Spot On With The Word

Scripture teaches us that, "ALL things work together for the good, to them that love God and to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28/29. This doesn't mean that ALL things feel good at the moment. Resistance occurs, when we make a decision or choice, and We are met by a force that desires to keep us from what I am attempting to accomplish. When we have made the choice to stand on a particular promise, we may find ourselves being pushed by a problem. If everything in life was easy, there would be no need for faith or trust. When the opposition becomes intense, DON'T RUN! LEAN INTO IT! Life will challenge us. One definition of a challenge is a duel. We are told to "Fight the good fight of FAITH!" That statement implies that there will be forces that will resist. The good news is, that we will never have to meet that resistance alone. God is with us. He is in us and He is for us.

Resistance is not always the enemy. God allows resistance to strengthen us, not to discourage us. We may incorrectly perceive, that if anything or anyone is coming against us, it automatically means we must be doing something wrong. However, it just may be a confirmation, that we are in fact, doing something right. Building physical muscle is not easy, it requires discipline and can be painful. If we are doing an exercise incorrectly, and it is too easy, we aren't getting stronger. The same principle applies to our faith. Resistance is not meant to destroy or discourage us; it is to develop us. We are being given an opportunity through the opposition, to mature. Our faith is being built. What appeared to work against us, will now work for our benefit. While the mountaintop experiences may be glorious, it is in the valleys that we grow. This is where we become as silver that is refined.

The Apostle Paul said, that as believers we are to be as living epistles, known and read by all men. We were never meant to be living, theological encyclopedias. We were to be a love letter read by others, so that they would be able to discover the goodness of God, that each individual story portrays. He has hidden the treasure of Himself in very earthly vessels. We are imperfect, fallible human beings who will never be perfect in this lifetime. It is important however, that we realize our lives matter. Our choices matter. Our decisions matter. When we get knocked down, we choose to get back up. When we have the opportunity to choose hatred, instead we choose love. We allow the Holy Spirit to recreate the biography of the life of Christ within us. This will always be our choice. The world is watching, more than they are listening.

We are all a work in progress. The only thing certain in life is change. As we submit to God, we allow Him to begin the process of transformation in our lives. God says He will transition us from one state of glory to another. The great news is that we are not in the process of transformation by ourselves. He is the One who is doing the transforming. Our part is to cooperate with him and allow that to take place. It requires submission to His will and trust that He will do what He says He will do. We will eventually become what He has called us to be and do what He has called us to do.

Have you ever felt desperate for love and approval? Have you ever felt as though you were constantly “jumping through hoops”? Just when you thought you had made the grade; you find that the hoop has been moved a bit higher! If our perspective of God is that He is a tough task master and we must constantly work for love and approval, we will eventually become exhausted and discouraged. As believers, we don’t work to earn the love of God, we do good works out of love for Him and all He has done for us. It is all about relationship!

If you understand the purpose of something, you can more easily endure the process. Intellectually speaking, we may recognize that in the end, the result will be beneficial for us. Often, however, we will “kick” at the process. We may be ecstatic in the moment, but not consider that the process is really the journey. The journey may have peaks and valleys and we will have to be mature enough to be committed to it and celebrate the victories along the way.

We live in a “microwave” society. We have been conditioned to expect immediate results. When we walk by faith, it requires that we must not focus on what we see with natural eyes. When God gives us a promise, we must learn to trust Him, even when we don’t see anything happening at all. There will be times in our lives when we must choose to trust Him, even when what we are looking at, makes no sense. We must choose to “see” with the eyes of our spirit, and trust that what God has promised, He will in fact accomplish, in His time and in His way.

Disappointments are inevitable in life. The way we respond to disappointment will always be a choice. If we are not careful, the reaction, as opposed to the response can lead us to a place of discouragement and ultimately despair. Disappointment doesn’t have to be destructive. We cannot control what happens to us in life, but we can control our response. All things are not good, but we CAN choose to place our faith in a loving God, who promises to WORK all things together for our good.

Pastor Scott shares with us that focus is not given, rather it is discovered. Two of the greatest enemies to focus are clouded or crowded thinking. We can have way too much information or not enough data to have any real clarity. We learn to govern our thoughts by choosing and prioritizing what we dwell on, or give attention to, in our minds. We are encouraged to set parameters and to guard our hearts. If it's a dream, then we embrace it. If it is a distraction, then we choose to eliminate it. Sharon and Peggy build on the importance of perspective. How we "see" affects everything in our lives. God can focus our vision when we ask Him to show us what He sees. When we do that , He causes us to rise above our circumstances and no longer be underneath them. Lord, help us to come up higher and see things from your perspective, and you will cause our lives to come into focus.

Pastor Scott encourages us to go back to the beginning in Genesis. It is important not only to recognize what God does, but to see how He does it. He paints on the canvas of chaos. He was not threated by the void and we shouldn't be either. The disarray, darkness and lack of form, didn't intimidate Him, it only motivated Him. It moved Him to action. He celebrated at each juncture. He said, "It is good!" Sharon and Peggy build upon this teaching by discussing the relevance to their lives. Beginning can be risky. You have to face fear and insecurity. The void can signal that God has created within you, the solution for a problem not previously discovered. Sometimes, you just have to drive a stake in the ground and START! A dream with no action is a fantasy. Walt Disney said, "The way to get started, is to stop talking and start doing!"