Shirley
A bare minimum approach to life
John 10: 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but He came that we may have life and have it abundantly.
Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Bare minimum is defined as: The smallest possible quantity or the least fulfilling, but still adequate, condition that is required, acceptable, or suitable for some purpose.
Today I want to begin this vlog by asking you, how big and powerful do you believe that God is? Do you really believe that God can do anything? That God can do above and beyond anything that you can ask or imagine?
These questions are important because to truly live a life of abundance you must believe beyond any doubt that God can do above and beyond anything you can ever ask or even imagine. You must believe God’s word and his promises. We must fully trust him. Hence, we who claim to be followers of Christ should technically live a life of high expectations even if it means putting ourselves out there to the possibility of being disappointed.
However, a lot of us today are living a bare minimum life. A type of life characterised by finding peace with having “just” enough in every area of our life. A life where we don’t claim God’s promises found throughout His word. Where we do not dare to have big dreams or even aspire to reach for the skies, and note I am not talking about abundance only in terms of financial wealth or just climbing the career ladder, but claiming God’s promises in all areas of our lives. Areas that concern everything from our joy, healing, to peace, to having prospering and healthy relationships, to being the head and not the tail etc. Basically, bare the bare minimum is the goal, we are content to just get by.
We get into relationships where we continue to give the bare minimum and expect the bare minimum in return. A life where you never fully hold yourself or others accountable for more. Then in return we live a life of quiet unsatisfaction and misery; a life that snuffs out the twinkle from our eyes and the bounce from our step. Yes, the bare minimum!
So why do we (me included) choose not to claim God’s promises and instead choose the bare minimum life? I have found that the reasons why we choose the bare minimum life are many.
To begin with, a bare minimum life is the supposedly the ‘safe’ approach to life because if you never aim for anything great then you will never be disappointed or fail, or maybe we are just lazy and do not want to exert ourselves too much. We also dare not dream or claim all the wonderful promises in the bible because maybe we have never seen the manifestation of God’s promises in the lives of anyone closest to us and often do not realise that maybe we are the ones who need to claim the promises so that others may see the manifestation of God’s abundance through our life. Other times we fail to claim God’s promises of abundance and an extraordinary life opting for an average one because deep down we may believe He can do it for others but not for us or maybe we do not believe in God’s promises. Then maybe there are times we believe that we are not deserving and hence God will not do it for us, and the most shocking is that sometimes we may not believe that He has the power and ability to do what He has promised us.
Whatever your reason for finding comfort in a “bare- minimum- type” of life imagine how sad it would be to go to heaven and find out that we could have done more with our lives and experienced more, and as a result left a greater impact for God on earth but we choose not to trust God and claim His promises for our lives.
A great example of a bare minimum life is story in the bible is found in Act 3: 1-11 where Peter and John healed the man who did not know enough to ask for a healing, he simply wanted money. This man could have missed his miracle if Peter and had not declared that they could instead heal him. Then there is the story in John 5:1-18 where Jesus heals the man at the pool of Bethesda. Its so interesting how the man at the pool (let us call him Mr. X) would have missed his miracle to be healed because he did not know that he could ask for more than a bare minimum life.
However, there is the story of the centurion in Luke 7: 6-10 who knew who God was and based on that He took a step of faith that was so bold, so much so that even Jesus was impressed. He was not about the bare minimum life. He lived life with a big spoon of faith because He truly knew who God was.
According to the bible the centurion had a servant who was sick and because he heard about Jesus and his healing power, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him and this is what happened:
Luke 7: 6 -10 “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
Further, it is one thing to dare to claim the promises in the good book if you eventually see the manifestation of them, but it takes another kind of OG to believe and claim those promises even after being disappointed over and over again. When I think of the bible, in my opinion this OG status goes to no other than the woman with the issue of blood. She suffered from haemorrhages (excessive bleeding of the female reproductive) for twelve years. Her story is not only mindboggling but also encouraging (Luke 8:43-48). She had spent all her money for 12 years trying to get healed, and lost it all to conmen who promised what they could not deliver. Everything in her life told her that all she could hope for was a bare minimum life. Sometimes I wonder how did she still continue to believe despite the constant disappointment and the voices around her that probably told her to give up and accept to live a bare minimum life with no expectations of healing. Well, this OG dared to expect more, and upon touching the hem of Jesus cloth she was healed immediately.
So let us be bold in our request and dreams. Let us not be comfortable living a bare minimum life yet our good father in heaven left a book filled with promises of a life of abundance. Let us dig and seek his word and claim all the wonderful promises not just for ourselves but for or family and future generation. Afterall, Jesus Christ came that we may live life abundantly. In fact, in John 10: 10 it says: the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but He came that we may have life and have it abundantly. So let us live a life of great expectations!
Verse filled with God’s promise
Isaiah 40: 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.
2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Deuteronomy 28:13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
Isaiah 41: 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Exodus 23:25-26 Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Matthew 7:9-11 Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
John 14:13-16 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Luke 11:19-13 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks fora fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Deuteronomy 31: 8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
John 16: 33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Psalms 32: 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Psalms 37:23-24 The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
Mathew 11:28-29 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Philippians 4:6-9 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
I Peter 2: 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Exodus 14: 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Psalms 91: 3 Surely, he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
Romans 8: 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Isaiah 40: 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 43: 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 54: 10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54: 17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.
James 1: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 4: 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
I John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
2 Chronicles 7: 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Joshua 1: 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Philippians 4: 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Psalms 18: 3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.
Psalms 23: 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalms 27: 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalms 34: 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
Psalms 37: 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 50: 15 and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honour me.
Psalms 86: 5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Proverbs 22: 6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
Psalms 9:9-10 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Romans 10:9-10 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
James 5: 14-15 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Mathew 6:31-33 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Mathew 7:9-11 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Psalms 103:2-5 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Psalm 34:10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’
John 8: 12 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 11:25 Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.’
John 15:5 Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Matthew 28:20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:1-3 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Mark 11: 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Luke 11:9-13 So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
Psalm 102:17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.
Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 10:9-10 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Joshua 21:45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; everyone was fulfilled.
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Joshua 1:5 I will not fail you or abandon you. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Psalm 91:2 This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Isaiah 54:10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love {kindness} for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.