I have personally been through some of the most heart-wrenching pain I’ve experienced. The Lord brought me through it, and I believe I am a better man because of it. I have a much clearer understanding of what Jesus referred to when He told Peter that Satan desires to “sift him like wheat.” Experiences of pain and joy occur throughout our journey, but we have to be determined to keep our eyes focused on Him equally through both situations. It certainly isn’t fun, but our incredible Father watches over us, even in those moments. He knows what is in our heart. He knows what is coming in our life, and has prepared us for it if we have a heart to follow Him. He knows what plans He has for us – not for evil, but to give us an expected end. It is true. He will not give us more than we can bear. Oh, it may seem like it sometimes, but He is faithful to bring us through. I am more confident of that now than ever.
When you are going through your valley, what will you think? Would you tell God, “This is more than I can bear”? Or would you trust Him to give you the strength and the wisdom you need to endure this major trial?
Growth is a good thing, but it does bring change. We are in the midst of a lot of changes everywhere we look. We have to make room for change and growth in our lives. We have to anticipate things will be different; we have to make adjustments to accommodate the changes that growth will bring to get better.
Changes in your spirit must occur before expression of them can be seen externally. If you seek the Father to accomplish the goal(s) He has given you to do – i.e. forgiveness of your enemy, developing a desire for obedience to His Word, pathway of service in His kingdom – you must prepare for them. You must make room for the important change and growth for you to accomplish that goal. Consider also preparing for the failure you may have along the way to achieving His goal so you’re not caught off guard.
Growth is about change. But that doesn’t mean a sudden change in your innate personality or personal growth. Whatever life has thrown at you are the building blocks of growth.
The willingness to reflect on what you’ve learned, along with how and why you’ve experienced it, is a stimulus for positive change. Growth will always come when you least expect it to happen.
We have made all these promises that we will never doubt Christ and His plan again, that we will go where He takes us and, of course, these are great. Yet we must remember that these terms in themselves are just changes in our minds. If we want the fire to continue to rise, or if we really want to go where God takes us we must be prepared to begin the journey to Him, and it will definitely not be easy.
Our God is truly magnificent. He is so faithful to produce His goodness in us. Life events happen to all of us in various degrees and tests, and trials will come. The enemy will attack, and he strategizes for your failure. The testing of our faith will come daily; that’s a good thing! With the Father, we will overcome evil with good and be changed for the better in the process. Always.
Life must move forward. God seeks to establish His kingdom in the lives of people around you. Our Father is equally interested in healing your broken hearts and broken bodies as He is the next person. The healing of broken relationships and broken dreams come when we are honest and vulnerable to present them to Him as we serve His interests simultaneously. God never says no when asked to heal – although He may want to take a different path to the healing compared to how we perceived it should manifest. He is the Great Physician and always seeks to incorporate His ways of restoration into our lives. Yield to His unfolding conclusion in your moment to moment decisions and you will change into His image.
-Dr. Henry Wright
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