Wednesday...January 25, 2017

Hello everyone! I pray that your day is going well and that you are truly feeling the presence of God, as you walk through your day! Let me ask you a question, as we begin…are you experiencing a fragile heart today? Do you feel as though the weight of your circumstance has crushed you? In II Corinthians 4:8-12, we read… “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, (9) persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (10) We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (11) For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. (12) So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”
 
I’ve learned over time that a fragile heart that has been attacked with a circumstance is not a sign of weakness or a life that’s been defeated but rather, it’s a life that is serving a purpose. How could we encourage others, if first, we never experienced pain and heartache? How could we hear the voice of God within our spirits, if first, we weren’t humbled down to His level, through these moments of affliction? God never allows a circumstance to enter our lives, unless He knows it will serve a purpose.
 
Just like the verses say...we may feel as though every part of the circumstance is surrounding us, while we feel trapped in the center of our problem but even in the midst of our circumstance, we are never crushed or destroyed. We may feel that way at times but we are still pressing on every day, as we continue to allow God to use our difficulties for ourselves and for others around us. Even though our moments of adversity can allow us to feel struck down, we are never destroyed because God places a boundary line around any circumstance He is using and not even the greatest forces of evil can cross that line.
 
We can feel as though we are constantly being given over to the hand of death…as though we will never see the light of God’s presence again but we must remember that God is allowing these moments; that His light may shine through the dark and difficult moments. The question we need to ask ourselves is this; are we allowing God to use the circumstance or are we fighting His will, by allowing ourselves to walk away from His presence, only to wallow in a dark pit of despair? The circumstance will never be able to serve the purpose God desires, until we are willing to humble ourselves to God’s level and trust Him for the answers.
 
As I began this writing today, my eyes were drawn to the last verse of our reading, which says… “So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” In other words…death, which represents the evil work that is coming against us, is always trying to destroy us but the hope we find in this verse, is that life is also at work within us, which is found in God and He is more powerful than any powerful force of evil that may attempt to take us down. Trusting in God and allowing Him to work within us, during these difficult times, will give us hope and a new strength that will carry us on wings of love, through any trying moment of adversity we face. Trust Him today; for His powerful presence will never let you down!
 
May we all find the strength to walk in God’s footsteps, rather than allowing the circumstance to lead us further away from a God we need so much, while facing the difficulties of life.
Blessings on your day…
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
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