21 Day Breakthrough: Genesis 18:14 and that Middle Moment...Dying to Self

YES! YES! YES!

Well I am really enjoying myself in this fast and breakthrough season.  This mornings reading was continuing in the book of Genesis and while I was reading, this scripture leaped out from the page to me.

Genesis 18:14

14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

This is the scripture where Sarah is told that she will have a son but she laughs because it really seems ridiculous.  She's been barren and is way too old to have a baby.  She even gave up the ghost on that dream and had her husband go impregnate somebody else to give him an heir because she felt it was all over.

Well this scripture said it all.  Is anything too hard for the Lord?  

I began to sense in my spirit that the Lord was speaking to me and saying to me that by this time next year, that which is barren will be fruitful.  After getting into trouble last year for jumping too conclusions too soon, I am not jumping the gun on this and I don't know what that means.  All I know is that areas of my life that have been barren and seem to be hopeless will have fruit springing forth by this time next year.

I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't hoping for you know....but that's on God.  

He's in charge of that story.  All I'm supposed to be doing is letting him prepare and create me to be the woman he needs me to be SO THAT when Adam wakes up he'll say "At last!  That's her!  Let's get this movement GOING!!  She is the one that's going to help me do it."  

Riiiiight?

The Middle Moment

Boy did I appreciate the sermon today.  It was about that middle moment where you know God is going to do SOMETHING but not sure what and you're at a cognitive dissonance between faith and doubt.  Pastor Jules called it the middle moment.  He used that text of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.  John 11:40 has been a scripture that I have held onto during my journey

Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believed?

I'm in that middle moment.  I  KNOW God is doing something.  I'm not sure what but I know it's SOMETHING.  I also know that I cannot do any of this on my own so I'm sitting back and letting him do his thing but that middle moment is when you want to quit because a lot of times nothing seems to be happening.  

Just like poor Mary and Martha...the grave was silent.  I always say at that point all hope was gone and they knew if Jesus wanted to he could have done something about it.  I bet they were at that point of faith mixed with doubt.  "Well why didn't he come and help us? He's here now...so maybe something will happen"

It's in that middle moment, all you can do is look to Jesus and say to yourself "Just stand still and watch.  The Lord will rescue you on this day.  Just stay calm"

As the Pastor preached today if God told us that he is going to do it, then He will do it.  Where I get messed up is trying to figure out how God is going to do it and telling him how he should do it.  It seems that God likes to surprise me and do it out of nowhere so I cannot take credit for things.

Resurrection

Last Year the Lord gave me the 3 step process for Restoration and Redemption to my Adam's life and really my message.

1. Resurrection

2. Restoration

3. Redemption

That's what the Pastor Preached about today.  He preached about Resurrection and resurrection cannot happen without something dying.  

Earlier this week, one of my devotions was entitled" It is worth it"  The Lord assured me that this time will be worth it.  He assured This time of preparation and dryness will all be worth it and it won't be a waste of time. The Pastor told a story about how he had to let a relationship die in order for his purpose to be resurrected.  It was 40 days before his wedding that he decided to do this so you know that wasn't well received but he said for how things turned out, he would have died a lot sooner than he did. 

I realized that I need to die to my own selfish ambition (we're still talking about that).  Sure things may not look like I wanted them to or be the nice clean story that I can brag about over my dinner conversations but dying to self and seeing purpose and the calling resurrected will be well worth it.

I'm sure that my testimony will be similar that I would have died sooner than I did.  I'm already wishing I had learned this about Adam a lot sooner. I could have saved myself a lot of embarrassment!  

I was looking back over my prayer challenge from last year and God answered many of those prayers.  Maybe not in the way I thought... but he did it.  Also my growth is indisputable.  I think I always got the basic message but in this past year I've learned and grown to know God for myself.  It's very different from the shallow faith that I Grew up with.  

It's the "Anything Can Happen" when you believe in God.

To God be the Glory