Your faith and belief MUST move from your head to your HEART. There are many "surface" Christians out there. How to do you get your faith and belief moved to your heart? It is a road of suffering. It is through suffering, humility, and breaking you will find the HEART of God. If we are to to enter the Kingdom of God and share in His glory we must share in His suffering.
Romans 8:17(AMP)And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.
Many do not realize that God allows circumstances in your life to prove you. It is allowed to purge you. It is allowed to determine whether your lip service is not just lip service and cliche of verses but your birth is from God. For scripture says, if you are born of God, you will Overcome! We must understand He is in control and what is allowed in our lives have purpose. But many are too busy attempting to get out of their difficult situations. Many are attempting to pray out of their situations. This is the wrong prayer. You must pray to overcome. You must pray not to give land back to the enemy! You must pray so you are able to hold your ground and possess it until the Lord returns or whether you go to Him first. You see, staying and holding your ground is not an easy feat. It is very painful. It is a time when your flesh is crucified. It is a time of testing. It is a time of spiritual beating. It is a time of dying to one self.
In the old days, they had to melt down steal or other metals in a terrible furnace of fire to remove the impurities. It is with gold as well. It must be melted down to remove the impurities. Then the steal or whatever metal they were using had to be beaten into shape in the heat. Then within time, as the potter/blacksmith beats the metal with the heat forms it into a Beautiful Sword. You are that beautiful sword. A sword to be part of His end time army in these last days. Will you let HIM finish? I know it hurts. I know you want to run. I know you want to be comfortable but if you run, you are running from HIS WILL!!! Do you not understand brethren? Death for life! Do you not understand? What do you think He means when He says "My ways are Higher?" He will use all circumstances for His Glory and to purge you. There is a lesson or message in all your circumstances. The basic question you must ask is, 'Why are You allowing this, Lord?'
1 John 5:3-5 For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).4For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.5Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?
If you run to comfort, you are running to religion. If you run from the pain that is required to break you, you are changing roads from the narrow road to the wide road. You must overcome! A few years back, God impressed a question on me. If we do not overcome our situations, we better ask ourselves if we are even born of God!! Or was it all lip service!
Many of you need to prepare to step out of your comfort zone. Many of you need to ask the Lord to break you or further break you. Many of you need to ask the Lord to take you lower and lower. But many are too afraid to ask such a request from the Lord. Why? Because it will cost you. It will cost you your comfort. It may cost you everything you possess. It may cost you your life. Do you know it is a hard thing to ask God for such a thing? How many of you have asked Him to break you further knowing you it will come at a very high cost? But you must ask!! It is the road to Life! Either volunteer now or it will be all taken involuntarily from you! Dark and difficult days are coming. Persevere and pass your tests now or be severely tested later.
God allows our faith to be assaulted. Otherwise, pride, ignorance, comfort, complacency, etc may set in. But when your faith is assaulted, will you continue to press forward even though you may no longer feel He is around you? Will you continue to go forward all the way? Will you go for broke even though you may not sense He is around you? Or will you give up? Stop speaking word of defeat!!
There may be periods or seasons when you do not feel or hear Him. There may be periods or seasons when He showers you with His gifts and presence. But most importantly you must move forward and continue to press into Him. Know when you suffer, you may not always feel Him around you but it is when He is watching you most closely. Will you suffer for Christ? Even in life, it does not matter how you start but more importantly how you finish. Many with high expectations start and run a marathon, but how many really finish?
Continue to press into Him. Continue to pray, read, and worship. Continue to move forward. Spiritual breakthroughs and blessings come at the end. There is always an appointed time for everything. It does not come overnight. It may take a life time to bring you into spiritual maturity. Do not rely on what is happening in the physical realm. He is teaching you to move in faith!!!
1 Peter 4:13 (AMP) But insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].
All the Glory to HIM
Fire of God!!
Steve Yong Kim
*tears*
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