HUGE HARDSHIP PRECEDES HUGE BLESSINGS

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The Plight of the Israelites

Recently, I saw a new version of The Ten Commandments movie I had not seen before. The harsh conditions the Israelites had to endure were vividly portrayed in a way that helped me to be able to empathize with the difficult situation they faced when they left Egypt. I began to see the huge burden Moses had to bear in order to lead millions of people to the Promised Land. Imagine millions of people in the desert with no shelter. No running water. No food. No toilets. No beds. They were truly “roughing it.” When I thought about it, maybe I might have been out there complaining myself because I don’t like camping at all. But no matter how rough things got, God still expected them to trust Him for a better tomorrow based on what He had done in the past. He also required them to have a thankful attitude and not complain about their situation. He expects no less from us.

God Must Prepare Us

Granted, God’s people were in a bad situation in Egypt. Their plight got progressively worse when they left Egyptian bondage and entered the wilderness. They were put in a position where they had to trust God and heavily depend on Him for EVERYTHING. God was, indeed, taking them somewhere, they were on their way to a better place, and things would get better. However, God had to prepare them for the blessing they would receive in the future so that they would not turn away from Him once He bestowed the blessing of the Promised Land. Thus, he allowed huge hardship for the purpose of preparing them for a huge blessing that was in their future. Likewise, when we are going through our own rough times, we must be aware that we, too, must be prepared by God, lest we stray and lose our connection with Him as soon as we get what we want.

The Hardship/Blessing Pattern in the Word

This pattern of huge hardship before huge blessing is repeated time and time again in the Word. You probably are familiar with these examples:

1)      Jacob grieved heavily over the perceived death of his son, Joseph, and then wound up in the midst of a famine. He ended up living in the land of Goshen with his favorite son being head of the nation of Egypt.

2)      The Israelites wandered in the wilderness and endured hard times before they finally crossed over and inherited the Promised Land.

3)      Job lost his family, health, and wealth before God gave him twice what he had to begin with.

4)      David was rejected by his family, pursued by Saul relentlessly, and had to hide in caves before he finally became the King of Israel.

5)      Ruth’s husband died before she married Boaz, and she ultimately became a rich woman.

6)      Jesus suffered, bled and died on the cross and then went to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.

These examples show us how God operates. Suffering will be rewarded with blessing if you only believe.

Your Hardship Will Be Worth It

So if you are going through hard times right now, remember, a huge blessing is in store for you. Let the above examples from the Word fuel your faith, solidify your resolve to endure hardship like a good soldier, and help you focus on the joy that is set before you. You may have to wait patiently for what God has promised you, but if you just hang on, He will make sure your time of suffering is well worth it by allowing huge blessings to follow huge hardships every time.

What has God done for you lately that exemplifies this principle of blessing followed by hardship? Please leave a comment below.

 

P.S.  I’d love your help spreading the word about my book, Oasis for My Soul: Poems and Inspirational Writings for Spiritual and Personal Growth. Click here to find out ways you can help.

Would you like to receive your FREE e-chapbook entitled, Your Faith Has Made You Whole: Poems and Inspirational Writings for Spiritual Transformation, by Tracey L. Moore? Go to www.traceylmoore.com and subscribe to the email list.

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Take a trip down a spiritually poetic trail, and dare to become your best for Christ.

 

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A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DOESN’T EQUATE TO A KINGDOM SHUTDOWN

Photo courtesy of vitasamb2001

I was talking to one of my girlfriends about the government shutdown. God is in control, and He allowed the U.S. Government to be shut down. We brainstormed several reasons that God would allow such a thing to happen:

1. Some believers need a wake-up call to help them to remember that God is their Source and not their job. The Bible tells us in I Timothy 6:17, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” God is the only financial security that we have, and when we start to believe otherwise, God is obligated to set us straight.

2.  Some believers will need the shutdown to make them see how vitally important it is to run their finances by kingdom principles. When they lose income and see that they do not have any emergency savings, they will begin to question the way they are doing things financially. Maybe they didn’t pay their tithes. Maybe they lived beyond their means. Perhaps God had been speaking to them to change their course, but His promptings were ignored.  The shutdown may be just what is needed to help those individuals to make a permanent change in the way they handle their finances and jolt them into becoming good stewards.

3. Some people who have not yet accepted Christ need something that will push them over the edge and make them run to Jesus asking, “What must I do to be saved?” God will orchestrate the circumstances so that they will see their need for Him. Therefore, the shutdown may be just the catalyst that is needed to make an unbeliever see that they cannot make it in this life on their own. Perhaps they will finally surrender to the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Remember, whether you fall in any of the above categories or not, God is in control. Regardless of what the U.S. Congress does, God is in control. Just because the U.S. Government shuts down does not mean the Kingdom will shut down. If you are a believer, you are a part of the Kingdom, and you are in a different economy. The “economy” of the Kingdom will never fail to thrive.

For example, in the book of Exodus, when God sent the plagues to smite the Egyptians, the children of Israel in the land of Goshen were not exposed to any of them. The same principle applies to the children of God today. You can be in the midst of a bad economic situation and still be safe financially when you are in the Kingdom. Know that God will take care of you and meet your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Your job is to trust God to counteract the maneuvers of Congress and make everything work for your good.

What are your thoughts about the U.S. Government shut down? Please leave a comment below.

P.S.  I’d love your help spreading the word about my book, Oasis for My Soul: Poems and Inspirational Writings for Spiritual and Personal Growth. Click here to find out ways you can help.

Would you like to receive your FREE e-chapbook entitled, Your Faith Has Made You Whole: Poems and Inspirational Writings for Spiritual Transformation, by Tracey L. Moore? Go to www.traceylmoore.com and subscribe to the email list.

Find me on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/TraceyLMoore2012

Follow me on Twitter:  @TraceyLMoore1

Take a trip down a spiritually poetic trail, and dare to become your best for Christ.

GO FISH! GOD HAS ALREADY FILLED THE POND!

 

I was listening to Creflo Dollar the other day on TBN. He said we should stop trying to get God to do what He’s already done. He used the analogy that God has already put the fish in the pond, but we have to use our faith, “the fishing pole,” to get what has already been done for us. This includes healing, deliverance, or any of God’s promises. They already exist in the spirit realm, “beneath the surface of the water,” so to speak.

Initially, I began to think, if faith is the fishing pole, which includes the line and the reel, then hope must be the hook. If you have ever been fishing, and had a fish to bite, you probably got a rush of excitement. The fish wasn’t in the boat yet, but you rejoiced in the possibility. The hook was instrumental in your being able to feel that tug on the line. When you feel the tug, then you get hopeful that you will be eating that night. Therefore, to get what God has appropriated, we must make sure we have a hook. How can you catch fish without a hook? Therefore, keep hope alive.

Secondly, If hope is the hook, then the worm on the hook is our confession. The worm is the bait which draws the fish. Your confession draws “stuff” to you either for good or for bad. If you have a negative confession, you will draw negative events into your life. If you have a positive confession you will draw positive events. Let’s keep a positive confession so that we can draw those blessings to us that God has stored up for us.

Finally, fishing requires that we take action. Faith without works is dead.  When we fish, we must put the worm on the hook. We must drop the line in the water. We must reel in the catch when the fish takes the bait and bites down on that hook. Therefore, if we have faith, let us move out in what we believe. Let’s make preparations for what we believe God will do for us.

It’s time to “Go Fish,” Beloved. God has promised to meet every one of your needs. He has already filled the pond with everything that you will ever need spiritually. He will do His part if you will do your part. Bait that hook, drop that line, and reel in the biggest blessing you can imagine. You may have to fight with that big fish for a while, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can and will get that fish in the boat and enjoy a satisfying meal, courtesy of God, Jehovah Jireh, Himself.

 

What are you “fishin’” for these days? What are you believing God to do for you? Leave a comment below.

 

P.S.  I’d love your help spreading the word about my book, Oasis for My Soul: Poems and Inspirational Writings for Spiritual and Personal Growth. Click here to find out ways you can help.

Would you like to receive your FREE e-chapbook entitled, Your Faith Has Made You Whole: Poems and Inspirational Writings for Spiritual Transformation, by Tracey L. Moore? Go to www.traceylmoore.com and subscribe to the email list.  

Find me on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/TraceyLMoore2012

Follow me on Twitter:  @TraceyLMoore1

 

 Take a trip down a spiritually poetic trail, and dare to become your best for Christ.