Advance....

I have been reflecting on the past couple of years and what God has shown me in this valley - there has been so much and I am learning to be thankful and rejoice in this trial (James 1:2; 1 Peter 1:6). I have been reflecting on God’s goodness and faithfulness - how I have been praying for deliverance (Psalm 71 specifically plus NUMEROUS others) but He has been answering in a different way - He has truly done above and beyond what I have been asking or imagining (Ephesians 3:20) - revealing so much about Himself that I had not experienced before.

One of my favorite verses is Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that HE IS, and that He is a REWARDER of them that diligently seek Him.

I have asked the Lord to strengthen my faith and told Him my desire to know Him - really KNOW Him. How can I believe that HE IS if I don’t know WHO He is. I shared more about this in a much previous post. God has been faithful to this prayer but I didn’t expect Him to answer the way He did. In 1 Peter 1:7 we are told that our faith is more precious than gold or silver that perishes and our faith will often times be refined, as these precious metals are, in a fiery furnace - I didn’t want that; just the result of that. I wanted to know God as He is talked ABOUT in the Bible - such as My Deliverer, My Hiding Place, My Refuge, My Ever Present Help, My Redeemer, My Saviour, My Strength, My Rock - but I didn’t want to go through ANYTHING that would MAKE me really search Him out as such or depend with every ounce of my being that this was true - HE IS EVERYTHING HE SAYS HE IS and I HAVE to believe it - I HAVE TO KNOW IT! (See Job 42:5)

This reflection time has been going on the past several weeks and I have been amazed looking back on 2010 - even back into 2009 - and seeing my God right there with me. He is faithful - even when we are not (2 Timothy 2:13).

I started thinking about the order of events - or insights - He has given me along the way. I have believed for quite a while that the Lord wants me to declare His marvelous works and what He is done for and thru me during this time (Psalm 71:17) - that is part of the reason for this blog, Facebook updates, encouraging texts/emails to friends, etc. - it’s His story in my life and I want others to know He is there - REALLY THERE - but He is not doing NOTHING - He is doing marvelous works - I just want others to take notice - we are encountering the Living God, the Creator of the Universe, the Lover of our Souls, the Father that sent His Son to die on our behalf so we can be with Him FOREVER.

Satan wants us to feel like we are the only one’s going thru life with struggles, heartache, or pain - that there is no God to save us (Psalm 71:11) - he wants us to think we are hopeless - He comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10); but it’s not necessarily quick - he sets us up and is very patient (1 Peter 5:8), looking for an opportune time to accomplish his destruction in our lives (Luke 4:13). WE ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS - I’m not just talking about God being with us; strengthening us - but 1 Peter 5:9 says our brethren are experiencing the same afflictions in the world.

Don’t you want to know how they got thru it - or are getting thru it?

Don’t you want to hear them say God showed up - and what He did?

I DO!

I keep hearing people want Christians to BE REAL - AUTHENTIC - quit acting like we have it all together. I do believe there is truth to that, but is it maybe, because they are drowning in life - they see Christians drowning also but we won’t admit it - I think they want to know there is a God - I think WE WANT TO KNOW IT, TOO - but we are too scared and shocked to say it. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” WE DON’T KNOW HIM - DON’T HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM and WE are perishing because of it - HIS PEOPLE - and we are letting a lost world down - we are letting ourselves down - we are letting our Saviour down; who came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10) and told us to seek first His kingdom (Matthew 6:33).

This post was supposed to be about PERSEVERANCE - we need to press on - ADVANCE. That is the theme our church has taken for this coming year. That is exactly what I am praying for - to advance in my walk with God, to advance in my knowledge of Him, to advance in growing my faith, to advance in seeking His Kingdom.

I will have to share more soon!