It seems like God handles some people delicately but it also seems like God handles other people harshly. When God views the souls, He considers the souls very precious. Because souls are very precious to Him, God desires to train the souls handling them in a certain way. What is the ultimate conclusion? God leads us in such a way as He handles us in a certain way so that our souls will be saved.
Repeat after me, “My soul is very precious.”
When some kind of discipline, pain, and suffering are created, we may feel suffocated because a lot of the times, we do not understand the cause and reason. But there will be a time when God will reveal the cause and reason giving us the revelation and understanding. When we are finally matured spiritually, we will understand the depth of all our ordeal. The chosen people of God will especially go through many testing and suffering. The will of God within our ordeal is to become broken. God will allow hardship because it is necessary for us to become broken and completely shattered.
If your whole family needs to be broken, God will begin to handle your whole family in a certain way. When you become very prideful and stubborn, God will also handle you in a certain way to break you.
There is another case in which God handles certain people . The other case is that God desires to show an example in faith and how blessings come.
God may say, “I will make you into a good example for others regarding faith and blessing.”
Then, God will place the burning passion within that person as He handles the person. Such person may say, “Oh, I’ve got a burning will and faith within me! I’ve never had this before!” This faith granted by God is firm.
There are people who may appear obedient. But unexpectedly, they may disobey at a critical moment. There are people who may have been disobeying in some small or big matters. But unexpectedly, they may properly choose and obey at that critical moment. When people properly choose and obey at that critical moment, they will receive blessings.
There are people who may have been obeying but at a critical moment, they may disobey. As a result, such people will fall at the end. No one knows how a person will turn out at the end. It is best for us to always be obedient. If you obey especially at that critical moment, it will be more great. As you live your lives, many big and small events will occur. Are you inheriting positiveness to the people around you and your children? Or are you inheriting negativeness? This all depends to our attitude.
My father was very much a negative person. Despite of this fact, I had always tried to see the positive characteristics and side of my father ever since my early childhood. As I grew up, I have possessed faith at an early age. I had never been to any churches. I met God in my critical moment. I encountered God with a positive mind. I having endured through much suffering and disciplining. But whenever I encountered hardship, I went through it optimistically with a positive mind and faith. When I had lived my life with such an attitude, God began to work in my life. Did your parents abandoned you? Did your father or mother not raise you with love? It all doesn't matter. God desires for you to be broken. When He desires for you to become broken, you must allow yourselves to be broken. God takes health, wealth, and many other conditions to break people. But if you resist clinging onto and trying to maintain the things that God wants to take away from you, you will be broken even further. When you are in the situation of breaking, you must be determined to be properly broken. When you are properly broken, such a brokenness will be utilized as an ingredient for blessings. It is very important for us to realize this fact.
Satan came before the Throne of God. God had stealthily offered something to Satan. God knows the characteristic, nature, attribute and the style of Satan. When Satan sees some beautiful thing or work created by God, he wants to mess it up, tackle it, burn it and destroy it. Satan, with his own self will had become prideful and corrupted. Satan wants to be glorified when he witnesses all the workmanship, authority, and power of God. When Satan sees the chosen people of God, the christians, he wants to fiercely devour them. Especially, when some christians prays fervently, he will try to destroy them. If we do not become spiritually strong and powerful, we will never be able to defeat Satan because he is a spiritual being. This is why when God comes to break you, you must firmly be determined to become broken. This way, God will make you into a vessel which God desires. You must become ashes.
Job always had a title and it was the righteous man. The people around him had honored him. “Job believed in God very well.” His righteousness was reported to God. Job was a perfect man in his era. We may all believe in God, but we all have different and unique blessing, calling, and mission. Through Job we know that every decision is made by God in the spiritual realm.
Theologically, we express God’s will as “God’s determination.” This means, God has thought of something, placed it in His mind, and determined to carry it out.
We can also say, “God has decided.” God alone decides and carries it out regardless of families, people, churches, nations and countries. There are gifts that are granted by God. There is the gift of joy but at the same time, there is the gift of suffering. When God grants you the gift of suffering, you must properly become broken. There are variables. In the end, the suffering is the opportunity to receive blessings. Suffering must not become your problem. When some kind of suffering begins, when God allows some kind of suffering, you need to change the way of your thinking.
We need to possess another perspective. The perspective that goes beyond the common people’s perspective. You need to possess spiritual perspective of faith. All people possess common perspective. They see, listen, think, make some kind of decision, speak and carry out in action. But there is a perspective of faith. The people of God must possess a perspective with spiritual ideas.
“What does God want from me?”
When some kind of event happens, you must discern whether you must handle it with common perspective or spiritual perspective. God may grant you some kind of sign or warning. When this happens, you must fervently repent and pray.
“God, why did it happened? Have you decided to prove and test me? Why so many events are occurring? God, I am still thankful. Lord, thank you so much! I am very grateful!”
Satan will reply this way, “What! Complain! Many others have complained and left God! Why are you being thankful?!”
We must possess spiritual perspective and not just common perspective.
“Why has God allowed such an event? This seem like the work of Satan, but why was it allowed onto me? I know, within such a situation, God has a plan and providence. Hallelujah!”
God proves and tests us so that we can become someone whom God has called us to be. In the end, when we are proved, God will utilize us to help many people, give proper counseling, comfort others, and train or disciple them so those people can be powerfully utilized by God. When we have such an attitude and mind, God will lead us to His will. When we are cornered, we will begin to possess a spiritual mind. When storms come and shake the tree, that tree will create texture or a pattern inside. So when you cut this kind of tree, you will see in the cut surface of various kind of texture or pattern. This kind of tree is valued more than the common trees.
Job 23:8-9 (AMP) “Behold, I go forward (to the east), but He is not there; I go backward (to the west), but I cannot perceive Him; 9 To the left (north) He turns, but I cannot behold Him; He turns to the right hand (south), but I cannot see Him.”
This statement shows us Job’s agony. When some kind of event occurs, you must put down all your excuses, defense, and blaming others. Put it all down. When we are falsely accused or wronged, we usually want to go to someone and vent it out and be comforted. When God brings us down from good circumstances to a difficult situation, because we are so used to giving excuses, we will blame others and give many reasons/excuses. We must put them all down.
Repeat after me, “Let us put them all down; excuses, reasons, and blaming.”
Get rid of such statement as, “It was because of (someone)!”
When I had visited hell, a common characteristic of those in hell was that they were blaming and holding grudges toward somebody.
“It was because of (someone)!! I am here in hell!!”
They do not think about their own sin but continue to blame others.
“Because of pastor! Because of those people in my church! Because of my parent! Because of my husband!Because of my wife!”
People who are matured desire more of the grace of God. In order to receive more grace they would put more efforts.
People in hell gnash their teeth and state, “It is all because of (person)!”
In our daily lives, many of us are doing this. If you want to go to heaven, you must not do this any longer.
Let us repeat. “We must possess the power to digest any word or action”
If you want to go to heaven, you must possess the power to digest anything in all situations. If you do not want to go to heaven, go ahead and live as you make enemies, argue, fight and cut off people so you do not see them any longer. But we all want to go to heaven, so what should we do? We must possess the power to digest. Even if you are wronged and did not do anything wrong, just apology for the sake of the other person and make peace.
“I am sorry, forgive me.”
When couples fight, wives and husbands usually demand, “You are wrong! Say that you are wrong! You apology to me! Tell me that you have done wrong!”
They want to make the other person surrender and desire to hear what they want. But, when did the Lord say we can do that?
Job could have blamed and given many excuses. But Job had kept the way of the Lord. He did not lean toward the left nor right. He did not sway when his wife spoke negatively. Some people sway when their spouses or parents say some statement. No matter who says what, you must keep your faith with a genuine heart. You do not keep your genuine faith with your own stubbornness.
Within each step, each word, each thought, and action, You must put in all your efforts not to sin. Do it as though life or death is depending on it. Every moment of your lives, when you capture an opportunity granted to you, do not ever miss it.
From the outside, a person may appear to speak always simply and easily without any complication, another person may appear to be always joking and playing around and another person may always appear to be carefree, such christians are actually always in a spiritual cautious state. Their outer appearance may even look easy from other people’s eyes and these kind of christians may appear not so serious but in reality, they are continuously strengthened inside
As I carry out the spiritual ministry, the most difficult thing i encounter every time when I overcome and gain victory with prayer are the stronger evil spirits that are sent to me and begins working. If it was not for the Lord, there is no way I could have won the battles with these powerful evil spirits. The Lord continuously leads me to obtain victory. There were time when I could not get through with my faith, will, thought and mind. I had asked help from my young children.
“Joseph and Ju Eun, please pray for me. The devil is attacking me now. I am in great distress and excruciating pain.”
In that moment of time, whenever I had visited hell and come back, I would be bedridden for a week. Even though my outer appearance looked fine, the pain in my spirit was excruciating. Physically, my teeth had gotten loosed. When I finally got well and tried to eat, I could not open my mouth. So when I had a hard time eating, my wife would help me feeding me soup. I literally became like a patient. I was not even able to go to bathroom. Worst of all, my wife and children dragged me to the bathroom and pulled my pants down. This happened almost every day. When Satan comes to devour, he will devour insanely. In the end, through this difficult process, God has raised me to cast fire all over the world. We pray and desire to receive the power and do the work of God. God will put you to the bottom and will teach you one step at a time. There is process before receiving salvation. Regardless of teachings of theology, Jesus teaches us the process of obtaining salvation with some kind of structure and sign.
Satan comes to devour us. We will have to pay the price.
Repeat after me, “We must pay the price!”
The Lord said, “The people who comes to the Lord’s church will not pay the same price that you have paid.”
Whenever the Lord appeared before me with such a statement, the Lord never had appeared to me in a powerful appearance. Jesus had appeared to me with the appearance of suffering. His whole face and body were torn with many cuts. His flesh was all shredded.
With such an appearance, Jesus said, “I died in such a way. I have suffered and sacrificed for you. I desire your determination and devotion. As you are reminded of my suffering appearance, I desire that you will endure well.”
I began crying with tears and snot all over my face. In that moment of time, I could not say a word. I just asked the Lord to kill me. As we live each week, we must become more broken and squashed. In order for a potato to be used in various ways, it has to be mashed. If a potato refuses to be mashed, it’s usage will be limited. It must be smashed good. When it is made into flour, it has to be finely filtered. Then, this potato flour will be used in various way. God is smashing and filtering us so that we can become good ingredients. When we are properly finely filtered and smashed, we will be ready to be utilized precisely, greatly, preciously, and in various different ways.
God desires more when it comes to our relationship with God. He does not desire a common church. God does not want a common ministry, common saints or common understanding. God does not desire us to just simply come attend church on Sundays, give tithe, be thankful and go home. God desires for us to have deeper understanding. Deeper understanding will not come through the simple bible study but from your spiritual battles within your daily lives when you personally fight against the evil forces. If we do not live our lives in such a way, there will be no opportunity for us to be broken. At first, Job did not have enough understanding ability for God to speak to him. Therefore, more time was required for him. He had an event that was coming which was to experience the death of his children, losing all his wealth, obtain sickness, harassment of his friends, and his wife leaving him. God observed Job’s faith. God was very interested in Job’s faith. How he spoke in all the tragic events, his reaction, and everything that he did.
Everything we do is God’s concern but at the same time, Satan is also interested. So what should we do? We must demolish whatever that interests Satan and we must impress God. We must fiercely think, fiercely battle and as we carry our faith lives in such a way, we must mature.
We do not just simply obtain understanding and realization. Job had great wealth but God desired him to obtain spiritual understanding regarding his wealth. Job had ten children and he wanted to raise them well. But he had to obtain spiritual understanding regarding his children. God desired Job to obtain spiritual understanding regarding his wife. God desired a deeper understanding. On top of that, he needed to obtain spiritual understanding regarding his friends. His friends came to Job when he was at the lowest point of his life. They first came to console him when Job was covered with painful boils. But they did not console him but instead, what they did was tease him.
They were scornful and sneering.
They may have looked like they spoke about faith but within the back of their minds were filled with other things.
“How have you became like that? Why has God has placed you in such a situation? I cannot understand.”
Their way of talking made Job to go to God. Job reevaluated and rethought about his friends.
“My friends, please let me be and go. If you have finished what you wanted to say, please leave me. There is no way you can console me.
“But he knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous]. You have no understanding on this. Your circumstances and my circumstance is different and incomparable. Now, God is avoiding me, He is hiding from me.”
God was giving him new a understanding in all areas of his life. Some people are good at only one thing and God may utilize such people with the one thing they are good at. But for Job, God had handled him in all areas, such as his family, members in his household, his wealth and with his health destroyed. Then God watched him whether or not he would make a right choice. Do we not have to act like Job if we really want to receive God’s blessing? In this coming week, with the grace of the Lord, I hope all of us spend this week with the Lord. Amen.
Pastor Kim Yong Doo
