#SpreadTheGospel

“Pain is a beautiful memory that brings me closer to God.” ~Brenden ‘Praise’ Ledwaba

Brenden wrote those words as he reflected on the loss of his mother and how that pain drew him to complete recording music after he’d been stuck doing so for quite some time. He harnessed his grief and turned it into musical expression.

Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8–10, that, ‘We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed…we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely ONLY on God, who raises the dead. And He did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again.’ (NLT Version)

For Paul, what looked like the end of the road was just the beginning of a fresh infusion of God’s power and favor into his life. As a result, he went on to say that through it all he learned not to trust in himself, but in God ‘who raises the dead.’

It’s when your plans look dead that God’s resurrection power begins to operate in your life in greater measure. As long as you have God as your Heavenly Father, the Word of the Lord to stand on and faith in Christ to activate it, you have every reason to rejoice!

In his devotional, “More than Happy: The Secret to Joy when Life Hurts”, the author, Scott Savage, narrates a scientific anecdote on how the wind and its gusts, strengthens trees to be sturdy. He then draws parallels to how God uses adversity to strengthen our spiritual muscles. Read below:

There’s a fascinating story about Biosphere 2 in Tucson near the University of Arizona. Scientists created a miniature version of our planet to study how the planet’s living systems work. In the biosphere, trees grew faster than they would in the wild but wouldn’t completely mature. Before the trees could mature, they would collapse.

Later, scientists discovered the reason for the tree collapse—the lack of wind in the biosphere. Wind plays a significant role in a tree’s life. The presence of wind makes a tree stronger, enabling it to mature and withstand its weight.

When plants and trees grow in the wild, the wind keeps them moving. This wind causes stress in the wooden load-bearing structure of the tree. To compensate, the tree grows something called “reaction wood” or “stress wood.” This stress wood has a different structure and can position the tree where it will get the best light or other optimum resources. Without the wind, the trees die!

Similarly, the adversity we face strengthens us in ways comfort never could.

God uses adversity to make us more like Jesus. What if the very thing you’re asking God to remove from your life is what He’s using to make you more like Christ? 

Reading Genesis 15:13 reminded me that even when things get tough or things don’t go as I thought they would, that God had planned for it to happen that very same way. 

“And [God] said to Abram, Know positively that your descendants will be strangers dwelling as temporary residents in a land that is not theirs [Egypt], and they will be slaves there and will be afflicted and oppressed for 400 years. [Fulfilled in Exod. 12:40.]”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Enslavement is not something a people would look forward to, but it was written that they would go through it. God knows the beginning from the end, so when I think something should have gone the other way or that something bad that happened to me could have been subverted, it was its time to happen to me. God knows why.

Trusting God doesn’t mean tension disappears. It means you don’t let tension drive you away from Him. The most courageous faith sounds like: “God, I don’t understand this, but I’m still with You.” Real trust requires honesty.

The Holy Spirit has been encouraging me through this season of pruning. Paul asked God to take away the thorn in his flesh but it was through his unpleasant experience with the thorn, that he learnt to be weak.

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Being weak is not easy, especially when you (thought you) had control over your life. Weakness is getting to a level of vulnerability you wouldn’t want anyone to see or know about. I had a conversation with Kami about how uncomfortable being vulnerable is and she bluntly told me, “What if you’re just being proud?”

I thought I was being stoic. The Holy Spirit has a unique way of revealing things to us. Kami shared her personal experience of going through her own “valley of the shadow of death” and recounted some of the miracles she saw God work in her life. She then grimly told me, “You can’t escape this process, Amanda. Every believer has to go through it.” Those words hit me like an anvil to the head or a weighty slap across one’s face.

Indeed my life is not my own, I’ve an Owner who paid the price for me and I live for and because of Him.

“God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I live how God wants me to live, not how I thought I wanted to live. In my previous article, I told you how ALL my plans went through the window right from the start!😂 I am truly enslaved (to Christ). 😅 It reminds of Lucky Dube’s song 🎶I am a prisooooner🎶 Albeit the context here isn’t imprisonment but enslavement (to the will of God).

“… As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“….Yes, you are serving Christ. He is your real Master.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭24‬ ‭ERV‬‬

If you’re reading this and aren’t yet born again, you might be thinking, “Will accepting Christ as my Saviour make my life miserable?” Haha! No. You’d still be miserable anyway😂 😛, accepting Christ means that your life will no longer be rudderless. That everything you are going through, both current and future, will inevitably lead you to fulfilling your purpose. Every trial you overcome in and through Christ, is adding a jewel to your heavenly crown.

“If your faith remains strong, even while surrounded by life’s difficulties, you will continue to experience the untold blessings of God! True happiness comes as you pass the test with faith, and receive the victorious crown of life promised to every lover of God!”
‭‭James (Jacob)‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“You are our hope, our joy, and the crown we will be proud of when our Lord Jesus Christ comes.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Choose your suffering: (a) suffer in Christ while on earth and get your crown as you enjoy eternal life in heaven or (b) stay worldly -and still suffer- then end up in hell and suffer some more…for eternity!

“For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death].”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭10‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

I’m not scaring you to into getting born again but if you knew what I know now, you’d get down on your knees and repeat this prayer out loud:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for dying on the cross for me. I believe in my heart that you died and rose again and I confess with my mouth that You are Lord and Saviour in my heart and in my life. I denounce my former ways and choose to be Your child. Thank You for setting me free. I am now born again.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

May the Holy Spirit find expression in your life through every experience that God takes you through. His ways are good and His ways are just. His ways are noble and His ways are great.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Today’s Tuesday the 17th, my favourite number fell on my favourite day of the week (I like Tuesdays🙂), and for the second year in a row, I’ve published an article on the 17th of February. #Win🙂

I went biking (as seen on the cover image) on Valentine’s Day💘 and my thighs are still aching! I had an exhilarating time regardless and I definitely want to do it again, without the pain this time!😅

To those preparing for Lent, may God give you a deeper understanding of His indescribable love for you that sent Him to the cross; the reason we have hope in salvation.

May God bring a renewed sense of joy, hope and peace as you read this.

You are right where God wants you to be, trust Him.

XO,

That Lady