FIERY TRIALS

A man found a cocoon of a moth and he took it home so he could watch the moth emerge from it. One day a small opening appeared on the cocoon and the man sat to watch this great event. The moth struggled for several hours trying to force its body through the little hole. Eventually it seemed like it was not making any progress and it stopped.
Out of his kindness, the man decided to help the moth. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so the moth could get out.
Soon the moth emerged but it had a swollen body and small shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth, expecting the wings would enlarge and be able to support the body which would eventually contract to its normal size.
Neither happened and instead the little moth spend the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
What the man failed to understand is that the resistance from the cocoon and the struggle the moth had to go through to fit through the tiny hole was Gods way of forcing fluid from the body into the wings so the moth could fly once free.

1 peter 5:10
God always gives you all the grace you need so you will only have to suffer for a little while. Then God Himself will build you up again. He will make you strong and steady. And he has chosen you to share in his eternal glory because you belong to Christ.

Whether you are born again or not, trouble is part and parcel of life. In fact for those of us who are born again, we are guaranteed of trouble.
When trouble comes our way, we mostly think it is because of something we have done wrong. We start asking God many questions. We never think that the trouble has come because God is getting us ready for the next season of our life. Like the moth in the cocoon, the trouble is  for the purpose of strengthening us for the next level of His glory.
Our desire most of the time is that God Would take away the trouble in our life and many times we will say Lord if you really cared then you would take away the pain that I am going through. What we fail to understand is that God has allowed the pain because He cares. Going through the pain ushers us into an even greater Arena of His glory. The pain will make us stronger giving us what we need to accommodate what awaits us ahead.
So, are you going through trials and it seems like the Lord has forgotten you?
1 Peter 4:12-13
¹² Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

James 1:12

¹² God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
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THE FIGHT IS FIXED

Have you ever watched a fight or a match that has already happened and you know the final score? There you are excited about the game and then the opposing team scores. Their fans are ecstatic as they celebrate because they are leading but as for you, you are thinking “you guys have no idea what is awaiting you in the next half.” The game moves on and just before the half time, the opposing team scores another goal and the noise in the stadium is deafening. The fans are jubilant and you would think they have already won the game.
On the other hand when you look at the fans of the team you are supporting, they seem like they have given up and they have nothing to be happy about. As for you, you are not moved and you have a big smile on your face as you enjoy your cup of tea all relaxed because you know how the match will eventually end. It matters not how many goals the opposing team scores, you know that they are not going to win.
Romans 8:28
²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose.

I always imagine what must be going on through the mind of God as He looks down on earth and sees us all anxious and discouraged. I guess many are the times he smiles and says “child, the game is fixed, if you stick with me, there is no way you can lose.”
How many times have you and I found ourselves in situations where we lament and say God why have you forsaken me? We start wondering if God cares for us and even those around us, just like the fans in the arena have nothing to shout about and no words of encouragement.
As long as the fight is not over, you and I have nothing to worry about keep pressing on.
The devil may be rejoicing because it seems like he has the upper hand at the moment and the noise from his shouts and jubilation may be getting you down.
You look at yourself and your health is going from bad to worse.
You are chocking in debts and you can see no way our while those you owe are breathing down your neck.
Your marriage seems like it is hitting rock bottom and you are almost giving up.
Drugs alcohol and immorality are tearing your family apart and you are asking God why? Because you have been serving Him the beast way you know how to.
Probably you had the last supper last night meaning you have no idea where the next meal is going to come from or for you it is not even the money because you have more than you need but you lack the peace of God and His joy.
It is very easy to get discouraged when it seems like you are losing the fight and the cheers from the opposing team don’t make it any easier.
For your information, God in heaven is not having any sleepless nights because of your situation. He says
Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

God is not worried because the fight is fixed. If you stick with Him, there is no way you are going to lose. With that kind of knowledge it is much easier to bear every blow that the enemy throws your way because you know that it is only a matter of time before the tables turn to your favor.
Don’t look at how many blows the enemy has landed on you or how loud his supporters are cheering him on.
May you have the revelation that Elisha’s servant had
2 Kings 6:16-17
¹⁶ “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
My friend, the fight is fixed and as long as you stick with God, you will still come out on top no matter how bleak the situation may look right now.
Be encouraged and keep on standing
Practical Application.
Maintain your focus on God and keep on standing. The fight is fixed there is no way you can lose!

DESPISING THE BLESSINGS

One foggy night in London, many years ago, a ragged unkempt man shuffled into a little music shop, owned by a Mr. Betts. Clutched under the man’s arm was a violin. “Will you buy this old violin from me?” the man muttered. I’m starving. I need money to buy something to eat.” “Well, I already have several violins,” Mr. Betts replied. “But I don’t want to see you go hungry. Will $5.00 help you out?” “Oh, yes,” said the man. “Thank you. Thank you.” He took the money and disappeared into the night. Mr. Betts picked up the violin, took the bow and drew it across the strings. The violin gave forth a deep mellow tone. Surprised, Mr. Betts took a light and peered into the inside of the violin. He could hardly believe what he saw. There, carved into the wood were these words: “Antonio Stradivari…1704.” Mr. Betts ran out into the street to find the old man, to pay him more for the violin. But he had gone.
I read this story and I was reminded of someone in the bible who faced somewhat of the same situation.

Genesis 25:29-34

²⁹ Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. ³⁰ He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
³¹ Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
³² “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
³³ But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

Esau did not see the value of his birthright at the time when he was hungry, but later on as you read the story, he was ready to take out his brother when he realised he had been conned of his blessing. Many times we despise the very thing that the Lord has placed in our hands because we are busy observing that which other people around us have.
Like the beggar in the story, you have something in your hand but you have no idea how much it is worth and so you continue living a miserable life. Or maybe someone else has realised the value of what you have in your hand and because you see no value in it, you are being exploited and you have no idea as to what is happening.
Many times I have also realised that the thing that God puts in your hand requires a particular environment to reap the most benefit from it. To the beggar in the streets the violin was not worth much and it could have passed off to any passerby as an old piece of junk, but in the right environment it was worth so much more!
Reminds me of a lady who did not have a lot in terms of academic qualifications but the one thing she could do well was to braid hair. Now in her neighbourhood all she got for doing that was a few coins and many times she did it as a favour to her friends and family. Eventually she got an opportunity to visit a friend in the states and she discovered that not many people could plait hair the way that she could. She began plaiting hair and she was paid huge amounts of money she could not believe it! She ended up settling there and setting up a beauty shop.
What do you have? Are you despising it like Esau? Do you even know what you have? If you do, find the right environment where your gifting is appreciated and see the blessing of the Lord overtake you and run you over!

Practical Application.
Seek to know what you have and ask the Lord to direct you to the environment where what you have will be celebrated!

HOW FAR IS FAR

A wealthy man was in need of a chauffeur so he placed an advert in the local dailies. Three applicants showed up for the interview and on meeting with them he asked them this question.
“How close to the edge can you drive without going over the cliff?”
The first man said, “a foot.”
The second man said, “A metre.”
The third said, “I always try to keep as far away as possible.”
The third man got the job.

One of the things that amaze me is that when we are still new in the faith, we are so careful about what we watch, what we read and the places we hang out because we do not want to do anything that will take us back to the life of sin that we were living. We are so careful not to even have a hint of sin near us.
Then after we have we have been saved for a while we become careless in the way that we live. We try to see how close to the edge we can drive without tipping over. That’s when we begin to ask questions like “How far is too far?” We no longer want to get as far away from sin as we can, but rather we want to see how close we can get to the sin without sinning and within not time we are in sin and we have all manner of justifications to explain our position.
How many times have you and i found ourselves justifying why we are watching a particular movie saying we are mature enough to know how to sieve the good and the bad?
Or maybe we find ourselves constantly with the wrong kind of company but we justify ourselves by saying “we know what we are doing and how else are they to be reached?”
Or we fail to tithe and give but we always come up with some fancy story to justify why we have not given.

Judges 16:16-17

Delilah started nagging and pestering him day after day, until he couldn’t
Finally, Samson told her the truth. “I have belonged to God ever since I was born, so my hair has never been cut. If it were ever cut off, my strength would leave me, and I would be as weak as anyone else.”
The Israelites were warned not to get involved with Philistine women, but i guess that did not apply to Samson. He was the strongest man that ever lived. Was he not the man who tore apart a Lion with his bare hands? Is he not the one who single handed killed 30 men and took their clothes? With the jawbone of a donkey he killed one thousand men. He was so strong, that at one time he pulled out the city gates and the posts and carried them on his shoulders, surely with all this strength, he must have thought he was exempt from all this “rules”.
Besides all this, he was also not to cut his hair. But the thing is this, Samson is messing around with Philistine women and he is still as strong as ever and soon enough he forgets the source of his strength to such a degree that he willingly tells Delilah the secret of his power and he allows her to cut off his hair. The bible says he thought he would break loose and escape just like before but it was not to be.
The same applies to you and I, the more we try to see how close we can get to the forbidden thing without getting entangled. Soon we will lose the source of our power and like Samson we will lose our vision and end up a slave of the enemy.
Practical Application.
How close to the edge of the cliff can you drive without falling over? Only you can answer that question.