Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:4 ESV (Read Full Chapter)

SHIFT | Changing our Focus to See the Presence of God

“The freedom we find when we surrender our whys to God” – Abby 

Wow, what a beautiful book! Abby McDonald, in her sweet and conversational style, invites us to adjust our lens to focus on God Himself rather than what we wish or hope to see manifest in our lives. When we are able to shift our gaze onto the resurrected Lord Himself, He reveals Himself to us and to those around us.

One of the last of Jesus’ teachings to His Disciples was about the vine and the branches. Our Lord teaches us that if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit. “He doesn’t say we might or we may bear fruit. He says we will. There is no question about it. The KEY is abiding in Him. We must focus on Him instead of our own tools and abilities.” Page 21, Shift, Changing our Focus to See the Presence of God

The Author encourages us to look beyond ourselves and to His Spirit. The following Bible Verses point to the truth about His Spirit. If we abide in Jesus and live empowered by the truth found in these Scriptures and focus our lens to see the potential of His Spirit rather than our own capabilities and limitations, it will impact not only our lives but the lives of others.

Bible Verses in ESV Version:

• He guides us. (Acts 8:29)
  He testifies about Jesus. (John 15:26)
  He gives us strength. (Eph 3:16)
  He confirms what is true. (Rom 9:1)

The following are words from the author herself about why she wrote this beautiful book:

“Do you ever feel as though you’re missing God? Perhaps you had a strong sense of his presence at the beginning of your relationship, but you hit a wall. Or maybe you’re picking up the pieces of a deferred dream wondering if you heard God wrong when you chased after it.

Maybe you’re in the thick of a personal or family crisis, and you don’t know how God could be in it. I think no matter how long we’ve been following Jesus, we eventually reach a place where we wonder, “Where is He? Did I miss Him? Was that really Him at all?”

These questions are what set me on the journey we’re about to embark upon.

There have been long, dark seasons of my life when I reached for God, but my hands came up empty. I fought against the silence and I cried out to him, wondering why he’d abandoned me. I didn’t understand how I could do all the things the characteristic Christian girl would do, but still be wandering through a wilderness.

As I searched the Scriptures, prayed continually, and though about you, dear reader, I became convinced that we don’t have to wait until we’re on the other side of the struggle, the wilderness, or the tired monotony of our days to know God. We can know him right here, right now. In the middle of the trouble and the confusion.

I invite you to take an adventure with me. We will study the Psalms of David, who repeatedly felt deserted by God, and look at the shift that takes place in his heart. We will look at the first disciples and consider what made them follow a person who hadn’t yet shown his power. Then, we will look at Jesus himself and examine the unique relationship he had with the Father. A relationship that fueled his mission, his purpose, and his effectiveness here on Earth.” – Abby McDonald

I love to share the table of contents in all my book reviews because I believe it gives the reader a better glimpse into what is behind the cover than any words I can share.

Table of Contents:

Introduction 

 1.   Invisible or Not?
 2.   Looking Past our Expectations
 3.   Faith that Moves our Feet Forward
 4.   The Treasure that Takes us Beyond this World
 5.   Hope in God’s Plan or Our Own?
 6.   The Power of Perspective
 7.   His Glory in the Grind
 8.   A Legalistic Lens or a Grace-Filled Heart?
 9.   When ‘No’ is God’s Saving Grace
10.  The Faith We Find in Staying
11.  How We Gain the Clearest View of God
12.  We have Everything Because of Him
13.  The One Sure Way They’ll See Jesus

GIVEAWAY TIME:

We would like to take this opportunity to do a giveaway. Abby McDonald has graciously offered one of our readers to receive a free copy of her brand new book. Please respond below if you are interested in entering this drawing. A random name will be drawn on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. Winner must reside within the United States, please and thank you! ❤

SHIFT | Changing our Focus to See the Presence of God @ freshgracefortoday.com

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About Us

Photo Credits: Canva

Abby McDonald is a blogger, speaker, wife and mom whose work has been featured on (in)Courage, For Every Mom, iBelieve, Crosswalk and more.

Abby’s passion is to empower women to grow in faith and hope, even when life is messy.

Abby lives with her husband and three children in Western Maryland. Connect with her at www.abbymcdonald.org