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WORD FOCUS: A MAJOR FACTOR IN DISCOMFORT

WEDNESDAY 12TH SEPT., 2018

WORD FOCUS: A MAJOR FACTOR IN DISCOMFORT
TEXT: James 1:2-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience…..”

We shall look at two broad words here; DESERT and OBSCURITY. What do they mean literally? A desert is a large area of land that has very little water and few plants growing on it. While the latter is a state in which somebody or something is not well known or has been forgotten or rather dark. These can represent trials and temptation in our lives. Some form of difficulties or pressure either from the world or Satan that God uses to try and prove our faith and develop in us perseverance and godly character. Notice carefully how the process took place through those years of desert learning, because it is the same with you and me among many other ways (Moses). God must break through several hard, exterior barriers in our lives before He can renovate our souls. His persistent goal is to break through to the inner person. As David acknowledged, “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom” (Psalm 51:6).

What are those resistant layers in our hearts, and how does He break through to that hidden part? First, He finds pride and He uses the sandpaper of obscurity to remove it ever so gradually. Then He finds us gripped by fear–dread of our past, anxiety over our present, and terror over what may lie ahead–and He uses the passing of time to remove that fear. At some point, we learn that things aren’t out of hand at all; they’re in His hand. He next encounters the barrier of resentment–the tyranny of bitterness. He breaks down that layer with solitude. In the silence of His presence, we gain a fresh perspective, gradually release our cherished rights, and let go of the expectations that held us hostage. Finally, He gets down to the basic habits of living, he penetrates our inner person, and there He brings discomfort and hardship to buff away that last layer of resistance. The reason for all these is that He might renovate us at the very core of our being. Jesus walked through the desert first. He felt its heat. He endured its loneliness. He accepted its obscurity. He faced down Satan himself while the desert winds howled.
Reach for the hand of your Guide! He is Lord of the desert. The most precious object of God’s love is His child in the desert. If it were possible, you mean more to Him during this time than at any other time. You are as the pupil of His eye. You are His beloved student taking his toughest courses. While testing you, He loves you with an infinite amount of love. . Amazingly, you can be sure He will never, ever forget or forsake the one who follows Him across the sand. That is, if you will allow perseverance to take its course and finish its work. Capture James admonition in Chapter one verse four which says, you become mature and complete and not lacking anything- living victoriously.

MEDITATION: Job 23:10-11, Rom 5:3, 1Pet 1:6

STUDY THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 SAM 31/1 COR.13/EZEK.12/PS.37

©Godhead Interdenominational Ministry

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