John 10:10 says,

"I am come that you may have life and have it more abundantly." What is abundant life and how can one achieve it?

Some refer to abundant life as life lived without stress or lack. I on the other hand see it as life lived with total dependency on Christ. It is a period in life whereby one matures to the point of realizing that all things are possible through Christ. With that mindset nothing is able to successfully shake or phase the faith or psyche of the individual, because God is recognized as the main source of life and all it has to offer.

How to achieve abundant life?

To experience abundant life in its entirety, an individual must acknowledge that God is the supreme creator of life and everything that exists is seen only because God spoke it into being (Genesis 1). When we acknowledge this fact, we come to trust God as our Saviour, deliverer and most importantly sustainer.

Many believers today lack abundant life because we are unwilling to cast our cares upon the Lord. I Peter 5:7 says "Casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you." Casting our cares upon the Lord means that they are no longer ours to bear. Sadly, a lot of us as believers allow our trials, and the challenges of this world to overwhelm us because we refuse to cast them upon the Lord. It is also particularly interesting to see the extent to which we allow our cares, worries, problems and needs to follow us from day to day. All the while God stands in observance saying "don't carry them, give them to me." Very often because we refuse to release them to the Lord our health, peace and joy is attacked and destroyed by the internal fears that cares can bring.

A worry or care is extremely powerful. It has the ability to weaken an individual's psyche into believing that no one but us has burdens to bear. While you may be thinking that the pressure or burden you are experiencing is yours to bear, Christ in reality is reaching towards you and saying, "May I carry those cares?" "May I have that worry?" "May I solve that problem for you?"

As believers we need to trust God with every fibre of our being. In other words lets learn to trust Him where we can't trace Him or see Him. Matthew 6:26-27 admonishes us to look at the birds of the air. They don't sow or reap nor gather into barns; yet God feeds them. You and I are more valuable to God than any animal upon the earth. Just as God provides and takes care of the birds and other animals, so is He willing to do the same and greater for you and I. We must simply learn to trust Him.

A second reason why many individuals lack abundant life is because we open the door to sin in our lives more times than one (Genesis 4:6-7). While we all have sinned and fall short of God's glory, there must evolve some sense of repentance in order for God to really move on our behalf. The measure of repentance an individual al-lows in his life signals the measure of abundant life he in turn will receive. David and Solomon were two notable men of the Bible whose lives were full of numerous mo-ments of indignation and re-proach. Yet despite the indignation and reproach they both experienced, each sought in-stantaneous forgiveness from God.

One cannot expect to continue a life of sin and still have God move vigorously on his behalf. That is absolutely contrary to the word of God. The book of Isaiah 1:15-18 declares, "...even though you make many prayers I will not hear, Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; ...Come now, and let us reason together." God desires for all of us to eat the good of the land. However, if we continue to uphold sin in our lives and rebel against His plans for our lives, eternal damnation shall be ours to reap.

One of the most awesome joys of abundant life is a life healed from sin. Jesus Christ wants to heal us all from sin and make us holy, blameless and without reproach before the Father. For this to occur, one must be blood washed because there is no good work or kind deed that we can perform to totally wash us clean from sin. In essence, no matter who you are or what you have done, I want to assure you that the gift of abundant salvation is readily available to you today. All you have to do is seek and accept the Lord's forgiveness, and you will automatically become clean. If you believe it, receive it this hour by saying Lord I admit that I am a sinner. Now I ask you to forgive me, wash me and make me whiter than snow. In Jesus name I ask. Amen. If you have said these words with sincerity today, I say welcome to the kingdom of God. Abun-dant life is yours from this hour on, walk in it.

An individual cannot readily achieve abundant life if he doesn't seek it. Many of us have not because we ask not. Nor do we bother to inquire about where we should begin looking for that which we need. Too often we encounter inadequacies in this life because a burst of pride sets in. It's one thing to be proud and rich, but to be proud and poor is a rather unattractive sight. Our responsibility as brothers and sisters in the kingdom is to seek continued assistance from our Father because He is the one who truly cares for us and is adequately equipped to help us. He is the one who owns the cattle on the hills and though He has many children He is concerned about the well-being of them all. Indeed Christ has no hands but ours, no feet but ours, no voice but ours. If you are in need find someone to share your need with. Chances are, the individual may be assigned as the hand of God to assist you. However, if you keep your need to yourself, for fear of pride, then it may never be taken care of.

The word of God in the book of Matthew 7:7 submits, "Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you." Might I say that many of us have not because we don't ask. Yes you may ask a person to help you and they may be unable to. In fact they might right out give you a NO, but you should not allow that no stop you from asking someone else. Always swallow your pride and ask another. Before you know it you might receive that which you need. Simply determine within yourself that you will always ask until you get what you desire. Isn't it easier to ask, rather than steal or stress yourself with worry?

Furthermore, we must learn to ask and seek advice about the decisions of our lives long before we make them. If you are lost and uncertain about your future or decisions that could affect your future, the advice of others is always valuable to seek. Since God rarely speaks to us through His audible voice, we could discern His desires through the counsel of others. Thus, if you want to make the right decisions in life pray to the Father first, then talk to others about plausible possibilities. Unfortunately, many of us don't bother to seek the Father's wisdom about the choices we make in life. We often include Him at the end when things are ruined. Habitually, we proceed making one mistake after the other. Moreover, each mistake could be avoided if one would only stop and consider God's initial plans for us.

In conclusion, we all must aspire to live a life of triumph and contentment in Christ. Through faith and daily submission to God's word we can achieve this. Make a commitment today that you will no longer allow the worries and cares of your day to haunt or control you. Live what you profess. If God is your source trust Him to provide for you. If He is your deliverer have faith that the devil can no longer antagonize you because Christ's blood and His angels protect you. Life and death are in the power of your tongue so be careful how you shape your words. Be inspired to live because abundant life is yours for the KEEPING.

Special thanks to all our sponsors who provided the prizes for our 1st Annual Valentine Banquet. The event could not have been a success with you. Special thanks to all the hardworking members of Light House, especially Sis. Ada Pinder, Sis. Larimore, Bro. Lonzo and Ann, we couldn't have done it without you guys. To my friends and colleagues from Walter Parker, Maurice Moore and Hugh Campbell thanks so much for coming. Your presence was such a delight. Can't forget my Seventh-Day Adventist friends (you know who you are) it was marvellous having you there. Most importantly our Bishop the esteemed Darren Sturrup a man of humility and grace, we love you with all our hearts. For those of you who missed it this year, be sure to catch it next year. Beginniing this Monday March 8 Light House International will be hosting the Kingdom Builders Conference out of Bronx New York. A host of delegates from the U.S. will be arriving for the conference which will end on Friday March 12. Pastor Evans and I would love to have you join us in this time of kingdom fellowship. If this article is a blessing to you be sure to let us know. Our ministry opportunities are this and every Sunday early morning worship at 10 a.m., Sunday evening service at 7 p.m., Wednesday mid-week service at 7:30 p.m. and Friday Youth & Children Ministry at 7:30 p.m. We also offer a free adult literacy program for people out of school. If you don't have a church home and need a place to marry, christen or bury your loved ones call us, we have the resources to assist you. Contact: 373-1219, 442-0771, email: light-house-intl@hotmail.com or evanspeterl@hotmail.com.