Category: devotional

Becoming Separated From Sin

“The wisdom of God appears in afflictions. By these He separates the sin which He hates, from the son whom He loves. By these thorns He keeps him from breaking over into Satan’s pleasant pastures, which would fatten him indeed, but only to the slaughter.”

–James H. Aughey

“For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”

1 Petter 4:3

 

 

 

 

Traversing Valleys

“The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.”

–Helen Keller

 

 

 

A Broken Spirit

“Towards himself a Christian should have a broken spirit, but towards God it should be one of rejoicing always in Him. He rejoices not for its own sake nor because of any joyful experience, work, blessing or circumstance, but exclusively because God is his center.”

–Watchman Nee

 

 

The Wind That Lifts You Up

 

Pain is the great nullifier of hope. When we hurt we seldom can get a handle on “mounting up with wings like eagles.” It no longer is in our spiritual vocabulary. We may “flap” our wings, but flight isn’t an option. Something is holding us down.

Eagles learn to soar by using the air currents. Utilizing an updraft they are able to ascend to great heights that they wouldn’t be able to achieve by just flapping. I know of no greater updraft than suffering.

When all we got is hope, that is where we learn to ascend. Now there is a “half hope” that many will try to take. It may seem logical to take it, but it isn’t the kind of thing that can make us mount up like an eagle.

How do we ascend when life takes what matters? What do we do when our hope is crushed?

Losing hope, painful as that may seem, is a necessary step on the road to finding the real hope. When the last shard of our old hope is removed we are now ready for the real thing…a real hope for real people.

Authenticity isn’t an automatic. It comes when healing changes you. Fortunately God through His Holy Spirit want us to be believers who soar. This is a promise for you–

“For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.”

Psalm 30:5