Saturday 18 March 2017

The God of process


God likes to work through process.

Acts 13 vs 21 tells us that he gave them Saul son of Kish and verse 22 tells us that He made David their king. Please note the difference: gave and made, these are two different things.

Through process, God makes those who are fully submitted to Him, perhaps reading this you are a child of God going through something and have heard the phrase "don't waste your trials" but never fully understood what people mean when they say that. In your trials i.e. situation or circumstances that God allows you to find yourself, I would like you to know that God is doing something. He is making you into something - someone far more finer than you could have tried to fashion yourself - one who is better equipped to carry the weight of His glory.

It was said about D.L. Moody when he was invited to hold an event in England, that someone protested saying “Why do we need this Mr. Moody? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” But somebody else wiser rose and responded, “NO, BUT THE Holy Spirit HAS A MONOPOLY ON Mr. Moody.”

Does God have a monopoly on you? God is looking for children that He can have a monopoly on, fully submitted, He is looking for children who can carry the weight of His assignment and glory. And He knows that to do that, he needs to get somethings OUT of us and somethings IN. Often we like to focus on the things in (the blessings etc), however we need to think of the things OUT (those habits and character flaws that do not glorify God, which will have a hard time co-habiting with the Holy Spirit and the weight of God's glory). So, when having a diva or divo moment' I must confess to some of those thinking "I am a celebrity, Lord, get me out of here!" Think for a moment instead, Lord why am I here, what are you trying to say? Paul said I besot Him 3 times to remove this messenger of satan sent to torment me but He said to me - my grace is sufficient for you - for my power is MADE PERFECT in weaknesses!

So, do u have this obnoxious person in ur life? ur office? or are you in a situation u'd rather not be in? Perhaps it's time to stop focusing on those obnoxious people and stuff, instead to face Papa God and say Lord what are you trying to say or get out of me during this time? Paul talked to God about His circumstance - that messenger of satan, why don't you turn your face to the wall and talk to God about yours?

Sometimes these things are permitted in order to perfect your character; could be patience, could be growth in love, could be learning a higher level of dependency on God as a lifestyle as you look to Him to get through the day and for direction to navigate the troubled waters or seasons.

Jesus said be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect. God is looking to perfect you so He will work through a process; for the ones He makes - there is a always a process, there are schools of learning, changing and perfecting.

The ones He gives like Saul - these simply have things their way; no authority of God over them, its their way or the high way - they have ejected God out of their process and then He lets them be. The worst thing is for Him to let you be!

The one He makes - He chastens, He moulds, He chisels, He is active in their life's process, an active ingredient and agent. He is not a cash machine or just a guardian angel, He is Father, He is Abba, He is looking, He is moving stuff around to chisel them and fashion them out so that they can look so much better.

Let no man deceive you - God Almighty is a God of process! He can flick things on by the snap of His finger if He wanted to but He because He pays attention to detail, when He thinks we need to go through the school of hard knocks - He will send us there to knock some sense & character into us and some lack of out of us.

I remember my mum leaving me behind in boarding school - she was in tears and came back to say good bye at my window approximately three times. However she didn't take me home with her although it was painful for her, she left me in school because she knew it was good for me... same with God.

Often we look for abracadabra but God looks for a process.

Now today I charge you, not me but Him - ask Him - Lord what are you trying to teach me today and how do I learn? I am not going to tell you that the processes are always easy but I will tell you that you must allow them drive you to your knees in prayer and time spent with God - you are going to get so intimate, you are going to know Him better; such that no one needs to tell you before you know this thing gives Him pleasure, that thing does n't etc because you have spent the time in His presence staying close enough to His heartbeat to understand who He is, what He likes, what He wants, what He doesn't want. You can only find these out in INTIMACY, it is in the secret place with God that you can become that person who can better carry the weight of His glory and it is through some of the things you experience that you learn to develop a higher level of dependency on Him, if you let them drive you to Him.

Psalm 51:8 says: "Lord let me hear joy and gladness and let the bones that you have crushed rejoice"

Shepherds crush the bones of the sheep who keep running away from the flock and become prone to wolf or bear attacks to teach them to stop running, David wrote the Psalm in his shepherd language, its about the process.

Who crushed the bones? It was The Shepherd, God Himself.

Leonard Ravenhill said "The law of spiritual progress goes like this: Process then crisis, followed by a process then crisis, ad infinitum"

Behind every process is a God of LOVE, a Father caring - peering behind the scenes to see that you are perfected that you may experience more of Him for therein lies true fulfilment.