that anything you do that's not
in Christ is useless, is useless, and it's going to.
End up leading to. What death and destruction?
So the goal is as a believer, he's reminding us that we must
abide in him in. Him in the vine.
Who is the Vine? Jesus is the vine.
We are the branches. But look what this word means.
Abide this word. Abide.
Means this. To stay in.
Your given place wow to. Stay in your given place.
Isn't this something that reminds us of Genesis?
Chapter 1. When Adam chose to disobey God
and he came down in the cool of the day, he said, Adam, where
are you? What did he say?
What position are you in now? What have what?
How did you get up off your seat?
So abide means to stay in a given place, a state relation.
Abide. It means to continue, to dwell,
to endure, to be present. Listen to that, to be present.
It not a lot of what we're hearing about parents today,
they're not present for their children.
And he's saying the and you know why?
Because the only way you're going to be present for your
children is if you're actually present.
And for him and abiding in him. So it means to remain or to
tarry for and. To stand.
So when we say abide in the vine, he's telling us that we
must stay in our God-given place or our seat of authority.
We could also stay, say we must to continue to stay in that
seat. We must dwell in that seat.
We must endure in that position or that seat.
Come on, we must be present. We cannot be having God on the
inside of A and disconnected to him, but yet you can.
You can be a walking mummy as a born again believer if you are
not acknowledging the Holy Spirit on the inside of you and
His work that He wants to do in and through your everyday life.
Because remember, we're to walk by the Spirit.
We're to walk by the Spirit. That means every day, habitually
when you look it up, walking by the Spirit every day.
My life is to be guided by the Spirit.
And the way that I'm going to continue to be guided by the
Spirit is that I must acknowledge the Spirit.
I must recognize and be present and abiding with Him every day.
Right. We're going to see a couple of
other. Things in a minute.
So we must recognize that he's saying that we must stay in
connection. With Jesus and that.
It is a life giving vital union being attached to the vine.
We are the. Branch and we are.
Attached to the vine and it is our life giving vital union or
connection or also it means a continual dependence upon.
Are you acknowledging the Spirit of God everyday living on the
inside of you and realizing that you are in continual dependence
upon his leading those who are the children of God are to be
led by the Spirit of God. Romans, right 8.
Wasn't in my notes, but it's in me.
Those who are children of God are to be led by the Spirit of
God. And this is not just in
religious or spiritual things. This is in every day.
We are to walk by the Spirit, and we're not going to do it if
we're not abiding and staying in our place in that continual
connection and vital union and dependence upon Him as our
source. You know the vine is the very
thing. Jesus, he says he.
Is the vine and the vine in the natural when you?
Look it up scientifically. When you.
Look up the plant. System or whatever trees.
And all these things. The vine or is where all the
actual nutrients is running through.
Just like you know, our blood is our life source in our body and
it's the same thing in the natural with a living plant,
tree, flower, whatever. It may be right.
There is a vital nourishment that is there running from the
actual vine. To the branch.
And the and through that whole. Process scientifically right and
so we have to recognize that he's letting us know that that
is the same type of. Dependency that we need because
you can go on and read John chapter. 15 and verse 5.
Or. All the way through.
One through whatever it is where.
He talks about the vine and the branches and remaining in him
and his. Word if his word.
Remains in you. Right, all the things you can
read that whole thing and realize what he's trying to let
us know is, is that. Our life and.
Source. Our life source Say Jesus is my
life source. It's the very nutrients that you
need every single day to be able to walk this Christian walk.
Out. OK, and do.
It effectively, right, Do it effectively and that's the key
so. We have to recognize.
Our spiritual dependency upon that because he also goes on and
says, what if a branch is cut off?
What happens when the branch gets cut off?
It dries up. Well, you know, you can have the
life of God on the inside of you but choose to disconnect
yourself or what some we could also say break fellowship and
over a period of time like I'm going.
To talk about this in a second. Over a period of time, you're
going to get dry, brittle and breakable.
I had two trees. I don't know if I already shared
this and some other sermon I think.
Maybe we had two. Trees, oleander trees that we
transplanted in March. We moved, he moved, dug them up
and moved them for me. I just showed him what the spot
to put it. But I go out everyday, you know,
I've been. Watering, making sure I'm
watering because we're in a drought and.
Doing all the things but the See, I don't let the.
Leaves freak me out. Because they're all turning
brown and they're all falling off because they were starting
to bloom. Because it was early spring,
but. Everyday I go out.
And I check the limbs to make. Sure, they're still flexible.
Green. The limbs are still green,
they're still flexible, they're still bending that.
What is that? Let me know.
They're still getting nourishment.
They're still getting all the things they need to be able to
come back into bloom at some season, right or the next season
because it's not going to die. Because I'm doing all the
necessary things right to keep it watered to keep.
And I'm speaking life over them, you know, see, that's a bonus
bonus that we. Get because we get what we say,
right? But anyway, so I go out to check
the limbs, the branches, to see if they're brittle.
Or not. Because then I would know
they're. Dying on the vine.
They're dying on the vine. So all the nourishment and
dependency is going to have to come from us recognizing that we
must. Be.
Dependent and abiding within. Him Amen everyday and it's the
holy. Spirit, the Holy Spirit is the
one that's bringing the life, bringing the refreshment,
because the Holy Spirit, even in the Old Covenant and the New
Testament represents water, represents life, represents
refreshing. Anytime you see that's the life
giving flow of the Spirit of God.
That the Spirit brings. OK, refreshing brings water.
Now it can bring fire to burn up some things too.
But I'm not talking. About that today because.
It's Mother's Day. But the Holy Spirit, that's his
role is to bring that nourishment or that life giving
flow to us that we need and we have to engage and participate
and yield to the Spirit of God. And when we begin to abide in
Him everyday, knowing that this is a vital union that I have and
I must have this nourishment every day in my walk, realizing
it. Is necessary necessary to.
Give me what I need first, John 413.
By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because he
has given us of His spirit. Hallelujah.
And this is how. We know we abide in Him because
He's given us the Spirit and the Spirit of God on the inside of
us is always there to bring the supply or the nourishment,
whatever it is that we need in our life for that day to
navigate us in the situations and circumstances.
Of life. It's not just about knowing
where I'm going when I die, it is about a life lived out for
him every day. A life lived out for him every
day. Look at John. 1417 this.
Is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot.
Receive. And This is why we ought to be
standing out in the world again. We're going to see the contrast
in a minute. The spirit of truth whom the
world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him.
But our eyes has seen what? We've seen the King, we know
him. Come on.
Our eyes have been open to him. We've seen him, we know him.
Come on. But you know him because why?
He abides with you and will be in you.
So he's abiding within us to give us every necessary thing
that we need every day in our walk as a believer, as a mother,
as a father, whatever it is, He's there to help give us what
we need. Psalms 9212 through 14.
This is a good one because it that just.
Continues to solidify John 15 it.
Says the righteous man will flourish like the palm tree.
Come on, are you flourishing? The righteous man shall flourish
like the palm tree. He will grow like the cedar of
Lebanon planted. There's another key, but I'm not
focusing on that one. But we sure could.
Planted in the House of the Lord, they will flourish in the
courts of God. And they will still yield fruit
in old age. They shall be full of SAP and
very green. They'll be full of SAP and very
green SAP. Is that very thing that we've?
Been talking. About SAP is the thing that's
bringing the nourishment that we need everyday.
Now. The key is we've got to abide in
Him. And another key is we need to be
planted in the House of the Lord.
Come on, not hopping around and skipping and jumping and going
wherever we please, but planted. That means nothing's going to
uproot me from the House of the Lord, where He has come on,
planted me and put me in good soil to help me grow.
Come on. So that when I get old, I'm
still full of SAP, I'm still full and overflowing of the
Spirit of God and the life of God and the nourishment of God.
It's still giving life. So why is this important?
So you don't dry up and become brittle.
And broken. Or even lopped off.
Come on. So that SAP is the thing that.
We're talking about. That is the necessary key that
we're going to be able to receive by abiding and dwelling.
In him. Now when you look up that word
also. And talking about abiding and
dwelling, it also has the context.
Of fellowship, right? So when we talk about abide
well, how do I abide? Well, you abide in the word 1
you read the word. Right.
Two, we pray we spend time abiding or one, when you look it
up in the Greek says in fellowship or.
Communion with the Lord. So when you're reading the word,
you're. Communing with him when?
You're at times of meditating on the word you're.
Communing with him you're. Fellowshipping with him, you're
conversing with him. You're talking to him about
things going on in your everyday life.
Maybe you're having to deal with a teenager, maybe you're having
to deal with a you know, some other type of situation.
You're talking and communing with him about the situation you
are in so that you can get the nourishment or the word or
whatever it is that you need to help navigate you in that.
Situation and it means. Also the context of.
Intimacy. Intimacy when we're.
Abiding and dwelling and communing with Him every day we
are. Being intimate with him.
There's an intimate part of you loving God.
It's just like when people can't say sing that song, my beloved,
like you have a hard time singing my beloved.
You know, women shouldn't just it shouldn't just be easy for.
Women to sing that. Because in the body of Christ,
he said, he's coming back for the bride.
And actually right now, you're the bride.
You men are the bride. Just to let you know, we're the.
Bride of Christ. Come on.
So there's an intimacy there that he still.
Wants for you. Even as men like you know, you
telling him you love him, That's all that means, my beloved, you
know I love. You.
Lord, you're my Lord, I love you.
Come on, man. So it's intimacy, it's
participation with him every day.
And another word that uses intercourse.
You are having intercourse with the Lord every day.
That intimacy that means you're abiding in him, you're dwelling
in him, you are spending time with him, making sure you're
present and you're connected to. Him.
Every day, Every day OK in your relationship.
With him, Second Corinthians 1314.
This is the scripture actually, that is talking about that
fellowship with the Holy Spirit in the definitions that I just
gave. You it says the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship.
Of the Holy. Spirit be with you.
And that's what he's talking about there with the.
Fellowship of the Holy Spirit. He's talking about intimacy,
he's talking about communion. He's talking.
About that intercourse. He's talking about
participation, he's talking about union and communion with.
Him right here in this scripture.
And. This is what it means When we're
abiding in Him, we are. Spending time with him, right?
Communing with him and allowing him to talk and show us the
things that we need to help us in our everyday rest.
And the reason? Why I'm saying this?
Let's. Read Psalms 91.
Psalms. 91 We just have a couple more scriptures and we're almost
done. Psalms 91 verse.
One says he. Who dwells one translation says
He who? Abides in the.
Shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest say rest
say it. Again, say it.
One more time. This is a big word going around.
Rest, rest rest rest. It's a big word.
Big word going around today and he says he.
Who dwells or? Abides in the shelter of the
Most High Will. Remain secure, one translation
says, and will rest. In the shadow of the Almighty,
whose power no enemy can withstand.
True rest. Is found abiding only.
True. Rest is.
Only found in abiding. And dwelling.
And This is why mothers will get burnt out, mothers will get
frustrated, mothers will feel fatigued, mothers will.
You know, allow their. Feelings to take over.
Come on, mothers. I'm telling you, mothers, this
is the key that we must do if we're going to find true rest
and not be those that will buy into the lie of you know, I'm
just. Burnt out, I'm just.
Stressed out. I'm just full of anxiety.
I've got all these problems. I've got all these worries.
I've got all this stuff I'm having to do.
I'm a multitasker. I'm a blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah. You just need to quit serving.
You need to rest. Big word, big word no.
What you need to do is actually abide.
You need to abide. Abide in the vine, abide in the
word of God, abide in communion with the Lord.
Make sure that no matter what you're doing, you are abiding
first and foremost. And I'm going to tell you, you
may not be able to do it first thing.
When I was a, you know, had all my kids at home, I would wait
till they got their naps and guess what I would do?
I would abide when they were nappy.
There is a moment for you throughout your day to abide and
if you will abide, you will rest and you don't have to pull back
on doing anything as long as you're doing is that you're
doing the necessary things to be responsible with what God has.
Put in your hand to do now. You can be busy.
Doing too many things. About just just too busy because
you just doing everything because you don't.
Want to you don't. Want to abide but I won't.
Go there. Because he might.
Actually talk to you. I've done it, been there, done
that. And got the T-shirt.
Stay busy, not abiding because I.
Knew that if I started to abide I would start to hear some
things I must have to do and adjust.
So you have to ask the question. Why are you not abiding?
Because true abiding will bring you true rest.
You won't feel fatigued. You won't feel.
Frustrated. Or you know what?
You may even have these feelings, but you won't let
those feelings control. Your life and dictate your
responses and. Move you off of what?
The word of. God says OK because feelings
will come. Things will come.
But we have authority. To say no, not today, Satan,
Because I've been abiding, right?
I've been abiding. So let's look.
Here at the Situation in Luke 1038.
This is a perfect. Scenario and you know.
What's so awesome about God is He lets us.
He let you. As mothers know, I see you
because this is the thing. I just don't feel hurt or I
don't feel sick. God says I see you.
And I. Hear you see, everybody wants to
be. Seen out here.
Or heard out here? And the number.
One goal for my life is I just want to know that He sees me, He
hears me, and the rest come on. Because that's all that matters
to me is that I am seen and heard by the King of Glory, the
one who sits on the throne, Amen.
And who will give me everything I need?
Hallelujah. So Luke 1038 and 42.
He sees you and he hears you. Mama, listen, it says.
Now while they were on their way, Jesus entered the village
called Bethany, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into
her home, going straight to the houses.
And she had her. Sister.
Yeah. You know Martha and Mary
sisters. Sisters who?
Seated herself at the Lord's feet and was continually what,
listening to his teachings, But Martha was very Here's the key,
busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities.
You see that? Come on.
And she approached him and said, Lord, is it not of no concern to
you that my sister, I mean, she's going and like.
Tattling on her sister. To the Lord Jesus.
You know, I just think this is so funny.
I'm glad I. Didn't have a sister and and so
anyway and. So here she is.
Go in what? I'll get distracted with what
I'm saying. So that very busy distracted all
of her serving response. She approached him and said,
Lord, is it not of any concern to you that my sister has left
me to do all the serving alone? Tell her to help me and do her
part. Doesn't this sound like the
judge that? We as mothers.
Have to be. When I tell them to go take out
the trash or do the dishes or whatever.
Well, what are they going to do? All right, verse 41.
But the Lord replied to her. Martha, Martha, are you worried
and bothered? And anxious about so many
things. You're worried you're bothered.
And anxious about so many things, but do.
You know what he said, but only. One thing is necessary.
So all these. Mamas that get on.
You know, all these posting social medias griping about
their life, you know, talking about how horrible it is and how
busy everything and how anxious. I mean, you name it, they say
it. Here is the answer, right here,
right here in the word of God, right here.
He sees you and he hears you, and he gives us.
The answer, he said. One thing is necessary.
For Mary has chosen what the good part which will not be
taken away from her. Now what you need is to abide.
If you're feeling anxious, you're feeling worried, you're
feeling overburdened, you're feeling all these things as a
mother come on, or as an individual in Christ.
You're letting all these things worry you.
Are you abiding in the vine Because it's the one answer.
And the one thing you need. It's all you need.
It's the answer. It's the key right here.
He's lets us know we must. Do the necessary thing.
She sat. In her position on.
Her. Her.
Knees. Before the Lord, she sat.
In her position, she. Stayed.
In her. Seat She sat right there and
what else did she do? She.
Postured herself. To be intentional, we have to
be. Intentional to be.
Present and to be in the position to abide in Him every
day. We have to be intentional and so
she. Said in her seat postured
herself. I like to.
This is what I said, she said in her.
Position and her seat. She postured herself to be
nourished. With the life flowing.
Words of the. Lord Jesus himself, that very
moment, that SAP was flowing. The SAP.
Was flowing and she postured. Herself and said, wait a minute,
I must get in my seat, I must get in my.
Seat so that that. Flow can start.
Come on, flowing on me. Glory to God, so.
It's the one thing we need, and Jesus recognized it and clearly
explained it right. There in that scripture.
But not. Only did he do that.
He also in Matthew. 11 Matthew 11. 28 through 30 he says this.
Come to me, Come to me. All who are weary.
And heaven let heavy laden and I.
Will give you what? Come to me, come to me.
Come abide, Come dwell. Come pull up your seat.
Let's commune, let's spend time together.
Let's read the word. Let me give you that life
flowing nourishment that you need in the very moment that
you're feeling overloaded, burned out, anxious, stressed,
overworked. Come on, all the things he says
just. Come on to me.
Come unto me, all who are weary when you look at that word,
weary. It literally means those who
grow weary. Who grow?
Tired and exhausted with. Toil or the burdens the.
Labor of weariness or effort. To toil, bodily labor, all the
things that we do throughout the day as a parent, as a mother, as
a father, as a leader, whatever it may be, whatever profession
you may be in. He's letting us know, listen,
the one thing you need so that these things don't happen, so
that you don't become worrisome, though, that you don't become
anxious, so that you don't become burdened down or heavy
laden with the things that he knows we're going to have to
walk through through in this earth every day.
He says the one thing you need to do is just come to me and
abide. Come to me.
I'm. Ready to actually give you rest
in what it is that. You are looking for.
You see that I want to say this rest.
Is not inactivity. But it is.
Dependence upon the life of Christ.
Rest is not inactivity. It is dependent upon the life of
Christ, the life of Christ, the Spirit of Christ that's living
and dwelling on the inside of you.
That is where true REST. Will come through.
To us, if we'll just. Come to him when we're in these
positions. And sit at his feet.
Dwell in His presence. Commune with him.
Spend. Time with him, OK?
Striving without abiding leads to exhaustion.
Striving without abiding leads. To exhaustion, so the.
Reason why you're exhausted is because you're.
Not abiding and actually we could go even further.
I didn't even have this in my scripture but it the Holy Ghost
just brought it up about the virgins with their lamps being
full. If you're burning out, it's
because you're not keeping the oil flowing or the SAP going,
and it's simply because we're not abiding, we're not dwelling,
we're not spending time with the Lord that we need to.
Do to be able. To do all the things necessary
that He is asking of us to do. He anointed us.
I have told many mothers.
This in counseling meetings you are anointed.
To be their mother, tap. Into the anointing, tap into the
SAP. That's a good shirt.
Tap into the SAP. Come on.
You're anointed to be the Father.
You're anointed to be whatever it is that you are doing in this
very moment. Tap into the SAP and you will be
able to do that if you will abide with Him and make sure
that that is something that is a priority in your life so that
you don't let your oil burn out or run out right.
Two more scriptures and we'll close.
Isaiah 4031 says. But those who what wait for the
Lord will gain new strength and renew their power.
They will lift up their wings and rise up close to God like
eagles rising towards the. Sun This is the amplified.
And they will run and not grow weary.
So all you're running around, picking up from soccer, picking
up this, having to help your grandmother, having to do all
the things, come on, all the running.
You won't grow weary. If you'll just wait, if you'll
just come and dwell, if you'll just come and abide within him,
you won't grow weary. He tells us that it is scripture
and I will refuse to listen to the lies of this world, and I
choose to listen to what the word of God says, that I am
going to run and not grow weary because I am choosing to abide
within His presence and to keep my oil, my SAP flowing and my
oil glowing. Come on.
Amen and. When we do that, we'll see.
Some of these other. Things fall into.
Place, Philippians 413. We know.
This last scripture. Says this what?
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
I want to read this out of the amplified.
I can do all things which he has called me to do.
And has he called you to be a mother?
Yes. This is not just a spiritual
principle for a spiritual thing. It can be, but it's for our
everyday life. I can do all things that He has
called me to do through Him Who. This is the key.
This is what the SAP does. This is what abiding does.
This is what dwelling does through Him who strengthens and
empowers me to fulfill His purpose.
I am. Self-sufficient in Christ
sufficiency. I am ready for anything come on
and equal to anything through him.
This is the key. This is what what that SAP does.
This is what abiding does who infuses me with inner strength
and confident peace. This is what happens when you
choose to. Abide.
Every single day in the vine. Amen that when we are in
whatever situation we're in, come on, we can be that type of
person. I'm going to run.
I'm not going to grow weary. Yes, I'm.
Facing this but I. Can do anything, Come on,
because Christ is infusing me with the nourishment, the very
things necessary, the supply of the Spirit of God that I need
for this day, for this moment, for this hour, whatever it is
that. God is asking.
And requiring and calling each and every one of us to do Amen.
Amen. So there actually is no excuses.
There's no excuses to not do what it is that is put.
In our hand to do. What does he put?
In your hand to do well you. May be just.
You know. At the moment.
Being that mother, being that wife.
All those things and I'm going to tell you we read the the
laundry. List we didn't say, you know,
laundry. Lawn.
What is it? A laundry attendant, right?
All the list. All the things.
You know, but we. All have things.
That we're responsible for every single day.
Through our jobs. You know through life all the
things that God. 'S.
Going. To give us what?
We need so that we do not burnout run dry, but we must be
people that recognize abiding is necessary.
It's necessary, and it's the very.
Key. That's going to keep me from
being in a position of feeling overwhelmed with life or anxious
about life. Amen.