Life in the Overflow by Evelyn Mason Wells

I am happy to introduce you to my friend and Christian writer, Evelyn Mason Wells. I trust you will enjoy her article on the God of Hope and we can live a “Life in the Overflow.” May you and yours have a Blessed and Merry Christmas! Evelyn, thank you for your encouraging words:

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.

~Romans 15:13 NIV

The Apostle Paul, in the above Scripture, encourages believers – those who lived during his time, those who live in our time, and those who will live in future times. This passage beautifully describes God as the God of Hope. Psalm 31:24 says we are to be strong and to take heart, all of us who hope in the Lord. He wants His children to trust in Him as we live in the overflow of the Holy Spirit, filled with joy and peace.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to live out our Christian life. As believers we can do nothing apart from God. Christ died so we can have peace with God and, also, with the people in our lives. For believers, hope is the assurance and faith in the promises of God. For unbelievers, this hope is not wishful thinking but a promise of what God can and will do in our hearts and minds, if we ask Him for forgiveness and trust Him as our Savior and Lord.

Sometimes we feel overwhelmed and lose hope. This can be really hard because we tend to want to quit when we feel that way. We can get discouraged and end up not succeeding at what we’re trying to accomplish. Losing hope causes us to lose focus. Being overwhelmed seems to happen when we look around and focus on what is going on in our world instead of focusing on the plans God has for us.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites those of us who labor and are heavily laden to come to Him. He promises to give us rest. Let’s face it. This is a busy world. We’re busy at work, busy at play, busy at church, and busy … everywhere. We’re prone to take on tasks and commitments at church and in other areas of life. That particular project may feel like it is something God would have us to do. But have we prayed about taking on this particular responsibility? Chances are that if we don’t feel peace about it, we may have jumped ahead of God instead of waiting on Him to reveal His plan for us. We just may be needing His rest.

God doesn’t want us to live overwhelmed, but to live in the supernatural overflow of His Holy Spirit. Living life in the overflow is possible for every one of us. I heard a wise woman once say, “We can’t live ‘here,’ if we are still holding on to ‘there.’ Our churches are filled with those who live in the ‘almost.’” Where is the joy in that? A Christian without joy is missing out on a fully productive life. We don’t have to live that way. Living in the overflow is more than possible.

Life in the Overflow by Evelyn Mason Wells. God doesn’t want us to live overwhelmed, but to live in the supernatural overflow of His Holy Spirit. Share on X

Living in the overflow has nothing to do with emotions or feelings. We are to receive His love and grace, powered by the Holy Spirit. God wants to make us new. His Holy Spirit will cleanse us and set us free, if we let Him. An encounter with Christ changes everything. He gives us living water. Abundant life is ours when we surrender to what He desires to do in our life – when we surrender to the plans He has for us.

As we live in the overflow, we can impact our families, our friends, and our churches in many ways. We can be a source of blessing for others, as we fulfill our mission of love for them. As our blessings flow through them, they often find themselves being a blessing to those they encounter. God can use us anywhere, anytime as long as we make ourselves available to Him. Our Christian life is empowered by the Holy Spirit. John 15:5 tells us we can do nothing apart from God.

God is Light and can penetrate the darkness in our lives, and through our lives. God gives us the opportunity to be a light for Him in the darkness. When we talk about living in the overflow, we’re talking about living life in the Spirit, shining on those who need a touch from God. As we touch others for God, our walk with Him grows deeper. As we continue to develop our relationship with Jesus, we can continue to live in His presence.

Life in the Overflow by Evelyn Mason Wells. When we talk about living in the overflow, we’re talking about living life in the Spirit, shining on those who need a touch from God. Share on X

Think about several ways you can live in the overflow of God’s Spirit. Jot them down on a sticky note or index card, and add to them as the Spirit leads.

Heavenly Father, let us live in the overflow of Your Holy Spirit, so we can touch others for you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Evelyn invites you to connect with her through your comments below and through her social media.

Evelyn Mason Wells has a passion to glorify God by writing devotional material and creative nonfiction. She is a contributor to Refresh Bible Study Magazine, VineWords Devotions, and more. She is also a contributing author in Breaking the Chains: Strategies for Overcoming Spiritual Bondage, Heart Renovation: A Construction Guide to Godly Character, Feed Your Soul with the Word of God, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe and Love Knots: Stories of Faith, Family, and Friendships. Evelyn lives in Northeast Georgia near her children and grandchildren. Follow Evelyn on Twitter and Facebook.