You’re facing a tough time in your life right now because the holidays are upon us and it may be the first one without a loved one, you may have more bills that seem to be hitting you all at once, your car may be acting up, children acting like strangers in your home and to top it off you may be sick. Now you’re wondering if God is allowing all of these things to happen to you because of past mistakes that you’ve made, because you didn’t pay your tithes on Sunday or because you had some evil thoughts going through your mind. I also know that you’ve probably heard the saying that either you are going through a storm, getting ready to go through a storm or coming out of a storm because it’s a part of what has been promised before you were even born, right? Well, have you ever stopped to think that maybe the storm you’re going through is not punishment for things you did when you were 15 but because God is simply washing off all of the stuff that have been thrown on you by your enemies? If you have done things that you know you shouldn’t have done and you’ve repented for them, why would God come back now to punish you? The bible says in Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Yea, I know that you used to steal but that was just preparing you to steal away from other folks and have a one on one fellowship with God. I know that you used to lie on folks but that was just prepping you to lie with the Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost. I know that you used to step all over folk to get what you wanted but it was just preparing you to step out on Faith and believe in God’s word. I know that you used to prey on folks to hurt them but that was just preparing you to now pray for folks. Ezekiel 36:26 say “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.”
I believe the things we go through, in our everyday life, are just God’s way of testing our faith, belief in him and our praise for him. Just because it seems like you can never make ends meet now even though you were fine months ago, it doesn’t mean God has taken his hands off of you. But he is simply trying to see if you will continue to trust that he’ll see you through. You think that because your boyfriend left that it’s something you’ve done wrong and God must surely be punishing you, when you knew that God wasn’t anywhere in the relationship to begin with and if you be honest with yourself, you’ll see that while he was there he was more of a hindrance than a helpmate anyway, so it was time for him to be moved. John 15:2 says “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” It was simply God’s way of removing the dead weight from your tree and now you have to stop trying to sew it back on because although the thread may hold for a moment, it won’t last and it’ll eventually break again. God doesn’t have to keep track of the times you’ve made a mistake so that he’ll make you pay for them later, he doesn’t have to write down the number of times you cursed in one conversation or the many times you’ve lied to your parents because he doesn’t work that way. John 15:3 says “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”
So, the next time the rain starts falling in your life, as it will, stop acting like you’re being whooped by God. After you’ve worked all day in the yard and you’re sweaty, musty and got dirt all over you, don’t you take a shower? Well, after folks have lied on you, talked about you, drug your name through the dirt, pushed you into a small dusty grave, stabbed you in the front & the back and counted you out; God sends the rain for you to shower in. See, he washes away the dirt that has been thrown on you when folk say you won’t ever be anything worthy of your name. He washes away the blood from all the cuts and scrapes you got when your best friend stabbed you in your back because she was jealous of your blessings. He washes away the mud from under your nails from climbing out of the ditch that your family pushed you in because they didn’t think you deserved the elevation God has placed on your life. It doesn’t matter about the number of times you see trials and tribulations as long as you come out of them renewed. Psalm 71:20 says “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.” It doesn’t matter the number of times you get knocked down because God is only concerned about you standing back up. If a baby decided to give up every time they fell, when learning to walk, I’d probably think they never would. If you decided to give up every time you made a mistake, you probably wouldn’t be where you are. Somebody you know, that’s probably close to you, doesn’t think you deserve the job you got, but look at God. Somebody you know is still trying to figure out how you got approved for the car you got, but look at God working. Somebody is wondering how you made it through cancer with the life you lived when others, they feel are better, died but look at God working this. Somebody is questioning how you manage to still have money left over from paycheck to paycheck when all you do is shop but look at God working this thang! Somebody is even trying to see how God could have picked somebody like you, who use to be on drugs, dancing in night clubs and sleeping with every man who could lay flat; clean you up and now you’re the minister of music at church but LOOK AT GOD WORKING THIS THANG OUT! See, while they are trying to figure it out, God has already worked it out. While they are counting your blessings, they are adding theirs to yours. While they are counting you out, God is simply adding pegs to your footstool and lifting you higher! So go on and tell them to talk about you, lie on you, scandalize your name, try to ruin your relationship, and keep on digging that ditch for you because when it’s all over with God has you covered so all is surely well! Because when I no longer look at what I used to be or how I use to look, I see how I was meant to be. I am who God has made me, so I will pray every day “Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word,” Psalm 119:37.
“This storm is just a shower to cleanse me of the dirt that my haters throw on me. I won’t be afraid to walk through the rain because when the SON shines, I’ll be renewed and through my renewal comes restoration and restoration is restoring me to my full potential so now I shine like pure gold!”
Lakisha, the Author 