Friday, October 21, 2011

Darkness exposing light

No matter what kind of season we're going through, it will always be followed up with something tough, something great, or something to test our faith. We can't predict what's next to come, but what I've found peace in is knowing that the Lord has equipped me for whatever He is going to throw my way. I'm in a season of growth and my faith has been tested a lot with trials and temptations.. I have been living at home in my body, which keeps me away from God at times. In 2 Corinthians 5:2 Paul says that we should prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord, so we should make it our goal to please Him and not ourselves. "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking." I think it's safe to say that what our culture deems as "normal" really isn't right.. but it's so easy to buy into that when it's so socially accepted. Instead, we should fix our attention on God. We will be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around us, always dragging us down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (The Message Romans 12:1-2).

This season that I'm in has had it's fair share of spiritual warfare (that rhymed) but really, Satan has been feeding me lies and I'll just be honest.. I've bought into some.  But guess what, those lies DON'T come from God, they come from Satan, and he is completely powerless. There's so much comfort in knowing that God overpowers Satan and that the Lord only speaks truth to us. My struggles always seem to surface whenever I'm in a season of learning, and it's because I am acting as a direct threat to Satan and he wants to do everything in his power to tear me down. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come. I am a NEW creation and what's in my past is in my past - all of my trials have and will continue to turn into triumphs because my Lord is so faithful.  I know that I have been redeemed and I know that the Lord loves me just as I am, I am exactly where He wants me to be.  As Katie said tonight, "every darkness is exposing a light" and that light is God's goodness and His love shining on us and through us.
Now we know that if the earthly tent (talk about high quality living here on earth) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. ~ 2 Cor. 5:1-5
I'm learning to just be still in that, and be still with the Lord to grow closer to him with each day.  This world is so temporary, everything we do on earth should be glorifying to our Father in heaven - He has a place waiting for us in his home which is SO exciting!  Living in "now" rather than being anxious about the future is a challenge for me. I feel like my life is laid out before me at times, but luckily the Lord breaks me of that and makes sure that I know HIS plans are so much greater than my own. God truly does bring out the best of us, whether it be something simple or complex, it is all for his glory! We serve one faithful God and He is one who will never leave our side, no matter what trials and temptations come our way.

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