Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Sifting and Shifting

The shift is on! God is taking us to new levels. It is exciting to sense the move of God in our midst, and to know He is moving in His church. As believers, we sometimes get stuck. Stuck in traditions, stuck in our mindsets, stuck in doing the same old things over and over, and yet expecting different results. When a fresh wind from heaven moves over us, it picks us up and carries us to new and exciting things.

The church must be on the move, we must not become stagnant. When God moves, we must move with Him. But we also need to understand that with the new shifting comes new sifting. Not everything that you carried at the last stage will go to the next one. Some things will remain behind. There will also be some people who will no longer be attached. They may be family, they may be long time friends. But when relationships get toxic, God will move them out of the way. Some will hold you back, will postpone or detour your destiny. God dealt with Abraham about this separation, and He dealt with others. Joseph went through a process that was brought on by the evil acts of his brothers, but God used it for a Divine Purpose, in order to get him to the intended place.

The process of preparation in your life is just that, it is a process. Some will abandon you, thinking you are a sinking ship. You may feel as if you are in a prison. But take heart, it is only a cocoon. It is a birthing chamber. In the pit, in the prison, in the fiery trial, God is developing you, molding you, shaping you. You are on the potter's wheel that the prophet Jeremiah spoke of.

Take heart. Change is coming. Transformation is coming. God is working on you, and He's working in you!

Snakes in the House

A man in nearby Asheville NC is being charged after it was discovered his mobile home was filled with venomous snakes, some of which there is no known antivenom, and extremely dangerous. The man had checked himself into the emergency room of an area hospital, and the investigation began. He had been bitten by one of the snakes.

As I read this story in the local news, I thought about how similar this is to real life. We often bring poisonous things into our home, with little or no regard for their danger. Our negative attitudes can be destructive to ourselves, and everyone around us. The choices of sin lead us into the pit of poison. Bitterness is another-- in fact, one of the words used to define the word bitter is to poison. Compromise, indifference toward God, ungodly lusts and habits are other dangerous snakes.

If you have "snakes in the house" you need to get them out. They will eventually bite you. They are not your friend. They are full of poison. Its time to destroy toxic relationships, and anything that can potentially kill you. This included the company you keep, the things you see on the tv screen or computer, and the relationships you carry.

Get rid of the snakes in the house before they get rid of you!