April 19,
2016 at 11:44 am
While You Are Waiting – Rise Up and
Praise Him
My goodness, and my fortress; my
high tower, and my deliverer, my shield, and He in whom I trust; who subdueth
my people under me. [Ps 144:2]
Purging Impurities
Hallelujah
to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world! [Jn 1:29] Have you ever been in the midst of a
storm? Are you going through a storm
now? Rejoice! Give God the praise right now, right in the
midst of the storm!
Now if you
had seen me only a week ago, you would have seen what looked like a broken and
hopeless-looking disciple of Christ…a defeated Christian.
Over and
over, I was endeavouring to overcome that which the Lord had pointed out to me,
which was an outward manifestation of fear, unbelief (Yes! Little did I know, or see, for that matter) and rebellion.
What?! Yes, it came as a shock to me too. When we
read in the Word about God purging us of impurities, most of us have no idea of
what has been hidden deep inside for only God knows how long.
We gladly
read or hear and say, “Yes Lord, purge me
– purify me!” We may have a certain
addiction to overcome or a certain attitude that plagues us in ‘certain’
situations or triggered by ‘certain’ people, or a root of bitterness – a long
list continues with various impurities in each individual.
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way,
Daniel: for the words are
closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Many shall be purified (purged), and made white, and tried (tested, proven);
but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but
the wise shall understand.
[Dan 12:8-10] Glory to God alone!
And He shall sit as a refiner
and purifier of silver: and He shall
purify the sons of Levi, and purge
them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in
righteousness. [Mal 3:3]
The process will not be as one expects. It will be painful, the breaking loose from
fixed foundations, and ofttimes, the tearing up of thick roots. Such
disturbance! Utter confusion as the rapid and forceful shaking begins!
We may have been in a
furnace of fire, a hard testing of our faith or a painful tribulation in our
lives before, but there will come a fire that is seven times hotter. It will be even more intense than any previous
fire.
We may feel that we will not be able to bear it. Never
forget – God is with you through it all, even if it feels as though He has
abandoned you, or left you to endure it on your own.
Consequences
There are times that we may think that we have
gotten away with things (sins). Over
time, we have forgotten what we did or rarely consider it, especially if we
have become born-again and believe it is behind us, forgiven and under the
blood of Jesus.
Yes, once we truly repent (change of heart and attitude) and confess our sins to Jesus (Yeshua), He IS faithful to forgive. He remembers it no more. There are times we
escape the consequences of sins by the mercy and grace of God – outwardly.
When Samuel went to Jesse to find the future king
of Israel and anoint him, in obedience to the Lord, Jesse’s sons stood before
the prophet. Seven passed by the prophet and Samuel knew that not one of them
was the one chosen of God.
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the
height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the
LORD looks on the heart. [1Sam 16:7]
Samuel wondered if there was another. There was.
David, the eighth and youngest son was out in the fields tending sheep. Interestingly, numbers have always held
significant meanings. Eight is the number for “new beginnings” or “new order
or new creation”.
People say that 1 Chronicles 2 states David as the seventh son. This is not a contradiction with the first book of Samuel, though atheists and others who are against the written Word of God insist that it proves errancy in the Bible, to plant seeds of doubt about scriptures being written by men who were so led of the Holy Spirit.
There are a couple of websites that explain this supposed contradiction, where those whose gift it is to search deep into history, record-keeping etc have taken time to explain this. Apologetics and Contradicting
Bible Contradictions are two sites that have addressed this particular discrepancy quite nicely.
God is interested in all of us, our complete
self, but particularly the inner man, molding us into the image of Jesus
Christ, His only begotten Son. He is interested in removing the heart of stone,
and replacing it with a heart of flesh (pliable,
soft, full of good things). [Ezek
36:26]
Then, if that is not enough, He will take that
heart and circumcise any excess, unnecessary flesh from that heart, leaving a
pure heart, separated unto God. [Rom 2:29] So, if you (as I myself) have prayed to be purified, purged – prepare yourself for the
unexpected but the necessary work of a wise and loving Creator.
Though sins are forgiven, is the ‘root’ cause of that sin dealt with? Are there hidden impurities that the adversary Satan is aware of
that may very well cause us to fall into temptation if they are not dealt with?
In His mercy and in the wisdom of His timing, God
will begin to reveal truths, even hard truths. We may not have to reap the
consequences of our sins in the natural (though more often than not we do), yet
Abba in His goodness will have us reap the consequences in the spiritual as He
purges us!
He will prune us, cutting us down to where it seems
there is even no stalk and where no hint of a bud appears, no fruit is evident.
During that time, it will seem that everything is against us, even strangers
will seem to eat us up.
At times, it is our sins that the Lord is
visiting to draw us to repentance. Other times, He is exposing the root cause
of what brought us into rebellion and sinful choices in the first place (individually). If you have ever prayed
to be purged, expect a great fire!
But whoever lives by the truth comes into
the light, so that it may be seen
plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
[Jn 3:21]
The Whirlwind
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it has
no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall
swallow it up. [Hos 8:7]
When we sin, we will reap the consequences. God’s timing is not our timing, but He is
always right on time. How I had to learn that! Back in May last year (2015), I
wrote about a strange occurrence that happened to me a couple of weeks
previously, at the end of April.
It had to do with a small dust tornado or a
mini-whirlwind. It is odd how sometimes we think we understand a thing,
especially if something occurs shortly after that, which seems to line up with what
seems to be a spiritual experience.
Yet that is the prophetic – like our Lord, a word
or an experience speaks to many and not just one. It can be for the present,
but also for the future, though we know it not.
When the Holy Spirit brought it back to remembrance today, I was
astounded. The Lord’s ways are so far above our ways. Only God knows all
things.
To save time and space, I provide the link to that
article. At the readers’ leisure, you can check it out to see how profound
the Lord truly is, every detail covered. I am certain that it was a prophetic vision,
though in real time and happenstance, which explains what many are going through now or have gone
through.
Flesh and Spirit Wrestle
It felt like the bottom had fallen out of my
world (to use an old adage), and trying with all my might to overcome and walk in
obedience. Try and fail, try and fail,
rise and fall, rise and fall, and rise again.
The battle between flesh and the spirit was as though all the previous battles were blended together into one bloody war. It did not look
good for my spirit man. Is it not strange how things intensify the further and
the longer we walk with the Lord?
Yesterday, I sought God with every part of my
being, running through a gamut of emotions, even anger. It matters not all I said to the Lord, but it
truly felt like a bipolar or schizophrenic time – such was the battle between
flesh and spirit. God can handle all we could possibly dish out and His wisdom
and goodness are beyond measure.
“Why not just kill me? Why let Satan laugh and have victory? It’s
enough…I’ve had enough! Have you not seen my life? I’m so done!” [Enter the blah blah’s] (Who knows what other foolishness I uttered,
but God?)
When I was spent emotionally, it was with great
humility that I asked Him if He knew what He was doing when He chose to make a
personal covenant with me. There are so many other vessels that would not
require near the work that He had done, was doing and still had to do in me.
It was not meant as a complaint and it wasn’t a ‘poor me’ question (although I surely 'did' have moments of 'self'-pity). It was more a reality
check, the realization that God (Abba) had done so much for me; that He had guided me
and helped me all my life, even before I knew Him, even when I had no clue that
He was doing so (helping). His goodness is astounding and undeserved.
If ever I was broken and contrite, yesterday was
the most extreme of all other times. Finally (much to my chagrin), I admitted that I did not know what to do or how to
do it. Truth came forth when, with bitter tears, my pride shattered into a
million fragments as I confessed that I had tried everything I knew how and had
failed every time.
Pride shattered even further, being smashed now into tiny slivers. Then
the humble confession came forth that if Jesus did not help me, I was going to keep
failing Him because I had tried repeatedly to overcome without success. The thought of
failing such a good Father and patient Creator crushed me even more so.
I had
to admit I could do nothing without Him and I was desperate. That goes against the grain, against pride itself to admit. Some would call it a weakness. I call it the molding of the clay by the Potter, when the clay (if clay thinks) realizes it is helpless against the potter and his thoughts and plans.
Drawn to Repentance
I must have sobbed myself to sleep, fully aware
of His silence. When I awoke, I was led to 2 Chronicles. Then my eyes were opened and understanding came.
If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear
from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now
have I chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever: and
Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually. [2Chron 7:14-16]
I heard the Lord speak through His word and
obeyed. How often do we say that God is love and that God loves us, yet deep
down in the hidden chambers of our heart, we discover that we have not fully
received or believed it?
How often do we say “trust God” or “I trust God”,
yet deep down, we try to take care of some impossible situation, with the
natural tendency to be in control – just in case, you know, just in case God is
slow in coming through or seemingly not doing anything? (Apparently I had 'trust' issues in 'certain' areas - shudders at the thought.)
God is no tyrant nor one who condemns. He is a loving Creator, who sees the flaws brought on through heredity, experiences, sin and a fallen nature/world. He is an ever-present help in trouble and sin has gotten us all in trouble, for all have fallen short of the glory of God. [Rom 3:23]
We are not alone in this. Look at Abraham and
Sarah, for a prime example. They received a promise from God, a personal covenant.
Though they were both old, they had been promised a son.
At first, they were shocked and both laughed.
Then they believed the word of God and they waited, and waited, and waited.
Finally, still believing God, but impatient when it came to His timing, they
decided to help God out.
Most of us know the story. Sarah told Abraham to
take her maid servant (bondwoman) and
she would bear a son for them. Ishmael was the result, but he was not the “son of promise”.
The promise was originally made (given by God) and they waited ten years.
Nothing happened. God renewed His promise, and the anticipating couple had to wait another fifteen
years before Isaac was born.
Who would not have had doubts, or who would not have at least tried to 'assist' God? That is a very long test of patience and trust by anyone's standards. Ishmael was the result of Abraham and Sarah’s
impatience to wait on God’s timing. Ah, God's timing - that is a hard one for all of us.
Part of the pressure of me overcoming has to do
with a personal covenant between God and I also (as He does with many of us).
Impatience? Oh yes! Years have passed,
but the last seven and a half months have been something else!
I repented, having my eyes opened to the fact
that somehow the enemy had convinced me that God’s love is limited. In other
words, I’ve failed one too many times, messed up as no believer should and had
ultimately crossed the line to the point of no return.
These are lies from the enemy. I had been trying
with all my might to obey God in every area, but there were areas that my
strength could do nothing, it could not budge the thing I wanted to be rid of (my impurities).
Repentance also had to come forth regarding
trust. It is true that I have always trusted God from my point of view, but
again, when God gives us a promise of something that seems surreal or defies
logic, seemingly impossible, doubt can find a root if entertained or allowed to settle in. Trust can be shaky. We
think God needs our help, yea, it is us who need His help and intervention. Only pride and/or self-righteousness would deny such.
The realization of shortcomings in regards to
fully receiving and believing His love, as well as not trusting Him completely
when it comes to impossible situations was yet further humbling.
I do not know anyone who enjoys being wrong, much
less being brought to a place where if one is genuinely repentant, having to
admit it. Pride can be so subtle. We can
be walking in pride and think we are walking in humility, albeit false
humility.
Now I am glad to embrace the correction of the
Lord, now that I understand. He truly is a loving Father. I would rather walk
in the humility of correction than in the pride of error – for the glory of God
alone!
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose
name is Holy; I dwell in the
high and holy place, with him
also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive
the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for
the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. [Is 57:15, 16]
Jesus then led me to read and hear and understand
His great love and how trusting Him is simple surrender, a letting go of the
desire to control things or do it by ourselves. We can lean on Him, resting,
truly resting confidently in His love.
Battle is the Lord’s
The Holy Spirit led me to the second book of
Chronicles; yes, back to 2 Chronicles, but this time I was led to chapter
twenty. Our Saviour, Jesus Christ (Yeshua)
is most assuredly faithful and true.
He heals the broken-hearted; He restores our
confidence in His love and proves His vast understanding. He will establish
within us the peace that passes all understanding. He teaches us how to trust
and we learn obedience through our suffering.
As stated, I had been broken to the point of
desperation, where I confessed that I did not know what to do in the battle I
was in, in overcoming the enemy and my flesh, and walk in obedience. [Heb 5:8]
The Lord was about to reveal to me that this is
not an unusual thing. All His people most likely go through it (broken, contrite) at some point.
He created us to be involved in our lives. There are no adequate words that I
know to describe the Lord’s goodness or His qualities.
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah came up against an
impossible situation. He received reports that they were surrounded by enemies,
too vast in number for Israel to possibly overcome, unless God intervened.
The king called a fast. The people assembled and
Jehoshaphat stood before the congregation and sought God with humble prayer. He
reminded God of how Israel had obeyed Him when He told them not to fight
against the Ammonites and Moabites when they came out of the land of Egypt.
Behold, I say, how
they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which You have given
us to inherit. O our God, will You not judge them? for we have no might against
this great company that come against us; neither
know we what to do: but our eyes are
upon thee. [2Chron
20:11, 12]
The Spirit of the Lord came upon one man named
Jahaziel, who was the son of Zechariah. The Word of the Lord was spoken through
him.
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and you king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor
dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not
yours, but God's.
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD
with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out
against them: for the LORD will be with you.
[2Chron 20: 15 and 17]
Powerful Weapons – Believe and Praise
How many times do we read a chapter in the Bible,
but one day it seems as if the verses jump off the page? The heart skips a beat. It’s not a new
revelation per say, but to you, it is as if the words are illuminated.
Understanding cloaks you.
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
fell before the LORD, worshipping the
LORD. And the Levites, of the
children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of
Israel with a loud voice on high.
[…]Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall
ye be established; believe his
prophets, so shall ye prosper.
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness,
as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endures forever.
And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments
against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against
Judah; and they were smitten. [2Chron
20:18-22]
When Jehoshaphat and all the people heard that
the Lord would take care of the battle and that they would not have to fight,
they knew to worship Him. Look how it is recorded that when they “began
to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments…” (He is the LORD of the battle.)
Oftentimes, God will direct our steps through His
Word. He will repeat His instructions in various ways (such as a random website
like this) to confirm what He has revealed to you.
If you are waiting for the manifestation of a
promise, or for God to move in your situation and on your behalf; if you have sought Him, prayed
and heard from Him (regarding a promise), be encouraged, breakthrough is coming. Praise God and keep thanking Him, no matter
what.
Do not fear His silence. We all have experienced it. It causes us to come to truly know His voice. Every lamb must learn the voice of their shepherd...every single lamb. He is with His sheep, watching over. There are times He speaks and times He is silent. Every child of God who has walked with Him awhile knows this, and if you do not, please be at peace, for it is true. Hold fast faith
Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare
His works with rejoicing. [Phil
4:6; Ps 107:22]
Not Much Longer
Keep praising and thanking God (no matter what things look like or sound like). What do you think faith is? Faith is the substance of things HOPED FOR, the evidence of things NOT SEEN. We do not need faith for that which we can clearly see, but for that which we cannot see.
Think of Abraham and Sarah (waited 25 years), Joseph (waited 13 years), Moses (waited 40 years) and onward the examples go. Think it not strange when we too are taught patience; we too have our faith stretched to the max; we too learn to trust and learn obedience. It is a process, which God is speeding up in these end times, I do believe.
The waiting is
almost over. Did you feel a raindrop?
Hold fast, hold fast, hold fast to your faith – keep praising with thanksgiving. Promises are
about to be fulfilled. It has been a long haul, just as Abraham, Joseph, Moses
and countless others. Now do you see the
hand of the Lord upon you?
Do you now understand how your faith was tried
and you came through it? Do you see? By the grace and mercy of God, you are coming through it, with Jesus. Do you now understand the great shaking, the fires, the brokenness, the pruning,
the purging, what it means to be sifted like wheat?
Do you now believe and receive God’s great love
for you? Will you now rest in trust and gladly obey His leading? Ah indeed, in
His silence, He was and is working! He is Spirit and Truth - enter faith. Hold fast. Not much longer – not much further.
Obey, give thanks and praise.
God is working in the background, where we cannot see what He is doing. that is where trust comes in. Faith in action. Great trouble is coming and it shall
worsen, but God is greater and amazing things (from GOD alone) are about to
come forth, and no false prophet will be able to touch God’s glory. For all
will know that only God can do the impossible.
Breakthroughs are coming. The vision is not tarrying. It shall be right on time.
Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! God is good and His
mercy endures forever!
Remember Elijah, a man of God, a true prophet, a man of faith. Even he was shaken and said, "It's enough!"
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he (Elijah) might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. [1Kings 19:4]
Jesus (Yeshua) knew Peter's faith would be shaken. He interceded on Peter's behalf.
But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not: and when you are onverted, strengthen your brethren. [Lk 22:32]
So, be encouraged. While we are waiting, rise up and praise God. Be still.
for His glory alone
Bonita
dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com
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