The storm raged around me and I wanted God to fix it. I wanted Him to make it all better. I begged. I pleaded. I asked Him to fix me, to change my heart that I would stop reacting the way I was to what was happening around me.
God doesn't work that way. Yes, He wants us to come to Him. Yes, He wants us to call out and ask forgiveness. He wants us to repent, to lay it all down at His feet. But He won't take it from you. It is yours to let go of and to TRUST God to take care of it. God has promised to deliver you from your afflictions.
Hosea 5:15-6:1
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
Come let us return to the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
God was waiting for me. I was the one who needed to take action. He was waiting for me to acknowledge my offense AND seek Him. God promises that He WILL heal us, He WILL bind us up. Not maybe. But He will. You DO believe the Bible, don't you? It is God's word. He cannot lie.
Hosea 6:3
Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
God will saturate us with Himself IF we follow Him. To follow him means to obey His commands.
Believe it or not, I still could not figure out what God wanted from me and what it was I was doing wrong. i had pieced together some of what it was. I needed to trust and obey. Yes, Lord! I want to do that! I WANT to trust and obey You! Yet somehow I just couldn't get myself in line. The storm raged and I continued to flail about being helplessly tossed about by the crushing waves. Change me, God! I cried out to Him. Change my heart that I want what is right and good and pleasing to You!
My heart did not need changing. I already wanted to do what God wanted me to do. I simply needed to let go. As I started letting go, God's Spirit reminded me of something I could focus working on. Good! I had a starting place!
Colossians 3:9-17
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
I needed to be reminded I am a new creation in Christ. And in so being I need to let go of the old creation. Daily. Moment to moment if need be.
I am to be holy and beloved, merciful, kind, meek, longsuffering, bearing up my brothers and sisters in Christ, forgiving, charitable, and allow God's peace to rule my heart. All of which I am called to be thankful for.
I need to keep Christ centered in my thoughts, in my heart. And whatever I do and say I am to do in the name of the Lord Jesus, and thanking God.
So I have a goal now. Something to work on. God also gave me purpose for it. He knew I could not function without knowing a reason for my actions. I needed motivation.
God reminded me - IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT ME!! The storm that rages around me is not about me. God's Spirit keeps whispering to me Saving souls is more important. More important than my pity party. More important than the turmoil in my home. More important than me and my perspective of the raging storm.
As long as I allow the storm to loom larger than God in my eyes then i am allowing the storm to affect not just me, but everyone around me. How can I show Jesus if I'm too busy standing in front of the Light He gave me to let shine?!
If I let the storm distract me I am capable of clouding the light of others in my home as well. No only am I not sharing Jesus with others, but I am also hindering those of my family to show Him too. How dare I try to take His glory! How dare I step in front and try to make the storm about me! The storm has NEVER been about me, nor will it ever be.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour;
John 12:23-32, 46
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in the world shall keep it unto life eternal.
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I until this hour.
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
the people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake unto him.
Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
It is up to us to claim the peace Jesus offers. It is up to us to remember that the battle we are fighting is not about us. It is about Jesus. It is about how many we can reach out to in His name - that they too might find His peace and have eternal life at His side.
No comments:
Post a Comment