Bending in the direction of His will!

"Something I experienced and it took some time to learn is the fact
God draws us into the desert. Once we are there He can be silent for
an intensity of time. This creates a desperate, lonely experience deep
within our heart. God’s silence can be what draws us to listen closer,
listen intently to God’s commands. Thirst in the midst of God’s silence
can create in us an overwhelming desire to be found in the favor of the
Most High God. My observation, looking back on our experience, is
the intricate design my creator put into this. God did not go off to help
someone else and forgot about me. He was their carefully tenderizing
my heart, sifting my mind, and creating in my soul an ultimate thirsting
desire for Him. He was carefully purging me of sinful tendencies,
bending me in the direction of His will."

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God is still making us!

"I came across a great statement an older believer once angrily
asked his pastor, “Why has God made me this way? The pastor
cracked a gentle smile and replied, “God has not made you-He
is still making you”. What a wise statement by the pastor. As
Believers we are all in the same process…it is in our pilgrimage through
the wilderness when God reveals who He really is and why we must
trust and obey Him. The pain and many times the humiliation we
encounter in the wilderness is when true godly character is formed.
This truth about God’s ways can escape us during these menacing
days, weeks, months or even years we find ourselves circling in the
wilderness. However, we can trust God is patiently and many times
gently molding us, while other times He is violently molding us into His
image and for His greater purposes."

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A dying thirst for God!

“As a deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for
You, O God, for the living God!” Psalm 42:1-2

"In light of this verse, we should ultimately be found to have a dying
thirst for God, His mercies, His grace, and His holiness to the point we
are panting for it until we have been filled by Him. This pilgrimage is
where the greatest desire for God grows deeper. In the wilderness we
walk alone many times only with God as our comforter, where the
refreshing water is unlimited so we can keep coming back to our Lord
for His new mercies and strength. In the wilderness it can be hot
during the day and extremely cold at night. This draws us to God for
our cooling or our warmth, and much of the time we find ourselves
exposed and vulnerable to the elements around us causing us to rely
on God for our complete shelter. Through these difficult times we must
find the desire for God to be intense. This is all by God’s design and
under His sovereign control. Each event was carefully orchestrated
together before a speck of dust was created into Adam’s body."

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God is our portion!

“May the Living God, who is the portion and rest of the saints,
make these our carnal minds so spiritual and our earthly hearts
so heavenly, loving Him and delighting in Him, and may be the
work of our lives.”

Matthew Henry, another great Puritan pastor of by gone years and
writer, who had an excellent handle on the desire of God said,

“The joy of the Lord will arm us against the assaults of our
spiritual enemy and put our mouths out of taste for those
pleasures with which the tempter baits his hook.”

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Step into His wonderful light!

"We will experience times filled with darkness, temptations to fear
and give up, attacks by our enemies, heavy burdensome tasks and
more. The seasons of refinement are not easy to endure, but each
Believer must experience a time like this in their life. Not all seasons
of life are the same, but the lessons to be learned are for God’s greater
honor and glory. Do what you can see is clearly before you and stop
worrying about what you can only see vaguely out in the future. We
do not need to be anxious about what tomorrow has for us, what lies
in the dusky darkness, but let God take care of the tomorrows while
we take one small step at a time as God lights each step of the way
for us. An old saying goes like this, “Step into the light.” As Believers
in Jesus Christ, we are to step into His wonderful light."

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God is merciful!

"God has been merciful to me in my battles with depression. I want
so much to succeed for Him and succeed for my family. However, the
pain can be unbearable at times by human standards. As days go slow
with no relief in sight, this seems to be when the battle gets very intense
and the depression starts to settle in my bones like hard concrete
deposits forming at my joints causing pain, heartache, and anxiety.
These are the moments I am reminded of by the Holy Spirit the “Lord
is my portion”…He is my sustainer and healer always. My God is my
Adonai Rofi, my healer. As I move along many times not
understanding the pilgrimage I find myself on, my comfort is in reading
God’s holy Word. His Word will remind us of the vastness of Himself,
the salvation that awaits all those who persevere to the end, the healing
that is bound up in Him and the love He has for His chosen people.
Throughout the day to the end of each day my place is to be completely
satisfied in my Lord no matter the circumstances surrounding me. God
is most glorified in my satisfaction in Him."

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The Word of God...an Antidote for healing!

"Healing comes to us in different ways as I have said before. But
in our battles against the vicious bites of Satan, God does provide an
antidote called The Word we can retreat to and feast on in order to
survive for another day and another battle. This is available to us as
Believer’s in Jesus Christ. The ultimate results are the same; God uses
His Word in us to heal us in accordance with His will and purposes
resulting in the furthering of His kingdom and His greatest glory."

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