The Lord has been
talking recently to me about houses and different states of houses. Some are quirky with all sorts of
really cool things that are happening in them, some are being built and are yet
unfinished, some the windows are boarded up and need the boards on the windows
removed. Some don’t yet have the
power on and it is dark with a thief in the darkness waiting. There was one that was perfect on pretty much
everything except the fridge
(often represents the heart) was too small.
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| The initial plan |
In the process of
thinking about different houses and the different stages each house was at, I
thought about the British Programme “Grand Design”. I love watching this
programme and seeing the ideas and the plans and where it originally starts
with the dreams and the vision of how it will be, but along the process the
building often takes longer than expected, costs run higher than projected,
workers come and go, the question of whether to continue comes up and eventually
pushed through as they cannot give up and walk away on everything that has
already been invested. Often the owner will end up himself finishing the work
as they cannot afford to hire anybody.
Everything is put into finishing the project amidst a lot of stress, a
lot of questions, a lot of highs and lows as the journey continues. But in the end you see this finished
house, just amazing and you sit there and say – yes it was worth it to see what
they have now. Just
beautiful and amazing and as you watch someones else dream become a reality you wish you had the money you could afford to buy
it.
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| In the process |
I believe at the
moment the Lord is wanting to encourage people to keep going and
to continue to believe in and see the grand design that the Lord has for you in
your life and the call he has on your life. It is not yet finished and as it
says in James that ‘perseverance
must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking
anything.’ The Lord doesn’t
want us lacking anything, and like the Grand Design buildings, each one is
unique and different from another, none the same and it takes time to perfect,
for it to be all that it is meant to be.
I believe there are
people who:
- feel discouraged for whatever reason whether it be a lack of money or a lack of workers to help finish the job.
- There are those whose hearts have been hurt and broken in their vulnerability and so in the process have put up walls for protection but the Lord wants to come and replace those walls of protection and make you transparent again trusting in Him for His protection not in the walls that you have put up to protect yourself.
- There are those who are lacking the power at the moment and have no light and it is dark and the Lord wants to come and bring the light into the darkness.
- There are those who seem like everything is great and just about perfect but the Lord wants to expand the capacity in your heart.
I believe The Lord
also is wanting to teach and cement in us to be a people who walk in the Truth
of the Word and not base everything on how we feel or on what we see. That we need to be a people who walk by
faith in the word and not by sight.
Many of us can function from a place on how we are feeling emotionally
and emotions are not wrong, but when they take us down a path that does not
line up with the truth of God and what He is saying about you or to you or into
life, then you are functioning from an emotional place rather than a place of
victory in Christ.
Sometimes you can come
into a place of self pity instead of looking at Jesus and giving thanks for
your situation and your circumstances which when you do this, lifts you out of
the miry clay and sets you on a solid foundation, which is and can only be found in Jesus.
I too am seeing that
there are those who live from one encounter to the next encounter in the Lord and
so when we are not experiencing that ‘encounter’ we believe we are not in
communion in Christ and that is a lie that pushes us looking for the next
encounter and discouraged when you are not feeling His presence as you have
before. He is always with you and
He has never left you, just because you may not experience him or feel Him in a
way you want to, does not mean He is not there. And I believe He is wanting to take people deeper in this
arena and teach people to live from the word and truth of His word and not just
from the experience or the encounter.
Prayer:
So Lord I pray for
each and every one in the different situations. Lord come and minister to the broken hearted, to those who
have been discouraged and needing your encouragement right now. Meet them today with you love and your
provision and your grace, which is enough to meet all our needs. Lord release breakthrough where breakthrough
is needed. Lord give them joy in
the journey. Bring around them
people who would encourage and help in whatever way they need help today. Thank you Lord that you hear our cry.
Psalm 10:17;
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| The finished house! |
“You hear, O Lord, the desire of
the afflicted, you encourage them and you listen to their cry.
Lord thank you that
you fight the battles for us and so we hand them over to you our every
situation and we trust you to come and refresh and renew us in your love.
Zeph 3:17
"The Lord, your God, is in your
midst, a warrior who gives victory; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He
will renew you in His love; He will exult over you with loud singing"
(NRSV)
Thank you Jesus that
you are teaching us not only to live from encounter to encounter but from the
truth of your word that sustains us and encourages us on in you.
Thank you Jesus!