God moving through me is not normally an uncomfortable thing; however, the past few days He’s been throwing some HUMDINGERS my way. Remember…sometimes the lessons come when, and in a form, you least expect; what he wants when they transpire, is your undivided attention!
The above was a thought I had a few moments ago. It stemmed from some pretty intense God-filled moments that have occurred in my life the past few days. After all that my family has endured this past month, the last thing I expected was to be on the receiving end of chastisement from my Father. But, I guess he knew with the emotional state I am in, He could get my attention best by being rather direct. Abrupt is more like it. Unexpectedly so…
I was bombarded by sermons this morning that He made quite clear, were for my ears. First at home this morning via podcasts; then upon reaching church, the Lord spoke to me loud and clear: I’ve been disobedient, therefore, He did what he had to, in order to get me back on His path.
Period!
No ‘I’m sorry’, no stroking of my hair in comfort. He expects me to complete a task at hand, and is tired of waiting on me to get it done. He has removed from my life, I presume, what he considered an obstacle.
God will do whatever he needs to, in order to get us back in alignment with His plan and purpose. Just as He used Moses’ wife, Zipporah, to save his life when he was being disobedient, opting not to circumcise their son, despite being told to by the Lord. The Lord was ready to kill Moses and she knew this, so she did what he wouldn’t and cut the foreskin from their son. (Exodus 4:25) Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”
God will always find a way to get our attention and get us back in alignment with his plan and purpose. We have to be receptive. Today, my pastor led a sermon specifically about this topic; he relayed to us, three ways we get derailed from God’s plan for our lives:
- by underestimating the power of His plan
- by misunderstanding the purpose of His plan
- by refusing to go through the process of the plan
When we do not adhere to God’s vision that’s when our lives start to go askew! This made much sense to me after pondering and discussing it with another faith-filled Believer. You see, all of what came upon me the past few days, did so after I’d been in prayer, asking the Lord to reveal what is causing me to stay in bondage, in a particular area of my life. Be careful what you pray for…I sensed His being discontented with me by the strong message I received. The reoccurring message that He seemed to be POUNDING into my head, as though it was my final warning to get back on task or else, was brutal! Yikes… I never realized how disobedient I was being in His eyes.
I was so distraught by this revelation (for anger toward God in my heart, of disobedience and to what extent) that all I could to was sit and weep. I was moved to ask for His forgiveness over and over. When I tried to stand He literally took my legs from beneath me and forced me back down into my seat, making me immobile for a few moments. I could not sing, move, think…just be still and receive Him deep into my heart, mind and spirit.
Then to top it all off, to see if I learned from the experience…as service ended, He gave me a message to relay on His behalf to a lady in the congregation. And, YES, I absolutely delivered it with love and tenderness. I pray she received it in the way it was intended.
The lesson my dear friends is this: Do God’s will in your life (if known) for if you do not, He just may stop you dead in your tracks and take away the blessings promised to you, until you proceed. Why? Because we belong to Him, we purpose for Him and we are to serve Him with all of ourselves and give Him all he requests. To all things there is a purpose under heaven…
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, And a time to heal;
A time to break down, And a time to build up;
A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, And a time to lose;
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
A time to tear, And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
He has shown me that my time to keep silent is over; it is now time for me to speak, to testify, to what exactly He has done in my life. Through this HE will minister to and save the lives of others.
Dear Lord, I pray now for that strength you promise in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I ask for your grace and mercy, for the forgiveness and understanding of others whose lives I may put on display and do so for your Glory. I pray to be used as an example of what you offer those whom you call to be your own. Thank you Lord, Jesus for entrusting me with such a precious witness as this and for giving me the boldness in which to carry out your plan, accordingly. Thank you for breathing new life into this sinner!