Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear. “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
Mathew 26:50-54
The portion of scripture above opened my eyes to something that I believe could be of help to many of us as we walk in this present world. Jesus tries to help one of his men understand that with the authority he carried by virtue of who He was, He could actually fix the issue at hand in seconds; but for the sake of the fulfilment of the scriptures, he endured everything the process entailed, for our sake and our salvation. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
It got me thinking about how quick we are to run and hide from the things that come to refine us, or the process to become, or the things the Bible calls ‘our light afflictions’.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 2 Cor 4:16
Over the past 6 months, I have personally had the most trying of times; an attack that aimed at destroying me, and everything that concerns me. But thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in His name, for by his mercy and grace, I have overcome.
The word of God declares that ‘A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!’ John 10:10 TPT. I thank God that what the enemy meant for my destruction and for evil, God has used it as a light affliction which is working for me a weightier and far more exceeding GLORY.
I believe at one time I’ll share the details of this attack but for now, I couldn’t wait to share the lessons I’ve learnt from this momentous experience. To begin with, there are three major things that have been tested even as I went through this season: Firstly, the humility of my spirit, secondly my loyalty to God and his assignment concerning my ministry, and lastly my faith in Him. Everything that happened in the package of that attack was aimed at destroying what was most precious to me, but also to prove my stability in the same.
The proving came in the form of testing the humility to seek wise counsel, even when I thought I know just what to do; the humility to keep believing that God’s word is true and His promises are sure regardless of what I was going through; the humility to pray and read the word of God every day; the humility to find my answers in the presence no matter how I felt; the humility to break before God, knowing that I could find help at His throne of grace, because that was my time of need.
The devil tried to destroy my instrument of worship, but in that season, I had to keep my heart from giving up on my assignment and mandate. There were many reasons to give up, and a lot of evidence for me to make a decision that would change my life going forward; but the grace to remain loyal to the things God spoke to me concerning my ministry and life was one of the greatest gifts the Spirit of God could ever inspire. And through the pain and inability to speak, I started a podcast and made sure these articles kept coming in every new month, because I knew the enemy was trying to silence my voice, and regardless of how much of a struggle it was, I had to do it as an act of faith for my restoration but most importantly, of loyalty to God and what he has called me to do. God is the King of my heart, and I am loyal to HIM alone.
My faith was refined, not just in the spaces of healing and recovery, but in the discipline of ‘staying my mind’ on Him. I strongly believe that the peace I have now is because I stayed my mind on Him through it all. I realized that pain could push you to extremes that you never thought you’d go. I honor men like Job who, till the end of their trial, the bible says they never judged God foolishly, yet they were not as privileged with the benefits of the new covenant like we are! The Bible says, ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ Isaiah 26:3. How I know that I’ve learnt to trust in God so much is by the fact that through it all, my mind was stayed on him, His ability and faithfulness. Pain can make you look for or turn to the quickest solutions here and there, and if the right people don’t surround you, you can end up in spaces of compromise you never thought you would, just because you need restoration. But I remember this one verse that was always on my mind; ‘He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.’ Ps23:3 I knew God can restore me, I knew He can only lead me in certain paths only for His name’s sake and with that I was confident.
I also grew to appreciate the overwhelming importance of friendships. I would like to submit to you that in this world of toil and snares, you can die in your house if you don’t have people, you can reach out to or inconvenience. I am calling it an inconvenience because there are things people can do for you only because they are your friends. Being your friends means that it’s easy for you to firstly think they can help you, and then you are able to easily reach out to them. there are people you are friends to, there are people who are your friends, but there are people you are friends WITH; The feeling is mutual, the relationship is mutually symbiotic. It’s at this point that I would love to appreciate everyone who stood with me in whichever kind of way; those who showed up constantly, those who prayed genuinely, those who supported financially to cover many things, those who stayed regardless of the inconvenience. I am forever grateful and may God be your ‘exceeding great’ reward.
Lastly, I’ve learnt that regardless of what’s happening around you, you have to learn to maintain your attitude. You must understand that whatever it is that is happening, it’s a light affliction and it’s for a moment, yet in its lightness, it’s working for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. To know that it will always end in praise, to know that God causes all things to work together for your good.
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times; the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
2 Cor 4:16-18 Msg
In the end, these things only come because of the word we’ve chosen to believe; they come to prove us, and once you pass the test, your promotion is undeniable because that endurance has already worked in you a character that is relevant for your new glory. Whatever you are going through is temporary, and it will not destroy you, but just like the house which was built on a rock, the rain will come, storms will hit, things might be a bit unclear and chaotic, but always remember, its those same things that prove the strength and stability of the house, and you my friend are a house built on a hill, a city that cannot be hidden. The Bible says, “Whoever hears these words of Mine and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house did not fall because it was built on rock. Mathew 7:24-25.
So for now, We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5
God is Faithful.
Stay Blessed.
#WiGTyT
