In Spite Of
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
I was talking with a friend recently who was experiencing some difficult months of marriage. She commented, “In spite of our problems, we are getting along fine right now.” Listening to her, I was halted by that phrase. . . in spite of.
Months later after an accident that totaled my car, that in spite of phrase resurfaced - this time for ME! As the Lord began to bring good out of that crash situation, I talked to Him about it.
Lord,In spite of this horrible wreck, some good things are happening...
Then. In that lightning flash kind of way that belongs only to God, came His thunderous declaration:
I am not an in-spite-of God!
Within moments my mind was flooded with past regrets, intense struggles, and haunting replays of difficulties with loved ones and just general guilt from – so often missing the mark of holiness in my Christian walk. I also viewed past scenes of wrongs from others and situations that seemed to have no reasonable impact for God's Glory. And in time-lapse format, with each episode I heard. . .
I'm not an in-spite-of God!
Continuing to seek God’s thinking in this, I realized that because of each struggle, not
in spite of each struggle - He revealed His Glory. When I think “because of” instead of “in spite of” I can truly thank God for the trial itself…and that’s just what the Scriptures teach us to do. Because of each of these adversities I’d experienced, I fell on my knees before the Lord!
God will allow you to go through trials of intense suffering to teach you about His strength and character. Nothing is wasted by God!
As you review your personal inventory of past trials and tribulations - those caused by you, those caused by others, and those that happened as a result of living life in a fallen world - I challenge you to take a fresh look inside your memory banks. It's time for you to present each of these situations to the Lord as an offering of worship.
Now I realize this concept may be a little hard to get your mind around, but I’m praying that you will give it thought and talk to the Lord about it. For me, this newest God revelation has enabled me to experience the freedom that is truly mine in Jesus. Thanking God because of . . . gives purpose to ALL of life, not just the good, joyful, and satisfying circumstances, but also to those which heap on the pain and suffering.
In trusting God, praising God, and believing that God will indeed do what He says He will do, you can wholeheartedly and unashamedly pray with Paul:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.
Romans 8:28
There simply is NO area of our lives that does not belong to our Heavenly Father. When you turn to Him in love, humility, repentance, and obedience – He brings something beautiful out of your messes – the ones you caused, the ones caused by others, and those that just happened because life's not perfect.
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Dear Lord, thank you for taking every single event in my life and turning it into something grand for Your glory. I long to focus on the preciousness of NOW. Help me to see Your glory as each day unfolds, and keep me from wasting moments filled with regrets, worry, and negative thinking - when I could be praising You!
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1) In what past event of your life do you struggle to see God’s glory?
2) Right now, thank Him that because of that event, He is doing something glorious and new in your life.
3) Let go of negative feelings of your past, offering them to God for Him to keep.
4) Accept your complete freedom and the reality of God’s glory in that situation.
Dear Friend, as long as we have memories there will be some things that are just hard to let go of. I pray that you will begin experiencing the complete freedom of Jesus Christ, as you give EVERYTHING to Him. And you can trust Him with confidence that when you do, He’ll bring about His glory in a grand way!
Loving Him, Cindi Wood
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