Seasons of DormanHCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Genesis 8:22 - “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
As God was speaking to me about this message, I kept hearing a phrase repeating in my spirit.
God created natural seasons. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. In the natural they work for farming and fruit bearing. Rainy season, Growing season, Harvest Season and the Fallow season or the season of dormancy.
Each of these seasons are important and serve a significant purpose.
They are a natural cycle of God doing things in and through our lives.
God made the seasons. Every one of them including winter.
Our opening scriptures tell us that God made summer and winter. That as long as the earth remains there will be seedtime and harvest, winter and summer and day and night.
God made the winter season just as much as he made the summer and fall.
Psalm 74:17 - You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter.
Winter is not a bad season… it is a necessary season just as surely as God created the day and night. Night time is not bad, it is a daily necessary thing.
We will go through winter seasons in our spiritual walk often. God worked it into His plan.
A season is not just a one - off it is an annual event.
Winter is a predictable thing. No matter where you live on earth there is a winter, however that looks like in the environment you are in.
Everyone has their favorite seasons. For some reason we are conditioned to think of the winter season unfavorably in the natural – unless of course you live in Florida.
In the spiritual people look unfavorably many times on their winter seasons. When it arrives, they act like something is wrong when in fact the season has arrived right on time.
I think somehow, we think that the season should be making adjustments to fit our lifestyle when in fact our lifestyle choices should be made to fit the season, we are in.
I like to wear shorts and tee shirts but up north during the winter time it just isn’t practical. There is nothing wrong with me or the season that I am in It just makes sense to dress for the season.
I believe that there are some things we can learn about the predictable winter seasons of our lives.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 - To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
You may be in a season of dormancy in your life right now. Where things seem cold, barren and on the surface they look dead.
All of us go through these seasons. Listen to me – you are in a season of dormancy not death. This season has a purpose. It may not look like much is happening but there is a lot going on.
There are several purposes in the dormant seasons of life.
A winter season is a time of rest.
A time of rest is just as important as a time of productivity.
Can I say that louder for those in the back row.
When it comes to farming, winter is a season of rest for the farmer the family and for the ground.
It is an extended period to - just be.
Dormancy requires us to DO less and to just BE more. – Just Be.
~ Lee Warren – Dormancy isn’t just rest, but quiet renewal, letting life slow down long enough to rediscover what makes it sweet.
There is a lot of dark in the winter. The darkness is not the complete absence of light it is the needed amount of light to produce rest.
Just as we need a significant portion of our twenty – four-hour day = ideally a full seven hours for rest— winter is a significant extended season for us to spiritually rest in the Lord.
Rest is not just sleep it is a reset. It allows what is producing to have time to stop giving and to simply start receiving.
I love the saying that you cannot pour from an empty cup.
To those who like to produce, winter can be a frustrating time because no matter how hard you would like to be growing and producing you cannot no matter how you try to force it because the climate, the atmosphere and the conditions are not right for it. It is winter.
Someone needs to hear this - There is nothing wrong with the land. There is nothing wrong - It is the season you are in.
Adjust your expectations to the season. Be realistic. This isn’t unspiritual as a matter of fact it just might be the most faith-filled thing that you do. When winter comes around just do what you are to do in winter.
Remember that there is a difference between dead and dormant.
Don’t confuse the two. A farmer’s field looks dead during the winter, but it is not. It is simply resting. The potential is still there but only if it rests and resets.
Proverbs 13:23 (AMP) - Abundant food is in the fallow (uncultivated) ground of the poor,
Spiritual winter seasons do not mean that you are dead. You can still be as healthy as can be.
The truth is that you will only be as healthy as the time you allow yourself to rest in the Lord.
All of us need spiritual and natural Sabbath rests.
The Bible tells us that the sabbath was a holy day. A time intentionally set apart for God. Remember that God set the Sabbath day just as surely as He set the seasons.
~ God uses the stillness the dormant season to provide necessary rest. We need to see this as a season of obedience rather than a season of laziness.
The Dormant season is a season of growth and strength.
Outwardly it may seem like nothing is happening.
It is under the surface in times of winter where roots grow deeper, faith is strengthened and character is developed.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NLT) - Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines, even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
It is in the winter seasons that you learn that true worship of God is not tied to production for God. It is where we learn to cherish our salvation.
It is where God makes your faith sure in order to do well when God takes you to the highs of life.
Dormancy isn’t a season of weakness it is a season of gaining strength.
Winter is a time for growth that isn’t seen.
Invisible activity is still going on. It is not meant to be observed by others it is a season where God does His work in privacy away from the opinion and measurement of others.
If you are worried about appearances and production, then you probably have a difficult time with winter. – You need to understand that winter isn’t about that.
I often hear about people who comment about how bad the trees and ground look during the winter time up north.
They say that the trees look bare, and the ground looks hard and dead.
It is during the winter that appearances are deceiving.
The trees aren’t dead they are growing underground.
Before the trees hit the growth spurt of spring and the tree expands it must first grow just as deep under the surface. Without the strong roots the tree would topple over or not have the needed stability for the growth that is about to happen.
If the root system doesn’t grow to support the branches the tree either will not be able to stand or will have only enough nourishment for leaves and not enough for fruit.
Remember that in the spirit, God did not just call us to look good but to bear fruit.
If you will remember – Jesus actually cursed a tree that looked good but was not bearing fruit in fruit bearing season.
John 15:16 (AMP) - You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.
In the winter there appears to be no life. The surface is dormant, but the root system is thriving. Winter reminds us to be deeper than what things look like. It also keeps you from being prideful during the harvest.
Isaiah 37:31 - And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward.
Notice that downward growth – rooted growth - always comes before upward fruitful growth.
Everyone loves the fruits, but you always need a season to focus on the roots. No one else but you and God get to see that and THAT is ok.
The quality of the fruit will always be determined by the quality of the roots.
What season are you in. I find it interesting that God would have me address the winter season in the midst of our sweltering Florida summer. May be it is my wishful thinking for some cool air.
Whatever season you find yourself in today. Know that you are loved by God and that you are being developed to produce incredible fruit in and through your life.
Know that you are loved.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by snibl111 from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
(AMP) - Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.
None of us like to wait. We are an impatient society.
We have been conditioned to want things now.
Our life will be marked by significant seasons of waiting.
We need to walk in wisdom in the wait. While we wait.
The waiting process will either become one of the most impactful times in our life or it will be one of the most frustrating times in our lives. – It can be both but it doesn’t have to be frustrating.
The first piece of Wisdom in the wait is to realize that you are waiting on the Lord.
The Psalmist says that we are to wait on the Lord. We are to wait expectantly on the Lord.
This is so important that it cannot be over emphasized.
We are not waiting on people.
We are not waiting on situations to change.
We are not waiting on the conditions to be just right.
We are waiting on the Lord.
Notice that it doesn’t say that we are waiting on God. We are waiting on the Lord.
Our Master.
We are not in control He is. We are not in charge – He is.
This changes everything about the wait.
The wait becomes less about us and what we want and how we think things should go and ALL about His way and His will, His purpose and His timing.
Wisdom gives us a much better perspective.
People are unreliable. Situations without God depend on luck.
God is completely reliable, He is good, faithful and wonderful.
When you wait on God there is an entirely different confidence about the outcome.
(AMP) - Wait for and confidently expect the Lord
When you wait on people and situations you have no idea what to expect but when we wait on the Lord, we can have confident expectation.
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
This is such good wisdom that he says it twice.
The Repetition of "wait for the Lord":
The repetition underscores the importance of this concept. It acknowledges that waiting can be difficult, but it's a necessary part of trusting God.
It takes courage to wait on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Be of good courage… The Amplified says let your heart take courage.
Courage is a choice.
Too many people wait in fearful expectation. It takes courage to expect the good in the wait.
That is what is meant by - good courage.
This isn’t a false bravado it is a choice to bravely and confidently wait on the Lord.
Courage is choosing faith over unbelief and doubt It is choosing peace over fear.
Nothing drains your strength like fear and unbelief.
Waiting means that we have positioned our self in a posture of rest.
Isaiah 40:30-31 - Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait (Trust, place their Hope) on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Waiting is a time where God is strengthening us and helping to renew us.
Needing renewed strength is not a sign of failure or weakness it is evidence that you have been running, soaring and working.
Get off your own back.
Isaiah prophesied some truth that even the young people get faint and weary. All of us get tired. The more miles that life puts on us the truer that statement is.
Waiting on God allows us to trust Him to put our Hope in Him all from a position of stopping and rest. – You cannot gain strength when you are expending strength and striving.
Courage says I trust God enough to stop while He gives me the energy to fly again.
Waiting helps us to regain and renew our strength. To build up steam.
It helps us to refresh.
The wait renews us and strengthens us.
If you go into the next season of your life without strength you will not have what you need to prosper in that season.
New seasons require renewed strength. Why? Because new seasons are new – not easy. They are exciting but require not only ability but energy. We not only need the will for a new season but the ability for the new season.
God desires us to soar. Realize that there is wisdom in the wait.
Many people never step into God’s next thing because they never stopped long enough to wait on Him while they were being renewed.
God loves you and me. He will never put us into new highs if we are not going to soar there but drop like a rock.
Remember before Elijah was sent into his next season; God fed him and allowed him to rest before he ran for days.
The waiting is not just a place of resting it is a place of renewal and re-freshing.
Waiting is where we grow in wisdom.
Psalm 25:5 - Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
Where there is a great deal of motion there is also commotion. There is confusion.
It is in the waiting that we allow God to lead us into the truth.
John 16:13 - However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
We need God to teach us His truth and we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth.
The Pause helps us to survey the landscape in order to get a fuller picture of what is happening.
To learn and to listen. You can learn a lot in a moment.
Many times, we get into trouble because we don’t wait to get the leading, guiding direction of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 30:21 (NLT) - Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
God promises to lead us and guide us. To go before us and to speak to us.
Waiting means that we are teachable. That we are willing to learn His will, purpose and ways.
While you can learn a great deal in a moment you can learn a great deal more over time.
Real learning takes time. If we learn during our season of waiting it makes our season of doing so much easier and more productive.
Moses, Joseph, David, Daniel, Paul all had extended seasons of learning and unlearning.
There was wisdom in the wait. They were learning what they needed for their next season in the wait. Now they were not only knowledgeable but skilled and experienced.
Never underestimate the experience that you are gaining in the wait. This is called seasoned. But you are only seasoned in the season of the wait.
This is where you grow. Joseph went into his season a boy but came out a man. So did David. WE do a lot of growing – up in the wait. – this is called maturity.
View waiting as an opportunity for spiritual growth and deepening your reliance on God.
Waiting may not always be easy but it is always beneficial.
Seasons are wonderful the productive ones and the waiting ones.
Speaking of seasons. May the Lord bless you and your family this Christmas Season. May you regain the awe of knowing Jesus as a little Child.
May you have a very Merry Christmas and may the coming year be filled with His glory and blessing.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by Daniel Nebreda from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
John 13:14-17 - If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
WOW!!! – If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
The truth is that many people have no idea what it really means to be great.
We have sold people a bill of goods that leaves most people feeling like they have accomplished little with their life and that they don’t quite measure up to expectations; theirs, God’s or other people. - Many today feel like they are falling short.
For generations now we have challenged people to be great.
This idea drives people. It pushes them. Pushing is better than being stagnant or lazy, yet this drivenness totally misses the fact that Jesus yoke is easy and His burden is light.
For many this desire for greatness is not an adventure but a heaviness that weighs them down needlessly.
We tell people that God wants to do great things in and through their lives and that is true except we offer it as a challenge and a forgone conclusion that everyone should be great at everything.
We teach people that God wants to do BIG things.
What we tell them is that if they are faithful, they will achieve fame, fortune, they will have a platform and if they do everything just right, they will have few enemies and one day retire in complete comfort.
Unusual or considerable in degree, power, or intensity.”
“Wonderful; first-rate; very good.”
“Notable; remarkable; exceptionally good.”
It seems popular to define greatness as perceived success. If you have power, money, and status, then the world calls you great.
Sometimes it’s chance; sometimes it’s not.
~ William Shakespeare. - “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them,”
Greatness, in the world’s eyes, is about material possessions and accomplishments. Nothing wrong with these things. – But if we are not careful, they become our god. – This god has a name mammon. The Bible is clear that you can’t serve both.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines success and greatness as “The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.” That’s a pretty broad definition. There are people who are aiming at nothing and hitting it every time.
The second definition is “The gaining of fame or prosperity” or notoriety.
That is not a godly definition of success at all. Lots of people have fame and prosperity, but they do not have true success.
Success and greatness need to be redefined.
It’s not just doing something grand or big.
In fact, not everybody is called to do something big.
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
God has a plan and a purpose for everyone’s life.
There are no small roles or small plans there is just God’s plan for you. No competition, no comparison with anyone else. Just God’s will for you. Period.
The invitation to greatness is an invitation to be like Jesus.
John 13:16-17 - 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
I love this. We are invited to be LIKE Jesus.
While Jesus was loved, He was also hated.
John 15:18 - “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
While Jeus did miracles, there was always the pull of those who had needs.
While Jesus overcome death, He had to first endure the cross.
Greatness begins when we come to the place that we realize that life is not all about us but all about Jesus.
John 15:8 (AMP) - My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.
Greatness is found in fruitfulness. Fruitfulness is so much more than what we accomplish in life.
It is when our character and life honor God by producing the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
The Desire for greatness is really a desire for significance.
Everyone wants to know that they matter and that their life matters.
Many people’s pursuit of greatness is really just a search for significance.
All of us have read stories of people who have reached the pinnacle of their profession. They have the money, have received the rewards and their lives are simply empty.
I have been a student of history. The truth is many of the people that we honor like our Presidents or people like British Prime Ministers have gotten to the end of their lives only to realize that they are a shell of themselves. Everything that they ever wanted and worked for came at too high a price and delivered very little of what was promised.
All of those who got to the top realized that the other side of the mountain is a steep drop off.
Sometimes significance is found in the seemingly insignificant.
~ It’s the small habits. How you spend your mornings. How you talk to yourself. What you read and what you watch. Who you share your energy with. Who has access to you? That will change your life.
Greatness happens as we are faithful in the little things.
Matthew 25:23 - His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
People who will do the will of God, the right way at the right time, treating people correctly and making sure things are done well with a good attitude. – That is faithfulness.
If we are good stewards of what God gives us, He will increase us and give us more.
Remember that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek HIM.
I want to remind you that everyone has been given gifts, talents, and abilities.
Not everyone has been given the same amount and not everyone has been given the same skills. We are just called to be faithful with what we have.
We are not to compare ourselves with what others have. That is not what matters.
What is significant is what we do with what God has entrusted to us.
This month I want to give you an invitation to greatness. This has nothing to do with numbers, results, popularity, or riches. It has everything to do with faithfulness.
The truth is that many of the hero’s of the Kingdom of God are known to very few people. Their accomplishments have not been recorded in newspapers or blogs. What they have been – is recorded in heaven and know by God Himself.
There is so much more to this message that I look forward to sharing with you. I will leave you with this though. Jesus said that if you want to be great in God’s Kingdom you must be the servant of all. Remember – You are Great servant of God!
You are loved.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
2 Timothy 3:13 - But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
The Bible tells us that Satan is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44–45 (AMP) - You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me [and continue in your unbelief].
Satan is the exact opposite of Jesus.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Right now, we all have a sense that we are being lied to about everything.
It is hard to trust almost anything that anyone says.
You and I are being lied to on a regular basis. In fact, our entire culture is riddled with deception.
We have governmental agencies like the (Food and Drug Administration) to oversee the ridiculous claims made by advertisers and retailers.
We have social media claiming to “monitor the truth” in our news so that we are not lied to as they manipulate what they want us to see and hear.
Our Government opened and closed what it called an office of truth that was so close to the Nazi’s ministry of truth that it could not hold up to the back lash it was so obviously wrong.
The Bible tells us that in the last days people lying and deceiving will grow worse and worse. That people will be deceiving others and being deceived themselves.
We are in those times.
The Bible tells us that in the last days even the very elect or God’s Chosen ones will be deceived if it is possible.
Matthew 24:24 - For false Christ’s and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
That is a powerful statement. If possible. – The truth is that those who are walking in the Holy Spirit will have discernment. Most of God’s elect won’t be fooled. They will be lied to but will be able to see through the lies.
But some who are not paying attention and some who just don’t really want to know will be deceived.
Satan uses every sort of duplicity to lead people away from Truth and into the tangled and confusing realm of Deception. Truth has been outrageously violated in every area of society.
Deception is when you are lied to and you believe it.
Some other words that describe it – Misinformation, disinformation exaggeration, subterfuge, sleight of hand, fake news, distraction, counterfeit, camouflage.
2 Corinthians 11:14 - And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
The word deception could be defined as communication or behavior that is meant to leave others with a false impression.
Here are some ways that deception is being sown in our culture today:
• Disinformation: deliberately misleading or biased information; manipulated narrative or facts; propaganda.”
• Doublespeak: evasive, ambiguous language that is intended to deceive or confuse.
• Duplicity: deceitfulness in speech or conduct, as by speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter; double-dealing.
• Fabrication: to make up a story or facts for the purpose of deception.
• Falsehood: Contrary to fact or truth.
• Fraud: deceit [or] trickery… perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.
• Half-truth: a statement that fails to divulge the whole truth… or using a portion of truthful information to make a lie seem more trustworthy.
• Hypocrisy: a concealment of one’s real character or motives… a deceitful show of a good character, in morals or religion; a counterfeiting of religion.” Actor – To pretend to be something or someone that you are not.
• Lie: a falsehood uttered for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth.
• Scam: a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle.
• Subterfuge: a cleverly disguised way or strategy used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something. Deceit used in order to achieve one's goal.
Deception has become a part of our culture.
2 Timothy 3:7 - always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Lying has become so common place that we almost expect it and are shocked when people are actually honest.
Lying has become ubiquitous in our culture. We expect that every time a politician opens their mouth that they are lying.
When news is dispensed, we are confident that it is no longer being reported accurately but with the slant and stats manipulated to make them say what they want us to hear so that we will believe what they think is best.
Law has become so nuanced that no one really understands what a lawyer is saying except other lawyers.
The disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the world and the first thing He told them was deception.
Matthew 24:3-5 - Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
Jesus gave many signs, but the first sign Jesus told them about contained a clear warning of a wide-scale deception that would emerge in the last part of the last days — and the need for people to prepare and guard against it. Jesus said, “…Take heed that no man deceives you.”
Take Heed – Pay attention, Live with your eyes wide open, have your Spirit in step with the Spirit of God. – Be decerning.
The word “deceive” is used to depict this period when it will look as if delusion is taking over the world.
It is the Greek word which means to lead astray or to wander off course. This word “deceive” could depict a single individual who has wandered far off course, or it could describe a whole nation or nations that have morally veered from the position once held to be true.
That describes today. – In many ways our world is delusional.
~ Someone said – “Human beings are willing to believe anything, as long as it caters to what they want.”
Satan understands this and has developed philosophies, religions and belief systems that sound so reasonable that they keep us from God because they tell us exactly what we want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:3 (AMP) - For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,
We often think this just means religious teachers and pastors. This goes far beyond that. This includes actual educators (Children and Collegiate), entertainers and so-called experts.
~ Rick Renner – People in the last days will become supernaturally hoodwinked — that is, they will be ensnared by an unparalleled period of deception on every front. This period of deceitfulness will be so intense that people will believe what is false over what is obviously true, even denying facts and truths that are common sense and that nature itself teaches. It will mark a time when wrong belief and delusion will pervade every realm of society. This is the clear teaching of prophetic Scripture about developments that will occur at the conclusion of this age.
I believe that Christians should be the most discerning, wise and aware people in the world.
Why? Because we are people of the Word and people of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Wisdom and discernment.
If anyone can spot and know the difference between the truth and a lie it will be a Christian who walks in the Spirit and who lives by Faith.
This month we are going to unpack this in a big way.
Continue to walk and live in the Truth. You will be of those who know the difference and do not walk in description, Spiritual or otherwise.
Remember you are dearly Loved,
Pastor Marvin and Dawn
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Psalm 34:19 (AMP) - Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, But the Lord rescues him from them all.
A while back I ran across a sermon called – The Doctrine of Suffering. I began to sense God stirring something in my spirit. The truth is that many people are going through some pretty difficult times. The hardship and suffering are deep, painful, exhausting and you are looking forward to this season ending. I believe that God wants to do a Healing work in many of us that will be lasting and impactful.
Contrary to much of what is taught today, God never promised us a life free from trials hardship and suffering. As a matter of fact, He promised us just the opposite. John 16:33 (NIV) - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NLT) I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Hardship and suffering are a normal part of life, even for Christians.
Trials, hardship, and sorrow hit all of us. They are not something strange or unusual.
1 Peter 4:12-13 - Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
When we go through trials, suffering and hardship we need to realize that it is not something unusual.
~ Charles Spurgeon – The question of suffering is not a question of if we will face it, but when. Suffering is one of life’s certainties, as is the good which God produces through it.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 - In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.
I don’t want you to miss that – God has appointed the one as well as the other. Another translation reads - but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Now I realize that is going to mess with some people- good times and difficult times come from God. He allows them both.
~ Carter Conlon – Of Times Square Church – There are some people who have such an aversion to the idea of hardship that they immediately shut down at the mere mention of it. If they don’t hear a message that makes them happy and assures them that everything is going to be fine, they quickly leave in search of a place where they will only hear good news.
Listen this is all fine and good until the reality of hard times come and unspeakable things happen: now not only do you have problems you have no foundation of hope on which to stand.
At the core of hardship is the mercy and goodness of God. God is always faithful to strengthen us and to strategically prepare us for whatever we will have to face.
We need to realize that hard isn’t bad but that HARD IS HARD.
There is purpose in the pain. Someone needs to hear this – God will never allow your pain to be in vain. Regardless of where our pain comes from or what it is – God will never waste your pain.
James 1:2-4 (NLT) - Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
The Bible says that God blesses us with the opportunity to know the joy of growth and victory. The big key is to go through these times PAITENTLY. WE are to patiently ENDURE. Enduring means it’s not easy it is hard. Know that God is building His character in us. If you focus on the hurt, you will continue to suffer. If you focus on the lesson, you will continue to grow.
One of the reasons so many people are hurting is because they have decided to either ignore the pain or they just pretend that it is not really affecting their lives. On more than one occasion Jesus asked people if they wanted to be healed or what do you want me to do for you.
One of the things that we need to get settled in our spirit is that – We need to understand that it brings God joy to heal us, restore us and to set us free. You need to believe this. Healing in every aspect, Spiritual, Emotionally, Physically and Mentally is not just for others but is for you. If this is settled, you will know where to go and where to look when you need help. If not, you will find yourself constantly searching for both solutions and healing.
I believe that at HCC we are in a precious season of healing. We have seen three people in the last several years, literally come back from a death sentence health wise. We have seen many other remarkable healings. I believe we have yet to scratch the surface of what God has for our lives. In this year of OVERFLOW, I believe we are going to see not only the healing of bodies, but of depression, release from difficult situations, freedom from addiction and joy in place of tremendous sorrow.
It is the hard and difficult times. The times filled with sorrow and pain that God uses for His glory and for our benefit. Hear me – God will never waste your pain.
Thank you for your faithfulness to the Kingdom of God and to HCC.
You are precious to God and to us
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay