Solitude with the Father

Bravery means being alert in all circumstances. The enemy the Devil prowls around like a hangry lion. Yes, a hangry lion. He is stealthy. His mouth drips salavia hoping to find me and use the weakness I have to bring me down by the neck.

One of the Holy Spirit’s jobs is to alert me to situations, people within the enemy’s pride to influence me in the ways of the world. Or emotions which the enemy can smell in a weakened moment.

Since the Holy Spirit can and will alert me if I am willing, I have the ability to stand my ground and the enemy will fail. Unfortunately, a injured animal can be more dangerous. The second round may cause me to be so full of fear it paralyzes me to do anything or to give up because it’s hard and lay down in surrender.

The enemy is not just the spiritual one, but we can do enough damage to ourselves, through choices, negative self talk, etc. It’s why it’s important that we are in the word everyday and being in touch with our Heavenly Father through prayer.

Through the word we learn what He is capable of. What we are capable of in Christ. We are capable of standing firm and having love in all that we do whether it be a hard situation within the home, work, school or in the community. We have a Heavenly father who cares for us. That He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort and alert to the tactics of the world both earthly and spiritually.

Today I chose to stand firm and be alert. Will you join me?

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men be strong. Le all that you do be done in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NASB)

Let me tell you a little secret about myself. Ready? I hate waiting, especially when it concerns spiritual growth or purpose, for myself and others.

I feel like a child at Christmas and the expectation of what was to come, boiled over. I couldn’t wait for my parents to get up. The only problem was I had to wait for seven o-clock, have breakfast, read the Christmas story then.. it was present time. It was hard. Really hard. Not much has changed with my own children. I can’t wait for them to get up so we can open the presents. I want to see the smiling faces as the open them up.

I think it takes more strength and courage to wait for the Lord to move and give the next step than to do what He asks. This is especially the case when it comes to the fact I know what He wants me to do, however, other things have to happen first in preparation, that I don’t even know about. I’m in that stage now.

I want the prep work done NOW!. I want my prayers answered NOW! I want the next step NOW! I forget that the preparation to do the job is just as important as the job itself.

In the end, God’s timing is perfect. For our part waiting on the Lord takes courage. How? Because we have to learn to pull back and be content in the waiting. Continually praying for the next step. It takes more courage then I have at times. But then again the courage comes, knowing He is in control of it all.

So here I am, determined to wait on Him, with courage, steadfastness and strength. I will also rejoice when I see the little workings of Him who gave me the purpose in the first place..

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage, Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 (NASB)

Deuteronomy 31:6,8 (NASB) states, “Be strong and courageous do not be afraid or tremble, at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

2020 will not be a year forgotten any time soon. If I could describe it with one word I couldn’t. There have been deaths, devastation, sickness, anxiety, isolation (in more ways then just COVID-19), fear, doubt, loss of dreams. Yet, Deuteronomy says the Lord will go ahead of you, be with you not fail or forsake you. That’s hard to see when everything around me seems to be going down hill faster and faster with no bottom in site.

This verse reminds me of the song that came out recently “Waymaker: “Even when I don’t feel you working, you never stop working.” (Michael W. Smith) For years I have felt God has given dreams and pulled them out from underneath like a magician who pulls the tablecloth out from under the dishes. Except in this case all the dishes came with it crashing to the ground.

As I’ve gone through years of healing I am realizing that all the hurts, new skills, and growth are just dots connecting to make one beautiful dream, God has already purposed for me.

God makes ways where there weren’t any. He is always walking the path with me. Even now as I have started a new path of healing. He has a purpose.

He is the light in the darkness. He will bring the next right step into the light. Not only for the moment but it will work toward that purpose.

I don’t have to be discouraged or disheartened. I don’t even have to be terrified about the next part of the journey. He is walking with me through this life. Why? Because He is at the end of it. He knows how to get through the maze. He promises it will be beyond all I could think or dream of.

How about you? Are you experiencing hopelessness, purposelessness, joylessness, loneliness, or feeling like God has failed and abandoned you? Take heart dear friend, He has a purpose for you, and He will not abandon the work of His hands.

Finally, it was time to learn the throwing wheel (potter’s wheel) in class.  Let me just say up front – it’s not as easy as it looks.

As the professor showed us a demonstration, he made an interesting comment.  “The hands are strong, but it requires a gentle touch. Let your body guide the hands, in what they‘re doing.”  He went on to say “That one’s arms rest on the knees and the body is the one that leans into the clay.”

God is mentioned as the potter in Scripture. (Isaiah  64:8) He has all-surpassing power, yet when he molds me, His touch is gentle.

My life can turn at a dizzying pace like the throwing wheel.  I don’t even know which end is up, half the time.  There are times when I feel like the Potter is crushing me yet never once does He take me down to my original state.

What feels like crushing pressure is His body moving toward me to grow me.  There has to be some pressure to change the clay. It’s my faith and trust that is being pulled and stretched.

There are times when I made a bad decision, and I become wobbly and off center.  The Potter then pushes down ever so slightly to get me centered again.  Never so much as to become flat and unworkable or in a sense of losing salvation, but enough for me to get back on track, in order to be molded.

I noticed over the past year there were times if He pressed any more I felt would be flattened. I’ve said, “I can’t take anymore.”  However, the pressure continued.  His hands are always in contact with the clay.  Every so often, He uses His Spirit (water) to soften me up a little, because I’m too dry to work with. Then suddenly I find myself being pulled up straight, sensing the growth that was occurring.  A vessel was emerging, a beautiful vessel.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

   2 Corinthians  4:7-10 (NIV 84)