Our Past Pains

Romans 8:28 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.

*It is better to be rejected by man than by God.
*Everyone is somebody to God.
*All things shall work together for those that believe in God.
*We are gods battle axe as we cut through all spiritual holds for we are the warriors of the Lord.

We Need to Overcome Our Past and Move Forward with the Leading of the Holy Spirit, trusting God, Not Flesh!

“Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.” – Judges 11:29a

Many of use have gone through or we’ve  heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years.
Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease, abuse etc.  YES- these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.

What so we learn from the Bible in Judges 11?
Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God’s sight.
*He was born to Gilead, a result of his father’s adulterous encounter with a prostitute.
* Jephthah’s half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman.”
Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.  O how WORDS KILL!

This experience taught Jephthah to become a Hardened warrior.
Today he probably would have been part of a street gang.
As he got older,(not dealing with his personal hurt of rejection) his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander.

***Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.
“Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house?” he responded.

He OVERCAME his hurt and pain, and responded to the CALL GOD had on his life.

It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive.
*It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly.
*Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.

The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways. Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God.
However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will follow Him with an upright heart. Even Jesus had to learn obedience:
Hebrews 5: 7 While he(Jesus) lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. 8 Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, JUST as WE do.

Below are a few items I have picked up in Bible-experienced-seen from others-and have come to believe through experience, patience and obedience:
*Hardship will reveal who YOU are to yourself.
*Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you Respond to it.
*Every experience or situation is to FORM your character and to DESTROY selfishness and pride.
*Your Response to life will ultimately shape your future.
*Whatever you Believe will effect how you treat everything you do.
*Remember every obstacle that we face is for God to unveil his answer for our situation.
*In order for something to come alive in you, something has to die in you.
*Successful living in the kingdom is: obedience, wisdom, faith, preserverence.
*The way to understand who you are is not by the blessing list you created but by the scars you carry.
*If you believe in nothing you’ll fall for anything.

Jesus does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.

Lord, may you fulfill every purpose for which you made us. May there be no inheritance left on the table that we are entitled to.

Success is fulfilling the complete purpose for which God made US.
It has nothing to do with wealth, accomplishments, stature in life, or standard of living.
It has to do with living a life of obedience to the Father. And when we live a life of obedience to the Father, we will fulfill the purposes that God had in mind when he made you and me.

We would be wise to stay acquainted with the ONE who loves us to the point of death. We can trust in His love, mercy, faithfulness and justice. Let’s avoid the pitfalls of our predecessors and remain connected to Him!

No matter the circumstances of your life, God can use you. He allowed certain things to happen so that you can strengthen others who went through the same circumstances as you. You have to have inner healing – forgive God for allowing the circumstances in your life, forgive others for hurting you, and forgive yourself. Then your life will be a testimony that will encourage many and glorify your Father.

Dear Lord, I am no longer my own but yours. Teach me to trust You in every way.  Heal me this day-help me surrender ALL to you this day-especially my childhood pains. Take them and set me FREE to trust and obey YOU JESUS!
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Amen
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a NEW person by changing the way you THINK. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Amen Amen Amen