Beloved One... that is a good thing... but we need to understand we are in a battle.
We need to put on the whole armor of God. What for? So we can learn how to die.
Everything God Loves... He put's to death—first Jesus Christ, and then all others—
in order that we might become one with Him and identify with His death. I suppose
I had mistakenly believed that God would test us only to the brink of disaster, but
would never push us over the edge. I discovered instead that Christ led the way to
the cross for all of us, because He does not ask us to endure what He Himself was
not first willing to endure. He died, not so that we could avoid death, but to teach us
how to die with meaning and purpose.
James 1:2-4 . . . “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations [trials]; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience; But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
When God tested my faith, I did not pass the test—I just passed away. All of my
own faith was burned up in the fiery trial, and all that remained was His Word and
the faith of Jesus. The brutal truth was that my faith was insignificant to the plan
of God. My faith established nothing. He brought me down to the place of total
despair, where I did not have the strength to “name it and claim it.” All His promises
to me were established purely on the strength of His word, regardless of what I did,
regardless of my faith, and regardless of my claims. All He required of me was to die
and get out of the way. He did all things by the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11).
I have no boast of faith. I can only boast of the greatness and love of God.
I became a new person, a new creature in Christ experientially, not just doctrinally. I
came to realize that I am not here to manifest my faith, but simply to bear witness to
the works of God, which I see and hear. More than anything else, I now know by hard
experience that Rom. 8:28 is true.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
God does not hate those He disciplines; He disciplines because He loves His children
and intends to refine them as silver and gold to replace our dross with His Divine Nature.
He intends to bring forth a people in His Image, that they might rule and reign with Him,
and that they might in turn teach others how to die, following Jesus to the cross.
Though God's disciplines can often be quite severe, making us want to run away from Him,
we will love Him in the end, for He disciplines us to bring us into maturity, capable of
knowing His own agape love.
So, I said that to say this Beloved One, you are right where God want's you to be, and you
will appreciate God's chastisement when He has finished His Work in you. Look up for your
redemption draweth nigh.
Logabe
