1Pe 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
1Pe 4:13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
Whether men believe it or not, and very few indeed believe it, God is working all things for the counsel of His will.
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Our whole life in these marred vessels of clay is just a vapor said James. God’s purposes in bringing us first into a body of sinful flesh complete with a totally carnal mind is not to make flesh good. It is all about remaking us into the new man, the spiritual man which must first take place before anyone can enter into the kingdom of God. Flesh and blood, not even the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ was ever intended to inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
God is the potter and we truly are the clay and have no free will outside of that which God has allowed us. The choices we make are all the choices the Lord has chosen for us as our lives have been written before there were any days.
Psa 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Eph 1:4-5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will
It is the carnal mind that denies the Lord at every turn not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. All of our experiences in life, be they good, evil or indifferent are all from God. All things are from God and there are no exceptions.
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
and lest not forget or deny the Lord who works “all things” , even evil things. Such a truth will bring the charge of blasphemy from the carnal minded in Babylon, yet the Scriptures tell the truth.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Amo 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Job 26:13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
The Lord willing, as we begin to grasp His total sovereignty over all things, even evil things, we will begin to understand that this applies not just to the people down the street or over there, but it applies to you and me. It applies to our very sins and all things that go on in our lives. All things is indeed all things.
Isa 63:17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
God is the potter we are the clay. Many can recite those verses but don’t really believe. They don’t have the God given gift of faith it takes to believes in Him. They don’t understand what God hardening Pharaoh’s heart means and how that personally applies to them. Yet every jot and tittle of the Potter and Clay verses are absolutely true and all that we do is indeed God’s works in us.
Isa 64:8But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Php 2:13 For it is God (not you, not your delusion of free will) which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
This can only be revealed to us by the Spirit of God. And it is revealed to God’s Elect as the chastening grace of the Lord falls upon them and the judgment of their old man and the destruction of their carnal mind begins in earnest on the appointed day of the Lord for each.
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
And what is the purpose of God’s judgments? It is to purify us and make all things new. New life only comes thru death of the old man and carnal mind.
Isa 26:9 …for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
The words of Christ are all spirit and we need to be shown what the earth is and where heaven is to have any chance of understanding the word of God. My whole point of this post was to bring us to this understanding.
The storms of our lives, the failures, the emotional ups and downs, disappointments, dilemma’s, physical and mental calamities, hard decisions and ALL THINGS are given to us by God on purpose. If those things happen to us we can be sure that is the will of God. He is working all things. Christ raises up these storms in our lives to reveal something about ourselves that He is dealing with in bringing the new man out of the darkness that is the old man.
For instance, God has given me many tests with finances to try my faith and to see if I would walk in His statutes or go the way of the world. Other sheep may not be given that trial now as their issues and what God is dealing with them are different things. I have had an issue with patience all my life. Last month, I cannot count how times God put me in a middle of storm where I wanted to scream out of impatience. I lost it a few times but thankfully am learning thru this chastening to just stand in the fire and just endure it. God was still showing me that part of the beast was still alive and well and needed to be killed.
When the giants in our land are exposed by these trials, we are to destroy everything and leave nothing alive, otherwise the trial will keep on coming with greater intensity until the chastening grace of God accomplishes its work. The land that is our spiritual heart will eventually be cleared of all things that defile. That is salvation. The stories of Israel were spiritual examples for us, of lessons and trials we would endure and storms through which we will all experience.
Deu 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: (impatience, greed, lying, lust, strife, all the works of the flesh must go)
Deu 20:17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
These are just elementary examples I have provided. But you can be sure that God is behind all the trials of your life including the most inner thoughts we have both positive and negative. If we are so blessed to be judged in this life, we will have the shame of our own nakedness exposed in God’s appointed times. Man must live by every word and sooner or later we will fulfill these verses.
1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
We must remember that what is more precious than gold to the Lord is not our faith, but the trial of our faith.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
This is the same gold, Christ counsels all of us to buy from Him. It is thru these trials that we are purified and have our nakedness (sinfulness) covered by our faith.
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
It is going thru these fiery trials and storms of life that we see into the thing of God. This is how we grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus. It is by being scourged as a chosen son of God that we shall see and shall be raised as a child of the kingdom.
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
But all of this is nonsense and foolishness to the carnal mind. What the carnal man grumbles and complains about, the spiritual man counts as joy, knowing the outcome of these storms and trials. Knowing these things will change your perspective 360 degrees. Coming to know that God is bringing the storms, the afflictions of life to us and that it is all being worked for good and our sanctification as His Elect is how we learn to live peaceably with all men and thank God for all things.
As we are weaned from the milk of the word and begin to eat strong meat we grow quickly in the grace and knowledge of The Lord. Those God has chosen and opened a door into heaven will have revelation poured out to them.
Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
But we must to able to move on to maturity and get past the milk of the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified that Babylon takes for the meat.
God thru Christ creates these storms in our lives. Yet it is also Christ that calms these storms. The storms don’t go away, we just learn how to stand in the furnace of fire and be at peace, knowing the will of God and that He is working all things for the counsel of His will. As we grown in this fiery chastening grace we will stand in the furnace of affliction with our Lord knowing the purposes of our calling. I pray that all that know Christ will endure these fiery trials to the very end,
James 1:2 My brethren count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations (the fiery trials)
It is a very good thing to be judged now. It is indeed a blessing that comes upon the people of God in this age. May the rock that is Christ crush our flesh and destroy the giants that are defiling the land within. To be useful for God in His kingdom, all flesh and self righteousness must be removed by force from the temple. That comes only thru judgment and with much affliction.
Exo 27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
God is using these storms and bringing much tribulation upon His chosen few now. As God sent Christ to save the world, so Christ sends His Christ, His very body to do the same. We must become a living sacrifice and follow the Lord and be crucified with Him thru these fiery trials and afflictions. That is the purpose of the storms and it is very good news when you are given the ability to see it.
Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
The carnal mind must be destroyed. The self righteous beast that all men are must perish and this comes by the righteous judgment of God. This old man of flesh must die for the new man to come forth. That is the entire purpose of this life and why God first makes us a marred vessel of clay before He remakes us all in our appointed times.
Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens:it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.
The storms of the sea, which is a symbol for the the trials of our flesh, are given to us by God to show us what a wretched beast all flesh is and that we are in need of a Savior. It is by being shown our wickedness and that we are the abomination that causes desolation in the temple of God, that salvation will come. The old man and carnal mind will be destroyed by fire, which is the word of God which is Christ.
Psalm 107 is one of my favorites that reveals the truth of God creating the storms, the waves of the sea, the trials of this life for purposes of bringing forth and building up our faith. We are healed and made new by the process of enduring thru these storms and learning to trust solely in the Lord and not the strength of our flesh. All men are fools until they are made wise by the experience of God’s process of sanctifying us by chastening grace.
Psa 107:17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Psa 107:18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
Psa 107:19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Psa 107:21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
We will be taught to be joyful through these storms once we know their purposes and God’s plans. We must be brought to our wits end, where we surrender and have no strength left and then the Lord will deliver us and make the storm calm. Notice that the “meat” of the word that is Christ is in fact the trials, the storms, the very afflictions that we must endure to be saved. Our natural man abhors these things and does not want to drink of the cup that Christ drank. Yet were are told we shall surely drink, it is only a matter of when that day has been appointed for us by God.
Jer 25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.
Jer 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
So all these storms are created by God to bring us into despair where we will cry out to God for deliverance.
Psa 107:26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
So next time you find yourself in a fiery trial and a major storm of life. Count it all joy. Give thanks to the Lord.
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;