Saturday, January 26, 2019

ALMIGHTY GOD AND HIS USE OF SORROW/GRIEF IN OUR LIVES - PART 3


As I awakened one morning, the Holy Spirit spoke to me saying “Take My hand, My precious child.” For in Psalm 85:8*, it is stated “I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly” (foolishness)

Tragically we, as His children, have such a tendency (propensity) all too often to go our own way - walking in the flesh (our own minds) as opposed to walking in the (Holy) Spirit! And in so doing, we separate ourselves from focusing on the LORD God Almighty thus, allowing ourselves to open the door for Satan to direct our paths for the moment/day/week, etc.  And therein the great possibility for sorrow/grief to hover over us in our utmost inner being.

We cannot begin to imagine the sorrow God experienced and experiences even now because people, even Christians grieve/quench Him. . . let’s consider what the scriptures declare concerning this.

We must keep in mind the sorrow that began early on as we read beginning in Isaiah 14:12-21 the story of how Satan, once an angel called Lucifer, “son of the morning or Light Bearer” surely grieved the LORD Who had to evict him and send him to earth.

In Gen., chapter 3, we see that it didn’t take Satan (the serpent) long to interfere in God’s plan for His creation to live a bountiful and glorified life on earth. Satan truly believed as he tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, that he had the upper hand at this point…little did he know what was and is ahead for him and his minions, because it is written that there will come a time when “the devil will be cast into lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”. (Rev. 20:10)

In Gen. 3:16, we read where the LORD is talking to Eve, “To the woman He said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow….”  Another example where we create our own sorrow!

It is also written in Gen. 6:5,6 “And the LORD was sorry that

the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuously. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

We read in Ephesians 4: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”  I would refer you to verses 25-32 relating as to all the ways we indeed grieve the Holy Spirit, and in 1 Thess. 5:18 it is also declared “Do not quench the (Holy) Spirit.”

Consider the 40 years the children of Israel spend in the “trial in the wilderness”. . .and the LORD lamented in of Psalm 95:10 “For 40 years I was grieved with that generation, .  .  .”

Questions which must be asked at this point are:

-        LORD, is there anything in the past or the present where I am grieving You in that I haven’t sought repentance?  I would ask You, Holy Spirit, to please reveal that which has grieved or quenched my LORD. 

-        LORD, what am I to learn from my sorrows?

-        Are there any unconfessed sins or even confessed sins that I am still wrestling with that are allowing sorrow into my life?

-        It is most crucial to keep mind God’s faithful provisions/promises as we read in 1 John 1:7-10; 2:1-2 for our dealing with any and all sin in our lives:

Ø  Vs. 7: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Ø  Vs. 8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” and

Ø  Vs. 9 is a powerful scripture for declaring immediately when a sin is committed “If (a HUGE little word) we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This is an appropriate time to share what was exclaimed in the powerful devotional STREAMS IN THE DESERT for January 18, concerning sorrows.  Sorrows come to stretch out spaces in the heart for joy.” What an awesome thought! Please keep in mind that we have the choice of continuing to walk in the mind set of sorrow, which is in the flesh, or in the Spirit which is where we find our joy, always remembering as it has been said, “the Word of God transforms our minds”, thankfully! All this means is that we have choices of where we focus – the flesh (mind/emotions) or the Spirit!  It has been said that the “Battle begins in the mind”!

In addition, there is a constant battle between our feelings and God’s truths! The 64-dollar question then must be “which are we going to pay attention to – fleshly feelings or God’s truths?”

Tragically, too many believers are their own worst enemies in that they allow sorrow to reign in their very being. “How so, you ask?” We know through scriptures, that the LORD forgives our sins as stated above in 1 John 1:9 “IF we confess our sins”, but the huge question becomes “do we forgive our own sins?” Sadly, too many of us are in such bondage in our not forgiving ourselves in that we believe the lies of Satan who persistently deceives us into thinking we don’t deserve to forgive ourselves!!  It is imperative that we focus on the comforting scripture which declares “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, (Satan who is the spirit of error and the world) because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (Satan who is the spirit of error) 1 John 4:4.
And as is written in Jer. 8:18, “I would comfort myself in sorrow.”  I could hear many of you declare “that is the most ridiculous comment I have ever heard”! Remember, it is scripture!  I challenge you to “think it through”!  We will deal with this in Blog 4.

Consider what is stated in 2 Cor. 10:3-6:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ . . . .”

Also, please keep in mind that I am not minimizing sorrow in the least, but again it is how we approach it either in the flesh or in the Spirit and that makes all the difference in our lives!

Blog 4 will contain strategies that we can use to assist us in

overcoming sorrows.  

Be glorified Almighty God, be glorified

* All scriptures are from the NEW SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE BIBLE (NKJV) Jack W. Hayford Executive Editor

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