Thursday 16 November 2017

AFTER YOUR SUFFERING

I love Jesus and have made following Him my life’s work. As fun and amazing as it has been, it has also been an interesting journey.
I know various things brought us to Jesus. For some it was a promise of a mansion in heaven, for some the solution to their problems, for some divine healing, provisions etc. bottom line, we all came to Jesus through various routes but by one Spirit. And per adventure you are reading this and you are yet to give your life to Jesus, I want to invite you to open up your heart to Him today, He stands at the door of your heart and is very willing to come in if only you will invite Him in and profess Him with your mouth as Lord and Saviour over your soul.
I thought to encourage someone today. Someone who is in Christ and has been steadfast in Him. You have prayed and studied the word and given your tithe (no matter what some may think #topicforanotherday) and given offerings. You may have also in addition to all of these sown seeds and blessed you man of God and done good to both the needy and the poor. Never missing hospital/prison visitations, always in church for all church meetings, always available to serve in one capacity or the other whenever/wherever required. But still things don’t seem to be what they should be. You find yourself struggling to have your basic needs met. Things that should come easy are constantly a prayer point. The only reason you haven’t lashed out at God yet is because you have the fear of God in you. For some, you have even lashed out at Him but yet it seems nothing has changed.
From time to time, you receive this warm assurance in your heart that things will be fine and you make the confessions that ‘all things are working out for my good’ even when a part of you doesn’t completely see how that is even possible. You are still here and barely just hanging on.
If you find yourself in any of the categories I mentioned above or maybe I didn’t mention your case but you can relate with what I am saying, I want to share a scripture with you and encourage you today;
1Peter 5:10
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you.
I want you to know that our walk in Christ comes with a measure of suffering. But the good news is that after you have suffered but for a while, my God will Perfect (ie make completely free from faults or defect, having all required or desirable elements/qualities/characteristics; as good as you can possibly be), establish (ie set up on a firm or permanent basis, achieving permanent acceptance/recognition), strengthen (ie make or become stronger, reinforce, buttress, toughen, intensify, heighten, fortify, bolster, vitalize) and settle (ie reach an agreement, pay a debt, adopt a more steady/secure style of life, sit or come to rest in a comfortable position) you.
You are coming out of this just the way the Master wants you to be. So hold on and stand firm in faith. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
God Bless you!

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