But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble, we have a joyful confidence knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. 4 And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. 5 And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!
Romans 5:3-5 (TPT)
There was a time when I had a bit of a grumble to the Lord, also acknowledging that bad things happen because we are in a broken world and God cannot be blamed for the bad things that happen. Added to this, I was aware that He does permit us to go through difficulties and have also witnessed God’s intervention that saved some from certain bad things happening to them.
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NASB 1995)
There came a point where I desperately needed to know why I had been through all that I had endured in my life, and it seemed pretty unfair that the trials, storms, and difficulties had been so great but not so for others. Added to the pain of being dismissed, overlooked, despised, and even seen as a failure and the church ministers stand at the pulpit each Sunday giving their sermons who had not experienced even the least of what I had endured in life is a “hard pill to swallow.”
Discouragement began to settle in at a time when I struggled to see a loving God when no sooner had I overcome a trial than there was another waiting. It seemed that my life was destined to be a life of living from one disaster to another.
6 Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, 7 then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:6-7 (TPT)
Notice that Philippians 4:6-7 says that we are to tell Him every detail of our life, and then His wonderful peace will come, and our hearts and minds will be guarded through Jesus Christ. That is precisely what happened after I talked to God about it.
God answered through images. The first image that He revealed was the army, navy and air force. Clearly, each of these defence departments was doing their part to protect our country. Within each defence department, many people are employed, and very person who does their job correctly is doing their part to protect our country.
The scene changed, and there was an image of a person in a dark room with headphones on, looking at a radar screen. That air traffic controller was doing their part to protect our country. The scene changed again, and there was a soldier in the night, crawling on the ground, in the mud, rain, and cold, going into enemy territory; that soldier was doing their part to protect our country.
Once more, the scene changed to their training. For the one at the radar screen, the training was in a classroom with lessons from 9am to 5pm, three meals guaranteed every day, a comfortable chair, air-conditioning in summer and heating in winter.
Then, for the soldier crawling on the ground into enemy territory, their training was boot camp. It was physically, mentally, and emotionally gruelling, any time, day or night, and it was not known when the next meal was going to be. This soldier probably thought they would not survive because it required having to dig deep inside and give everything of themselves.
Our experiences in life are part of our training. God does not bring harm to us, He is not an abusive Father, but when the enemy targets us in certain areas, Father does allow it or does not allow it. Job is an example of this, as well as Joseph;
So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged before he died, saying, 17 “Thus you shall say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.'” And now, please forgive the transgress of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:16-21 (NASB 1995) Emphasis is mine
Our Father permits the trials and difficulties we experience as part of our training. A minister once said, “God is more interested in our character than our comfort.” (K. Zadia). Every person who has ever lived, who is living, and who will be living on this Earth has an anointing on their lives.
There is a book in Heaven that was written about every person before God breathed us in our mother’s womb. In that book are written all the works we are destined to do, and all the people we are destined to meet. God could have stopped the famine from happening, but instead, Joseph was born to save Israel from the famine. Moses was born to deliver Israel out of Egypt. David was born to be king of Israel. God did not get rid of Herod when Jesus was born, instead Joseph and Mary had to flee with Jesus to Nazareth.
Joseph was put into a pit; then he was in prison for many years. It was in the prison (pit) that his character was developed to where God could trust him to be second in charge in Egypt. King Saul was essential for David’s character to be developed where God could trust him to reign over His people, Israel.
Those forty years that Moses spent in the desert looking after his father-in-law’s sheep were his training. By the time God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, Moses knew that desert very well.
(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)
Numbers 12:3 (NASB 1995) Emphasis is mine
The word “humble” in Numbers 12:3 is the word anav (strongs number 6035) in Hebew that means “poor”, “afflicted”, “humble”, “meek”. The Hebrew word anav comes from the root word anah (strongs number 6031) which means “To be bowed down or afflicted”. In other words, Moses was more bowed down and afflicted than any man who was on the face of the earth. Moses was the most disciplined man on the Earth and it qualified him to be the leader over millions of people and take them out of Egypt and to the Promised Land.
The anointing on our lives will determine what sort of training we receive. If we look at this in the practical, one would not want the elite soldier to sit in a comfortable classroom to receive his training. This also means we cannot compare our journey and experiences with anyone else. Just as we are unique, the anointing we carry is also unique, and whatever that is, we need to mature into it.
For example, a particular child may be destined to become a triathlon athlete. An athletic trainer will not buy adult-size running shoes and expect the child to start running in them. Neither will the trainer expect the child to start riding the adult racing bike and put the child into a race before the child is ready. The child needs to grow and mature physically, and their character needs development, learning to persevere and push through specific physical barriers.
It is the same with our journey. Jesus is our Shepherd, and by His Holy Spirit, our Teacher, as we yield and submit to His teaching and discipline, He leads us into our destiny to fulfil the calling and anointing that He has placed on our lives.
One day, Father said that the warfare would intensify, which caused some trepidation in me. He said, “Stick to your training and your Commanding Officer (Jesus).” When we stick to our training and obey Jesus, we have nothing to worry or be anxious about. God will not send us to the front line if we are not ready, and He will not send us into situations where we will fail; He is a loving Father.
An image of three groups of soldiers returning from the front line came to me. The first group of soldiers were unscathed during the battle, not even a scratch on any of them. These were the ones that adhered to their training and the commands from their Commanding Officer.
The second group of soldiers did not quite stick to what they had learned in their training, thinking in certain circumstances, “That was my training, but this situation is a bit different.” They chose to do things little differently and ended up with wounds, some deeper than others, but all would heal just fine.
Then there was the third group of soldiers who survived but had serious wounds; some were missing a finger, an arm, a toe or two and even a leg. This group of soldiers did not obey their Commanding Officer.
It is also important to say that disobedience affects others, not just us. Soldiers who do not adhere to their training and do not listen to their Commanding Officer can also risk the lives of their fellow soldiers. When ten of the twelve spies gave a bad report about the Promised Land and caused Israel to disobey God by not entering into the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb, who said that they were well able to conquer the land, also had to wander in the desert with the stiff-necked people for the forty years. Of that entire generation, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who entered the Promised Land.
Prayer Father, thank You that You have plans for my life that are far greater than what I can imagine or expect. I acknowledge that You are the author and finisher of my faith. I realised that my life is not my own because You purchased me at the highest price. I'm sorry for comparing myself to others and comparing my journey with the journey of others. I acknowledge that You have a unique calling and destiny for my life, so I choose from this day to say "Yes" to Your plans for me because Your plans are only for good for You truly are a good Father. Amen