When Your Mountain Road Heads Toward the Valley

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Roughly two years ago, God told me that I was about to go through a great high and a great low. I assumed that the valley, or the great low, would follow the mountain. That seems to be the way it usually works: The high, whatever it happens to be, brings you up, and then the low brings you crashing down. I was expecting my valley to be on the other side of my mountain.

But it wasn't. For two years, I endured a dark night of the spirit. It's a long, lonely valley that can easily — very easily — sweep a child of God into depression or spiritual suicide. Only within the last few months has the path begun to slope upward once again.

I now can see a light on the other side. I am experiencing more hope than I have in quite a while. As uncertain and unclear as the path sometimes seems, it is beginning to feel firmer beneath my feet. God is bringing me out of the valley, at last. My head is clearing as He shines the light of His favor upon me once again. Though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I don't live there — praise God! The same is true for you.

Get Off the Rollercoaster!
I have learned that the height of the mountain is in direct proportion to the depth of the valley. In other words, the depth of your valley reveals the coming height of your destiny. Most of us are familiar with what's traditionally called the "ebb and flow" of God's Spirit. We have highs and we have lows. We have times when we feel immune to the dark and times we feel like God must hate us. We will tend to think the latter if we aren't firmly rooted in a deep, abiding familiarity with our Father's love for us. The lows will shake us to our very core, and if we are not rooted in Him, we will be swept away, at least for a time.

As we experience these highs and lows, the ebb and the flow, how we see our circumstances is vital. If we don't see them as Heaven sees them, we will find ourselves in the midst of what I call Rollercoaster Christianity. It leads people to giving up, because it is easier to handle high highs, but we self-destruct when the lows are so low. If we are focused on the experience alone, our emotions will tend to rule us, especially in those low moments.

Every Mountain has a Valley
Taking it one step further, having low moments does not mean God is angry with us. If we assume that we're experiencing a low because God is displeased, we are swallowing the enemy's hook and allowing him to lead us wherever he wants us to go. If there is sin in our life, that's one thing; however, not every low happens because of sin. We will not be able to remain on top of the mountain forever — that's just the way it is. No matter who we are, we will face disappointments, hard times and struggles.

But in the midst of these, if we can remember that God is God of the Valley just as much as He is God of the Mountain, the valleys won't seem as long. If our eyes are fixed on Jesus, we won't notice the dark as much. It's hard to see the dark when you are staring at the Light. It has a way of blinding you to everything else.

To hear more information on this topic and watch "Storm, Faith and the Miraculous" go to AWE WebTV

STREAMS MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL by John Paul Jackson © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Opened and Closed Doors

 

a dear friend of mine sent this to me and I thought it was worth sharing with you.

We need to learn to thank the Lord for closed doors just as much as we do for open doors. The reason God closes doors is because He has not prepared anything over there for us.

If he didn't close the wrong door we would never find our way to the right door. Even when we don't realize it, God directs our paths through the closing and opening of doors. When one door closes, it forces us to change our course. Another door closes; it forces us to change our course yet again.

Then finally, we find the open door and walk right into our blessing. But instead of praising God for the closed door (which kept us out of trouble), we get upset because we "judge by the appearances." And in our own arrogance, or ignorance, we insist that we know what is right.

We have a very present help in the time of need who is always standing guard. Because He walks ahead of us, He can see trouble down the road and HE sets up road blocks and detours accordingly. But through our lack of wisdom we try to tear down the roadblocks or push aside the detour signs. Then the minute we get into trouble, we start crying "Lord how could this happen to me?"

We have got to realize that the closed door was a blessing. Didn't He say that "No good thing will He withhold from them that love Him?"

If you get terminated from your job - don't be down, instead thank God for the new opportunities that will manifest themselves - it might be a better job, or an opportunity to go to school. If that man or woman won't return your call - it might not be them, it might be the Lord setting up a roadblock (just let it go).

I'm so grateful, for the many times God has closed doors to me, just to open them in the most unexpected places. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." (Psalms 37:23)

 

The Mountain top is glorious, but it is in the Valley that I will grow!

Always Remember God gives you...
Enough Happiness to keep you Sweet
Enough Trials to keep you Strong
Enough Sorrows to keep you Human
Enough Hope to keep you Happy
Enough Failure to keep you Humble
Enough Success to keep you Eager
Enough Friends to give you Comfort
Enough Wealth to meet your Needs
Enough Enthusiasm to make you look forward
Enough Faith to banish depression
Enough Determination to make each day a better day than
the last.

Life must be lived forward but can only be understood backwards. Commit to the Lord in whatever you do and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3)

If you love God share this and He will continue to open and close doors

Your help is coming from ....

 

I lift up my eyes to the hills from where will my help come.
My help comes from the Lord who made heaven & earth.

(Psalms 121:1-2)

----------------

Your help is coming from the Lord who made heaven & earth.

Take off your eyes of expectation from people.

Man will disappoint you.

Man will let you down.

Place your trust in the Lord JESUS.

He is the never changing one unlikely man.

Lift up your eyes to the one who is alive forever and ever

The one who never disappoints his beloved ones.

Be sure of whom you believe in.

JESUS is the only one worthy

of our every single honor & praise.

Today .... I just want you to know ....

that Your help IS COMING from the Lord who made heaven & earth.

 

As seen as shared in : Spiritual Warfare Community

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When God's Answer Was No

 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

While God speaks through our circumstances, it can be very dangerous to depend on what we see to make decisions. We should never interpret Scripture through the lens of our circumstances, but rather interpret our circumstances through the lens of Scripture. For example, if you pray for someone to be healed and they are not, you cannot interpret that to mean that God does not heal. The Bible shows us time and time again that God does heal. The interpretation of that circumstance is that God is Sovereign and in that instance chose not to heal.

Paul gives us a wonderful example of how circumstances could be misleading. Paul knew that he was called to spread the gospel to the Gentiles. God spoke to Paul through a person, Ananias. "But the Lord said to Anaias, 'Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name'" (Acts 9"15). Paul knew he was called for a certain task; however, he met opposition at every turn.

He wrote: "I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one, Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked" (2 Corinthians 11:23 -27).

 

Now I don't know about you, but if all this had happened to me, I would begin to doubt whether I had heard God correctly. See, my tendency is to judge whether I heard God's voice according to the success or failure of my circumstances. But this isn't God's perspective.

We cannot always interpret seemingly negative circumstances as failure of hearing God's voice correctly. Jesus heard God's voice perfectly and yet went to the cross. Joseph heard God's voice clearly in a dream, and yet was sold into slavery and thrown in prison. Sometimes the puzzle pieces of our lives may seem ragged and ill-shaped, but each piece fits perfectly into place when God is choreographing the design.

Now it's Your Turn, have there been times when you have prayed and God's answer was no?

That's a silly question. Of course, you have. God wouldn't be God if He gave us every thing we wanted. So here is the real question… In those times when God did not answer your prayer as you had hoped, did you redefine God by your circumstance or did you redefine your circumstance by your God.

That will take a little pondering.

God does speak to us through our circumstances, but we must always filter those circumstances through the Word of God – the Bible. If you would like to learn more about how to see God working in your everyday life, see Sharon 's book, Becoming a Woman who Listens to God.

Let's Pray
Dear Lord, I will admit that I don't always understand Your ways, but I do know that You are loving and that You are good. Help me to base my faith on Your Word and not my interpretation of circumstances. You are Sovereign, O Lord, and for this I praise Your name.

GIRLFRIENDS IN GOD by Sharon Jaynes © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Can you rejoice in the middle of disaster?

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).

The prophet Habakkuk knew what to do when things seemed completely hopeless. His world was literally falling apart. In fact, the situation was so bad it seemed trouble was bursting through the seams of his life. So what did Habakkuk do? He rejoiced and praised the Lord in spite of everything! That may seem contrary to you and even silly. But you have probably lost something or someone who is very dear to you, so you can know how Habakkuk was feeling. But follow the prophet's example. When something bad happens to you, thank God - not because you're suffering, but because you know He is still faithful and loving. God wants to bless you, and He can lift your head above any problem!

Prayer, God, I need Your strength to stand up in the midst of troubled times and say, "Thank you, Lord" despite what is happening around me. Help me to learn this lesson from Your prophet Habakkuk and apply it to my life today and every day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

There's Hope For You!

 

I have...plans to give you the future you hope for. (Jeremiah 29:11 TM)

In Jeremiah 29:11 we have a great promise in a not-so-great chapter. So if things aren't going too well in your life at the moment, this verse is for you!

God's people were living as slaves in Babylon. Why? Because of disobedience to God. And worse, Babylon was about as pagan as you could get. It wasn't the kind of place Christians hung out; it was a moral and spiritual wasteland. And on top of that, the Israelites' own preachers were leading them astray. So God told them, "Don't let all those so-called preachers and know-it-alls...take you in with their lies" (Jer 29:8-9 TM). Yet in the midst of all this, along comes the God of hope saying, "I still have a plan for you. It's not over till I say so. I'm going to turn things around for you. Your best days are ahead."

You say "How do you know that God still has a plan for me?" Because you're still breathing! He has a plan for every single person He ever created, and it never goes out of date. Unlike the milk in your supermarket that has an expiry date on it after which it can't be used, God's plans don't have expiry dates. Even if you've missed His plan entirely for years, that plan can still swing into operation the moment you turn your life over to Him and fall in line with His will. Now, your plan might be somewhat modified from what it would have been 20 years ago if you'd paid attention, but that doesn't stop God. He can adapt to fit anything that comes up, in any life that's ever lived - including yours. So, there's hope for you!

THE VINE by Bob Gass © 2000 - 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Tomorrow is almost upon you

 

"Faithful is He that called you, who also will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

 

"BE FAITHFUL TODAY, FOR TOMORROW IS ALMOST UPON YOU--IT IS NEARLY TIME TO TAKE YOU FROM HERE TO THERE!"

God Said, "SOME ARE STUCK HERE, NOT ABLE TO GET THERE, BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THE PATH WOULD BE EASY"

"Many of My anointed ones are confused because they were under the impression that serving Me would be easier than what they are now experiencing," says the Lord. "My yoke is easy, but the ministry was never meant to be. The more you rest in Me, the easier the path will be for you. The yoke is My will for you, and it allows you to get through the testing and the tough times, but if you are not properly yoked, all things will seem hard (Matthew 11:28-30). You can tell if you are properly yoked, not by outward circumstances, but by allowing My peace to command the raging waves of turmoil to retreat, allowing a great inner calm (Mark 4:39).

"I never panic. If you are resting in Me, you will never experience fear. Be careful though, occasionally I have even allowed answers to 'self prayers,' because some insisted on their own way, but it will always bring sorrow to your souls, 'And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul' (Psalm 106:15).

"Some of My shepherds are oppressed," says the Lord, "wondering why their vineyard is experiencing disruption and being in continual flux. Remember, I never promised your vineyard peace (Isaiah 5:4-5), I promised YOU peace as you labor in that vineyard (2 Thessalonians 3:16). You tend to My sheep and do your best, but remember they have to individually decide whether to obey.

"The tares will grow with the wheat until I come (Matthew 13:30). That is why you must love all the sheep, because sometimes they look like tares but are simply wounded children. Did you know that in the past some thought you were a tare, when you were simply going though a painful time? Don't you wish they would have loved you through the trial? Aren't you glad some did (1 Thessalonians 5:14)? Go, and do likewise, and I will take you from here to there."

God Said, "SOME ARE STUCK HERE, UNABLE TO GET THERE, BECAUSE THEY CRITICIZE MY ANOINTED ONES"

"The Body of My Son is vast and diverse. If you go to one end and listen to a choice servant, then go to the other end and listen to a different servant, you might think they were not attached to the same head, but they are (1 Corinthians 12:14). You see only in part at this time and are not qualified to judge everyone (1 Corinthians 13:12). Yes, I do call some to discipline the sheep and to hold them accountable, but only if they are overseeing them at the time.

"Never judge from a distance; only I can do that. You started out strong, and your steps were bounding with joy. Then the troubles came, and they not only stayed, but increased. Do not be confused. Did I not warn you that you are sent as 'lambs among wolves' (Luke 10:3)? My yoke is easy, but the path I called you to is not (1 Corinthians 16:9).

"Yet, I am the One whose job it is to judge them," says the Lord, "not you (Luke 10:10-16). Some have Pastors, overseers and managers that are unreasonable, mean or simply overbearing. Submit to them as you would to Me (Ephesians 6:5). I will be promoting some of you there' because you have been faithful here. I will change their hearts as you model Mine (John 20:21). You say, 'I can't take it anymore.' You greatly err; you are stronger than you think (Philippians 4:13). Silently obey Me, and I will promote you to 'My there.'"

God Said, "YOU'VE BEEN HERE WAY TOO LONG, I WANT TO TAKE YOU THERE--GET READY"

"There ahead of you is your destiny," says the Lord. "The hope, the dream and the fulfillment of My promise--it's simply staring you in the face! Here is where you are now, but how you conduct yourself today has everything to do with where I will take you tomorrow--My there. Extend My grace to others when you least feel like doing so--it will prepare you to go from here to there. Determine that you are serious to get to My there for you (Luke 9:62). You will get there by serving Me in the here and now (1 Corinthians 10:21, James 1:8).

"Are you serious about the vision you are following? If so, then build in the now (here) for what I have shown you in the future (there). If you are faithful in little, here, I will give you much there (Luke 19:17). Use the compass of praise, private prayer and undaunted searching in My word to guide you and keep you on course (Mark 4:14-20).

"Be faithful today--tomorrow is almost upon you, and it is nearly time to take you from here to there. Look up, it's approaching and you are about to leave here and arrive there--right where I've been waiting for you. Pack up, say goodbye, and prepare to leave here for there. My command is coming for many to move out--out there."

CELEBRATING HIS LIFE MINISTRIES by Al Thomas © 2000 - 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Pressure Develops Character

 

A friend of mine used to work on offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico during the summer to make money for college. He tested all the pipe for the pipeline that came in to the rig. Pipes were rated to take a certain amount of pressure, but the drillers never took the manufacturer's word for it. My friend tested each pipe for oil pressure with water pressure to be sure it would not spring a leak under water.

One day he was cranking up the pressure to test a section of pipe when suddenly a stream of water shot out of an unseen crack. When it happened, he told me the Lord spoke to him and said, "The pressure did not create the crack. The pressure revealed it." My friend said that revelation changed his life forever.

In the same way, pressure doesn't create our weaknesses--it exposes them. But that's when God's strength can flow through us. Character is developed through pressure.

In II Corinthians 12:10, the apostle Paul wrote, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Paul wasn't saying that when he was at his weakest, he was his strongest. He simply meant that when he realized his weakness, then God could strengthen him.

We all hate to be put under pressure. We want to run from it. But God sees the tests and trials that we go through in life as valuable. The apostle Peter described the trials of our faith as being "more precious than gold" (see I Peter 1:7). So don't run from pressure. This is how character is developed.

 

My Declaration of Faith for Today
Lord, I depend on Your strength to flow through me at all times.

ORAL ROBERT MINISTRIES sermon by Bob Yandian, Pastor Grace Fellowship © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

A Broken Spirit

 

"The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." (Psa. 34:18)

I have heard that there is a monastery in Greece perched high on a cliff, several hundred feet in the air. The only way to reach the monastery is to be suspended in a basket which is pulled to the top by several monks who pull and tug with all their strength. Obviously the ride up the steep cliff in that basket is terrifying.

One tourist got exceedingly nervous about half-way up as he noticed that the rope by which he was suspended was old and frayed. With a trembling voice he asked the monk who was riding with him in the basket how often they changed the rope. The monk thought for a moment and answered serenely: "Whenever it breaks."

We are shocked that someone would wait that long before changing the rope. It only makes sense that the rope ought to be changed long before reaching that point. But it dawned on me that God operates the same way in our lives. If we were to ask God when He will change our lives, His answer might well be, "Whenever you break!"

You see, our lives can only change once we have what the Bible refers to as a "broken spirit". As long as we remain arrogant and determined to do things our way, God can't shape us and mold us.

 

Like a wild stallion, we remain useless until we are "broken".

THOUGHT FOR THE TODAY by Alan Smith © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Are you close to quitting?

 

Those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)

Are you close to quitting? Please don't do it. Are you discouraged as a parent? Hang in there. Are you weary with doing good? Do just a little more. Are you pessimistic about your job? Roll up your sleeves and go at it again. No communication in your marriage? Give it one more shot.
 
Remember, a finisher is not one with no wounds or weariness. Quite to the contrary, he, like the boxer, is scarred and bloody. Mother Teresa is credited with saying, "God didn't call us to be successful, just faithful."  The fighter, like our Master, is pierced and full of pain. He, like Paul, may even be bound and beaten. But he remains.
 
The Land of Promise, says Jesus, awaits those who endure. It is not just for those who make the victory laps or drink champagne. No sir.

 

The Land of Promise is for those who simply remain to the end.
 

THE TEACHING MINISTRY of MAX LUCADO © 2000 - 2007

Excerpted From No Wonder They Call Him the Savior (Please include this line to forward this message).

We are not Abandoned

(click on the image above to view the flashmovie)

God has said, "Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

I heard Steve Brown on the radio telling about the ugliest car he had ever seen. It had a large gash on its side; the door was held together with bailing wire; many places on the car were rusted out. The muffler was loose and, with every bump, was hitting the street sending sparks in every direction. It was hard to tell the original color of the car. The rust had eaten away much of the original paint, and so much of the car had been painted over with so many different colors that any one of them, or none of them, could have been the first coat. The most interesting thing about the car was the bumper sticker. It read: "This is not an abandoned car."

We live in a fallen world. It is ugly and depressing. Everywhere we turn we find tragedy and heartache. We are sitting on the verge of disaster. But it is not just the world. It's us. Sometimes the effort to keep on keeping on doesn't seem worth it. Guilt, loneliness, hurt and fear become constant companions. One wonders sometimes if any of it makes any difference. One wonders if anyone, especially God cares. But a long time ago, in a manger, a baby was born. It was a sign. It read: "This is not an abandoned world."

When Jesus came, God gave us the assurance that he had not abandoned us. He visited our planet letting us know that he was involved and that he cared. What the angel said to the shepherds was the same thing God is saying to us today, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11 NIV).

Even though we may not understand all that is happening to us and to our world, we are in good hands. God is not in a panic; he is still in control of our world. While circumstances may indicate panic at every turn, God came to us to say that he can understand the complexities of humanity and will touch people where they hurt the most.

From "Sightings of the Savior" © 2003 by Rick Ezell, sighted in Rick's "One Minute Uplift" weekly email devotional of March 1, 2007 (Please include this line to forward the message).

Are you in the wilderness?

 

So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. (Exodus 15:22)

Moving from HERE to THERE
Most of us are using every ounce of faith and energy attempting to leave a place called "HERE" to get to that Promised Land of "THERE!" When we are traveling to "THERE," a season of transition and change is required. Transition, simply stated, is moving from one place to another. This implies that in order to fully arrive "THERE," we must be willing to let go of the old nature. Our destiny and fulfillment in God requires us to shift out of an old place and enter into a new place.

For many of us, we have experienced a wilderness while fulfilling destiny. Let's examine what the wilderness in your life might entail or what you might have recently experienced. According to Webster's Dictionary, the word "wilderness" is described as: 1) a desert (sandy-filled area); 2) uncultivated and uninhabited territory, wild; living in the "wild;" 3) A state of disorder

The book of Exodus documents the wilderness as the region where the children of Israel wandered for forty years. Their wilderness consisted of many tests and challenges as God measured their faith and obedience. It is interesting to note that the word wilderness in Hebrew is described as desolate, barren, and lonely. So by comparing both of these definitions, we can easily summarize a wilderness experience as:

1) very lonely (uninhabited)

2) unfruitful and barren (uncultivated and desolate)

3) dry (little or no water; thirsty)

4) wild (WILDerness) (roving, wandering and untamed like a wild animal)

5) Disorder

Can you relate to this? Have you felt lonely, barren, and unfruitful? Have you been so dry and thirsty that you found yourself crying out to God in desperation? Is your life in disorder, and at times are you confused and irritated? Have you responded to your circumstances with WILD behavior while in your WILDerness? If you can relate, then read on.... Don't remain discouraged! God has a purpose for your wilderness, but He does NOT plan for you to stay there! God brought them out of Egypt for the purpose of not only proving their hearts, but also to give them opportunity to be delivered from a slavery mentality!

Slavery Mentality: Captivity, Bondage, and Surrender to Sin
Though you might not immediately recognize slavery behavior, let me first explain what the term "slave" actually means. In the spiritual sense, it is described as bondage, where one is experiencing a form of imprisonment and captivity. It is also a type of restraint of one's liberty where one is not empowered to become free. A slave is also described as a person who has no will of his own and is wholly under the control of another. Another definition describes a slave as one who surrenders himself to any power whatever; as a slave to passion, lust, or ambition! Does this sound like where you are right now? Is there any sin that controls you? Do you suffer with any type of bondage from which you cannot break free? God desires to set you free, and therefore He will sometimes allow a wilderness to provoke you into activating your faith to break free from your situation!

The Israelites, while they were in the wilderness, had many opportunities to activate their faith for their breakthroughs, but instead they remained in their slavery mentality of the past. Many times, their response was to blame Moses for their circumstances rather than trust God at greater levels! The wilderness was chosen by God to be their road to deliverance yet, because of their incorrect responses, they remained in their wilderness! The Israelites could never break free from a lack of trust in God, and from their lack of trust in Moses, and they remained in a place of total surrender to old thoughts and behavior patterns.

Old Cycles
Most all of the modern prophets are in agreement that we are in a spiritual season when God is exposing old cycles. Most likely you or someone near you have recently stated it seems as if you are continuing to "go around the same mountain again." This phrase implies that we are confronting the same past issues over, and over, and over again. Some of these are generational patterns of behavior. In fact, the word "generation" implies a continuing cycle or circle. Another implication for generational patterns is the use of the word "always." Have you ever stated a thought, "Well, I've always been this way. I can't change! It will always be as it is now!" God is declaring that it is time to "cycle-out" of our old patterns and old generational behavior.

The reason that the Israelites remained in the wilderness is because they never cycled out of a slavery mentality. The Israelites were tested many times in their faith and motives. Because they could not totally trust God, they remained in their wilderness...and DIED there! God allowed the old generation to die in the wilderness, and He raised up an entirely new generation to go into the Promised Land. I want to go into my Promised Land, don't you? In order to do so, we must be determined to cycle out of our doubt and unbelief, religious mindsets, generational strongholds, and WHATEVER so easily besets us.

No one ASKS for a wilderness experience, and we most likely don't pray to God to send us to the wilderness. So WHY do we find ourselves IN the wilderness? Once we are there; HOW do we get OUT? Well, when it is GOD who sends us there, we must embrace the season in humility and faith. By this I mean that we are to submit to His purpose as He proves us, and then allow our faith to be developed while in the wilderness.

I know it might mess up someone's theology when I say that many times it is GOD who sends us into a dry, desolate place. Though there are seasons when satan, will attempt to illegally cover us with darkness and cause us to experience desolation and hopelessness. We cannot always blame a wilderness experience on the devil! After all, Jesus was led by the Spirit to His wilderness (See Luke 4) to be tempted by satan. Know this for sure, the Tempter WILL come with his evil seductions, but if our responses are right we will overcome evil temptations and be stronger after we have endured the fire.

Our Faith and Character are Tested in the Wilderness
When we closely examine the word "tempted", it translates as "to try, to prove, and to examine." It also is translated to imply that Jesus was actually "on trial" to actually prove what He believed! It was a time when Jesus' faith was tested, and His virtue and character were tested to prove His character and steadfastness of faith. It is the same with us. When we go through wilderness times, our virtue, faith, and character are tested. It is through these times of testing that we truly recognize our responses. Our responses are responses of faith, or [they are responses of] doubt, unbelief, hidden motives of the heart, and hidden attitudes. If there are any hidden and selfish motives, ungodly beliefs, attitudes, and impure responses, they need to be exposed and addressed so that we receive the next level of breakthrough!

Remember now, it was not the devil that led Him; it was God that led Jesus to the dry place. It was Jesus' victory over the demonic temptations which helped empower Him for the miraculous. In His desert experience, Jesus grew even stronger in His faith and gave the devil a black-eye at the same time. Also, in the wilderness Jesus developed what I refer to as a "proceeding word!"

God is Expecting "The Proceeding Word"
An example of using a "proceeding word" is when Jesus proclaimed to satan that "…man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God!" (Matthew 4:4) A proceeding word is the Word of God which becomes proclaimed to the enemy when we are tempted to come into a negative agreement with the devil. Proceeding words are God-given declarations (based on the Word of God) which begin to flow from our inner-most being. Like a mighty river, there should be an outflow of God's Word that gushes forth whenever we are in a wilderness, and the enemy is tempting us. God is seeking a people that are allowing themselves to be developed in a wilderness, so that they are also empowered with these proceeding words. Rather than feeling sorry for ourselves because we experience dry places, realize that God has a much greater plan. He is empowering us for the miraculous and "greater things!"

Tests for Promotion: Moving into the Miraculous!
I believe that we are in a season where God is testing our hearts, motives, and responses because He desires to promote us! There are tests of promotion whenever we desire to grow, have a more effective ministry, and desire to extend the kingdom of God. Though there are many different types of tests that we pass while in the "School of the Holy Spirit", a test of promotion is one of the most difficult tests to pass. When we examine what Jesus endured, the forty days of fasting and the temptations that He faced, we also notice that He went forth in victory with power and might.

We might look at our tests of the past and notice that once we were on the other side of that test, there was an arrival at a greater spiritual level. This is what I commonly refer to as "promotion in the Spirit."

I have observed, in my own life, that whenever God is planning to move me to a higher spiritual level, I go through a dark, dry season. I feel that I am going through a dark tunnel; I can't see clearly, I am spiritually dry and therefore crying out for a breakthrough. In other words, I GET DESPERATE FOR GOD! In the midst of all of this, God is watching and listening to all of my responses! How did I respond? As a result of not having all of the "right" responses, I would find myself repenting, and repenting, and repenting MORE! To my amazement, though I felt that I didn't really deserve it, God would promote me. (Thank God for His amazing grace!) Once I was out of that wilderness and flowing again in the Spirit, I would look back and thank the Lord for that lesson in spiritual maturity. Then I would realize that I began to "come out" of that wilderness when I had firmly developed that "proceeding word!" In other words, the Word of God was firm and solid in my spirit and my response to the devil was to quote the Word of God and my prophetic promises.

Our Season for Miracles
Most all of the prophets are declaring that we are entering into a season of apostolic signs and wonders. In order for us to "believe and receive" miracles for ourselves and for others, we must have a developed proceeding word. We must know and understand the Word of God. Also, we must rid ourselves of religious mindsets concerning the miraculous. We must flow by His Spirit, and allow Him to move WHEN He desires. Timing is very important when following the Holy Spirit. He moves in His own timing, and we must develop a hearing ear to hear Him when He directs us. Developing a spiritual sensitivity is crucial as we fully embrace the Kingdom Message.

The Truths of the Kingdom of God
God is going to begin to reveal many hidden truths concerning the Kingdom. Many of us feel that we already know the message of the Kingdom...but there are hidden things of the gospel that He wants to reveal. These are truths from the Bible that will have a fresh breath of life upon them. Also, there will be a fresh, steady fire to burn away the old mindsets, and set us on fire to seek the Kingdom as never before!

Your Time in the Wilderness
Some of you are in the wilderness, and God is cycling you OUT. The way to come out is to realize that God is seeking a proceeding word. He wants to promote you and use you in a mighty way. You might come out for a while, and then find yourself back in another test. If so, it's ok! Just begin to cycle out again with another proceeding word! The main thing is that we learn that we are to grow and mature and have His Word so impregnated in our spirit that we come forth in power and might!

Breaking Free of a Slavery Mentality
This is one way that you will cycle out of your slavery mentality! Begin to speak what God says about you. Find all of your prophetic promises that concern your future and begin to proclaim what God has said. At every test, use a proceeding word to break you out of your captivity. A slave mentality says that God will not fulfill His word. The proceeding word is that He promises to perform His Word! A slave mentality says that you will not find your place in ministry, but a proceeding word says that God has firmly planted you into your destiny, and you will not be plucked up!

Closely examine every ungodly belief and replace it with God's Word, and then you will experience your deliverance. When you begin to respond to every wilderness test with a proceeding word spoken in faith, you will cycle out of your captivity!

ZION MINISTRIES by Sandie Freed © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

God, where are You?

 

 

When the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you! (John 20:19)

 

Be Encouraged Today. Your help is in the Lord. The calm always comes after a storm. So hold on, the calm will surely come! Just hold on! 

Have you ever felt that God is no where to be found? I have. Lately, it seems like every trial that you could imagine has been thrown my way. I have prayed and cried out to the Lord over and over, yet all I heard was silence. I did not feel God. I felt all alone. Yet I was persistent and continued to cry out "God where are you, help me." 

 

Today, God reminded me of something that I want to share with some of you. God's Word says,  "The name of the Lord is like a strong tower, the righteous person runs to it and is set safely on high." (Proverbs 18:10) Friends, you are not alone. We all go through trials. And, some trials are harder than others but no matter how bad they are we must remember that God is our refuge and our strength. 

 

Trials (sometimes I call them storms) are so hard to deal with especially when they seem like they will never end. These storms can shake the safety of our day to day routine. They can shake the very foundation of our faith. But when we cry out, "God where are you," He hears and is ready to hold us up, even though we cannot feel Him.

 

Storms can show us our weaknesses and where we lack in strength. They can also make us vulnerable. And just like real storms, when they hit us the water flows. Sometimes it seems like the tears won't stop and its in those times that we must realize that we cannot handle the storms alone. It's just too hard. No matter how big or how many storms there are, there is a peace that comes by holding onto the Lord. And when the storm is over, the peace surely will come. When the peace comes, it is then that we can reflect and see just how close God really was. It is then we that we can just be still before the Lord so that we can have a time of restoration and a time of healing.

None of us are strong enough to handle the storms that life brings our way. Oh we may think we are but the truth is, we are not. That is why we need a Savior. That is why we need a lifeguard. Jesus is the One that has the power to save us when our arms get tired of paddling or our feet get tired of kicking. We need Jesus, the One who can bring us peace and hope. We need a Savior. During a storm when our lives get knocked around a bit that is when we need to remember to fix our eyes on the One who will keep us from giving up. It is during the storm, we must remember that the name of the Lord is our strong tower and we must run into it.

 

Friends, whether or not we feel God, He is there. So, through your tears this week, cry out to Jesus. He can calm any storm. He has the power to  bring you through any trial. There is nothing He cannot do. So, let Him bring you peace and let Him return your joy. You cannot do this alone. You need the love and encouragement of a best friend, Savior and Father. You need to cry out to Jesus. He knows each and every one of your tears and is ready to wipe them away. Let God be your strength. Run into Him. He won't let you down. He never does. 

 

HEALING THROUGH PRAYER MINISTRY by Jeanette . (Please include this line to forward the message).

God's Will Is Not A Crisis

I am so glad to share with you what God has put on my heart. Please be encouraged to share this with your friends and loved ones as well. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been studying God's spiritual truths and He has revealed so much to me. If He did that for me, I know He can do the same thing for you if you allow Him to.
 
The most important thing I have learned over this summer is that you can't rush God. I had always known that simple truth, but when it came time to act with faith, I didn't think twice about it. I had wanted a "drive-thru" blessing. You all know what that is: I had given God my order and expected Him to get it exactly right before I lost my cool and drove off. It's no small wonder why I was disappointed and mad. After all, I had expected Him to handle my problems with express speed. But one thing that He taught me was that His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and His timing is measured with instruments that we know nothing about. So while I expected God to do great things "on the double", I didn't think that perhaps He had other plans for my life. Plans that promised to bring me a good future and much hope (Jeremiah 29:11). I was so stuck on what I wanted and needed so much that I believed what I wanted was more important than what God wanted. But just like the patient and loving God that I serve, He gently took me to His secret place and whispered, "I knows the plans I have for you."  After that moment, I realized how prideful I had been in thinking I knew better than God what was right for me.
 
I tell you that because many of us are going through similar situations where we want one thing (or several things), but God is taking us in another direction. And we are sitting with our arms crossed and mouth poked out like, "No way, God. That's not what I want. I want it this way" But you know what? We must continue on in absolute faith even when nothing about the situation makes sense. Remember that God has a perfect plan for your life. And even though you may not be able to understand it then, we can trust Him to be with us always and He makes no mistake. God's will is not a crisis. Before I go, I want to share with you a quote from Andrew Murray's Humility that may help you in a current situation or a future situation where you need courage and strength to stand. I pray that this will minister to each of your hearts.

In time of trouble say,
First, He brought me here.
It is by His will I am in this place, in that I will rest.
Next, He will keep me in His love

and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.
Then, He will make the trial a blessing,
teaching me the lessons He means me to learn,
and working in me the grace He intends for me.
Last, in His good time,

He can bring me out again, how and when
Only He knows.
Say I am here:
By God's appointment,
In God's keeping,
Under His training,
For His time.
---from Humility by Andrew Murray (1993)

  
This week remember to give God thanks for who He is and what He has done, is doing and will do for His chosen people. Be encouraged, dear friends, "we walk by faith and not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7) Trust God totally with your situation and burdens. Hebrew 10:37 promises, "He who is coming will come and will not delay." We can take God at His Word to do what He says He will do.

 

Written by Antoinette Clarington. (Please include this line to forward the message).

The Trial of Your Faith (Part 7)

 

Eternal Purposes

Trials are not games. They have ETERNAL purposes. That is why we must learn to seek first the kingdom of God – for that is eternal. As long as we limit the purpose of trials to something in our lives now, rather than something eternal, we are going to miss the boat. We will never be on the same page as God.

 

Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom – seek first God's purpose IN YOU – and everything else will be taken care of, and fall into place, as God's plan for you will allow." This establishes God's priority for us, and until this becomes our priority, we are going to be working at odds with God. Part of the trial of faith is to adjust us over to this purpose.

 

When you die, all that God will take is the REAL person you are – and that will be defined only by your relationship to Him. Thus, faith, which speaks directly to who we are in relationship to God, is an ETERNAL characteristic. Our faith is only a seed of something eternally greater.

 

Trials will all pass away into history. But what we BECOME through those trials will be eternal. These are the stakes involved – eternal stakes. It is therefore terrifying that so few Christian are taught these Truths.

 

God is Faithful

The irony of the trial of faith is that God uses that which seems to contradict Himself to prove that He is faithful. The more our faith is questioned and ridiculed, the stronger it becomes, if we will stand by faith. And the greatest surprise of all is that even before we are delivered from our trial, we have the victory. Nothing of contradiction is able to move us.

 

God will indeed be proven faithful, even before He delivers us. How? He will be proven faithful IN US. God wants to bring us to the place where, despite the fact that circumstances have NOT changed, that WE HAVE CHANGED. There may continue to be nothing to, "prove," to us that God is faithful. But the proof is in us. Our faith is the evidence and substance of the faithfulness of God.

 

There is no victory in Jesus Christ except through the working out in us of His death and resurrection. If you want to live by faith, then you can no longer live by your understanding, your emotions, or by faith in anything but God. These must go the way of the Cross. Then, all will become based in Truth.

 

Excerpted from : THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH by David A. DePra at THE GOOD NEWS  © 1998-2005. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

The Trial of Your Faith (Part 6)

 

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor 10:13)

 

The Way of Escape

What is the purpose of this, "way of escape," promised by Paul? To GET OUT of the trial? No. "That you might be able to bear it." In other words, God's way of escape has to do with escaping defeat in a trial. Not escaping the trial itself. The, "escape," is whatever enables you TO BEAR THE TRIAL.

 

If you don't believe that, then good luck trying to figure out how to escape your trial. You will find that if it is OF GOD that you cannot escape unless you compromise with the Truth. God doesn't want you to escape the trial. The trial is OF HIM. He wants you to overcome BY FAITH.

 

"The way of escape," out of a trial is death and resurrection in Christ. But make no question about it, we can always choose another way – that will spare us the Cross. This is not a matter of losing our salvation. It is a matter of losing the freedom and revelation God had for us through the trial. Christian people today are encouraged all the time to escape the hand of God, calling His hand the Devil.

 

Natural thinking suggests that the issue in a trial of faith is how to end the trial. We ask, "God, what do you want me to DO?" Or we say, "What do I need to do to get God to end this trial?" Indeed, many of us think that ending the trial is the victory over the trial. But God never works from that angle. Ending a trial is never the victory.

 

Ending unbelief is the victory. Again – faith IS the victory.

 

Excerpted from : THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH by David A. DePra at THE GOOD NEWS  © 1998-2005. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

The Trial of Your Faith (Part 5)

 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:5-7)

 

God is not a liar. The reason it sometimes seems as if He is a liar is that we do not recognize the Truth. Thus, the problem is not with God, it is with US. We need a great deal of spiritual adjustment and freedom. We place more trust in our understanding that we can imagine. Indeed, many of us put our faith in our understanding, or our faith in our ability to believe, rather than put our faith in God Himself.

 

A fundamental trait of any trial of faith is that you will not be able to understand God in it, and He won't explain Himself to you. It should be encouraging to know that such a condition is normal, because then when it happens, we will be less apt to think that it is abnormal, or that something is wrong. No. Everything is right. You CANNOT understand, and God CANNOT explain. Get that. This isn't a matter of God refusing to explain. He can't.

 

The goal of any trial of faith is never to obtain some piece of information. No. Rather than information, what we need is a REVELATION -- of God Himself. The way in which I finally come to receive this revelation is by standing in faith unto death if necessary.

 

Again – God is doing a work IN ME through this trial of faith. He is doing a work of the Cross, so that I can BECOME someone who is able to better live and move with Him. Information will NOT accomplish this – not even a correct teaching about the Cross. No. I must pick up the Cross – not just seek teaching about it.

 

There will comes occasions in any trial of faith where you will face the choice to surrender to God – and you will not have any proof or assurance that He is even there to receive you. You will have to put aside your complete lack of understanding, and trust that it is sufficient that HE understands. If you do this, something in the realm of self-ownership will DIE in you. But there will burst forth LIFE – and with that life faith and eventual understanding will come.

 

Just as spiritual life comes through death, so does understanding come with that life. You cannot separate the two. You will never truly know the Truth until you die to the error in yourself, and have the Truth Himself revealed to you through resurrection life. Try to replace this with theology and academics, and you may convince yourself you are very smart. But you will be deceived.

 

If God explained Himself to us, we might have INFORMATION. But that would change nothing about us. It would do nothing to adjust us to God. In fact, the information would harm us, because we would settle for it. And we'd never go on to find God Himself.

 

I have uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not…..I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye sees thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:3-6)

 

Job knew a lot of true facts about God. He spoke those true facts – but finally admitted that he had no clue as to the God behind all those very true facts and doctrines. Job repented. But of what? Of thinking he knew God simply because he knew true facts about God. Oh, that we might see this today!

 

God wants us to know true doctrines and facts. But Christianity is not a list of doctrines, facts, and Bible teachings. It is a RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ – Jesus Christ who is IN US. Thus, what we need is more than information about God, or information about our trial. We need a REVELATION of God Himself.

 

If we will hang in during our trials and continue to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, God will reveal Himself to us in a way we will never regret. Do we want explanations from God, or God Himself?

 

Get it settled once and for all: God is NOT going to explain Himself to you. Ever. Forget it. But He will reveal Himself to you -- and with that there will come much understanding. But this revelation and understanding is always a by-product of a process of death and resurrection – not of study.

 

Excerpted from : THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH by David A. DePra at THE GOOD NEWS  © 1998-2005. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

The Trial of Your Faith (Part 4)

 

For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)

 

Death and Resurrection

The trial of faith will bring us to where we may say, with Christ, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." But we must follow with, "Into your hands I commit my spirit." The fact that we cannot know what is to become of us through such a surrender is part of the trial of faith. It comes with the package. It is what it means to have your faith tried and proven.

 

Can we see that our trial of faith may be a signal, not that there is something wrong, but that God is bringing us onto something bigger in Himself?

 

Thus, we see that the trial of faith really doesn't try a THING called faith. It tries US. God is never on trial. WE are being tried – whether we will be faithful to Him, because we believe He is faithful to us.

 

Faith is Relationship

If we continue to turn to God and stand by faith, all that contradicts God IN US will be proven a lie, and God will be proven true. Can we see that unless we were required to face these things, we would not grow in Truth? Would not be set free?

 

Again -- never think that our problem is that we don't understand doctrine. Or that what we need is an academic list of Bible information. No. Those things have their place, but aren't the root issue. It is entirely possible to memorize the Bible and have NO faith at all. And it is entirely possible to know little about the Bible, but to have faith. Read Hebrews 11. Rahab is in that list of the faithful.

 

What we need is an inner knowledge of God Himself. But this is impossible as long as we are governed by error. Thus, the trial of faith uproots the error, and forces us to push through to the Truth.

 

Faith is a RELATIONSHIP word. It is not an academic word. All faith goes back to my relationship to God – and finds its root in whether I believe He is really there for me, and is responding to me. (see Heb. 11:6) Thus, never think of faith as a THING we have. No. Faith is not a THING – it is based in a PERSON – in my relationship to God. Faith is based on whether I believe God is faithful, and whether I am therefore free to live like it.

 

The purpose of the trial of faith is to bring about a practical freedom and victory over that which would contradict the Truth of God in Jesus Christ. But this is not an academic or theological concept. The freedom and victory occurs IN ME. In the end, all trials come down to on question: Do I believe God is faithful? Enough to risk everything on Him?

 

The victory in a trial does NOT come when the trial ends.

The victory comes when the trial no longer moves me from faith.

Faith is the victory.

 

Excerpted from : THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH by David A. DePra at THE GOOD NEWS  © 1998-2005. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

The Trial of Your Faith (Part 3)

 

Seek First His Kingdom
God says that we are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. We can therefore be sure that HE is seeking that for us in His dealings with us. This means that God wants to bring His rule and His order and His will into our lives, and not only adjust our lives in accordance with Himself, but more importantly, God wants to adjust US. We are to seek HIS kingdom IN US first – in our thinking, perception, attitudes, and motivation. And ultimately, the kingdom of God means God is in charge. Not us. But God. He is in charge, through Jesus Christ, of everything about us.

 

Do you and I actually believe that we are easily geared to that? You might think you are, if again -- you assume that all I am talking about are doctrines and following the right list of rules and laws. But I'm talking about more. I'm talking about a COMPLETE RECONSTITUTION of what makes you tick – your self-life and your motivation – even with regards to the things of God.

 

We must get this settled: What God wants to do in us through the Holy Spirit is OTHER THAN what we have ever experienced. Indeed, in the beginning, we have absolutely NO FRAME OF REFERENCE for it. We can't. It is NOT of the natural man, and he can know nothing of it. Thus, when God begins this work, it is going to seem strange. In fact, it is going to seem as if God is tearing us down, not building us up. It will seem like things are getting worse, not better.

 

Well, they should seem like that. God is tearing us down. But this is good. Our control of our own lives is something that God is going to tear down, and our control is going to get worse as to it's effectiveness. For a time, possibly a long time, it may seem as if we are LESS obedient, and LESS holy, and LESS a Christian. That is because God is tearing apart the FAÇADE of Christianity we have constructed, so that He has replace it with reality in Jesus Christ. And because we don't, at first, know that, it is going to seem as if we are falling apart, not being built up in Christ.

 

The trial of faith is geared to dismantling every bit of confidence we have in our selves – our RELIGIOUS SELVES – so that our faith will shift over to Jesus Christ. Thus, we see that a trial of faith will not only PROVE the faith we already have, but if we will hang in there, all of our false faith in false things will be exposed, and we will be able to be adjusted over to Jesus Christ.

 

You and I have no clue as to just how self-righteous we are, nor a clue as to just how much faith we have in things other than Jesus Christ. In fact, we are so used to living by faith in other things, and this is so normal to us, that the moment God puts His hand to those things, we are terrified. We are terrified because we see ONLY the thing God is touching and trying to pry loose from us – and those things are ALL we have known. To us, the loss of such things is negative and something BAD that is happening. Indeed, some of us even think that what we are losing IS THE REAL THING, and IS OF GOD.

 

The key therefore, is to come to the place where we see the OTHER SIDE of things – to see, not only what God is taking us FROM, but to see WHERE God is taking us to. He is drawing us into a relationship with Christ that we could not have imagined.

 

Excerpted from : THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH by David A. DePra at THE GOOD NEWS  © 1998-2005. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

The Trial of Your Faith (Part 2)

 

The Comfort Zone
Jesus said, "You will know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free." This promise is predicated on the fact that we don't START OUT in Truth. We start out in error. Otherwise we would have no need to know the Truth, or get set free, and His promise would be nonsense.

 

The average Christian knows very little about God. Indeed, we are so blind to the reality of God that we don't know that we don't know! Some of us read the Bible and catalog doctrine and think we have it. But that is not knowing God. It is knowing what the Bible says about Him. To know God requires a relationship with Him that is real. It really requires BELONGING to Him, and living like it.

 

The trial of faith is geared to bringing us into a greater knowledge of God Himself, and to adjusting us so that we might live in harmony with Him. And what does it mean to live in harmony with God? To simply obey Him? Yes, but more. To live in harmony with God means that my entire life – both inward and outward – is so constituted that it is NORMAL for me to walk in harmony with Him. I belong to Him.

 

But of course, if I take these descriptions and think that merely knowing them AS descriptions equals BEING in the relationship with God which they describe, I will never get it. The fact is, none us of have a clue as to what any of this means by experience until we go through many trials of faith, and surrender ourselves to God. You cannot build a relationship with God by reading books about a relationship with God. You have to actually identify with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection – and that takes the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.

 

If you and I want to experience such an identification, we must say goodbye to our comfort zone – whatever that is for us. For when God takes people who are normal and comfortable in the dark, and brings us into some light, we will not be comfortable at first. In fact, there will arise CONTRADICTION IN US to the Truth. Not just in our thinking and understanding. But the Truth of God will, at first, contradict everything that makes us tick as religious people.

 

In this we see that the contradiction which arises in us during a trial of faith isn't something God, "does to us." No. Rather, it is the natural order of things. It is what happens when the REALITY of God meets this natural realm, and our natural thinking. This realm contradicts God, and we are geared to it – even if we are born again. Thus, when God begins to unfold to us the new realm into which we are born, we are going to get uncomfortable in a hurry. There will be, we might say, an, "spiritual disturbance." There will be a STORM. A trial of faith.

 

We must see this. WE – our thinking, our attitudes, our perception – already contradict God. Perhaps not deliberately or consciously. But they are not in harmony with God, for there is little about us that has any clue what it means to live and walk with God. Thus, when God begins to draw us into the relationship He wants with us, we will continue to try to operate on the old basis, in the old patterns – not sinful or rebellious patterns – but in our, "good and religious," patterns that we have walked in with God!! But these won't do. Thus, since God is drawing us to something new, and we are holding to that which is old, we are going to immediately meet contradiction. Often this is the reason for our trial of faith.

 

Excerpted from : THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH by David A. DePra at THE GOOD NEWS  © 1998-2005. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).