Don’t Stop Seeking The Lord

This is an admonition to myself as much as anyone else. It is in our nature to stray away from seeking God when things are going well. There is a clear example seen in the life of King Asa. Asa was a king of Judah. He was one that God said did right in the eyes of the Lord.
 
He had been zealous for the Lord tearing down Asherah poles (poles representing a false god), and other places of idol worship during his time. He was so zealous that he even demoted his grandmother because she still worshipped Asherah, and he decreed it the law of the land that all residents of Judah were to worship the Lord the true and living God.
 
Because of his devout heart toward seeking the Lord, God gave him rest from all of his enemies for 35 years. For 35 years he did not have to fight any wars. However, during the 36th year, the Israelite army begin to prepare to go to war against Asa.
 
Asa, at that point, made an agreement with an army who became his ally. The agreement with the allying army caused the Israelite army to back off. After all of this had taken place, a prophet named Hanani came to Asa with the below message.

“Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” –  2 Chronicles 16:7-9 

Asa became so angry at the prophet that he placed him in jail. According to the word of the Lord he had to endure war throughout the remaining of his reign. He also ended up with a foot disease.

What is the point of this all? The point is that we need to remember to seek the Lord. We need to be consistently in the practice of seeking the Lord first. This should be our daily habit. Asa had an extensive time-frame where everything was going well, and somehow that time frame tempted him not to seek the Lord anymore.

Once, he became content not seeking the Lord he started to exhibit traits that were not in line with the Lord such as jailing a prophet for speaking God’s heart. The more we seek the Lord, the more we become like him and exhibit his characteristics rather than our own fleshly characteristics.

The opposite becomes true when we do not seek the Lord. We in turn exhibit ungodly and worldly characteristics.  We need to be careful not to walk in pride and simply ride the tide of good times with the Lord, but we need to remember to maintain a consistency of seeking God. In doing so, we will be well equipped for those bad times that sometimes catch us by surprise. We will also continue to make room in our lives to continually see the glory of the Lord displayed within our lives personally. That is what God wanted to do with King Asa, and that is what God wants to do with us.

The Intimidation of A Woman of Standard:

An Honest Conversation on the Intimidation of a Woman of Standard

Recently, I watched the season finale of “Growing Up Hip-Hop.” It is a show starring Romeo Miller, Master P’s son, Angela Simmons, Reverend Run’s daughter, and many other music industry young
people.
 
It was interesting to watch the development of Angela, who represented abstinence until marriage for a while until meeting a man that she became engaged to and had her first child with. One could only wonder if all of the pressure that a woman of standard deals with got to Angela influencing her
decision to go ahead and give in.
 
The season finale of Season 3 showed Little Bow Wow, who Angela had some sort of dating
​relationship with in the past. He asked Angela questions alluding to the idea that he believed she was settling with her current fiance’.
 
Could Bow Wow’s thought be true? Could Angela have been influenced by the pressure that often
causes fears and poor choices to come to the surface in a woman of standard? Just in case my readers are dealing with similar issues, I’ve compiled a brief list of things women of standard deal with and
​how to handle them properly while we go through them.
 
Fear of Being Alone:
 
One of the fears that women of God deal with is the fear of being alone. Women of standard often
hear things like what Bow Wow shared with Angela on their reunion lunch. He used an analogy
​telling her that he always used to tell her when they talked in the past that she needed to open her
FedEx box. How many women of standard have heard the same things, and felt that it could possibly be true after being passed up and looked over so many times because of not giving it up.
 
I would encourage those women to change their perspectives and to view the men passing them up as protection from God instead of rejection because of God’s standard in their lives. A woman in those
​shoes allows herself to be preserved for a man who will honor and respect her for her standard instead of put her down for it.

The Challenge of a Woman of Standard is Too Much for Some Men:
Bow Wow went on to share with Angela that no one would want to marry her without sampling her
FedEx box. He went on saying, “that stuff is hard not having sex until marriage.” It isn’t something
that many men can fathom themselves complying with for any length of time to pursue a girl and get the goods later after marriage. It makes some men feel as though they have to be perfect, serious,
devout, and if they are not then it isn’t worth trying. So, the girl again gets passed up.

This is where women of standard have to continue to stand unwavering because her standard is taking her somewhere. Her standard is separating the men from the boys for her, and reserving her only for
the men.

A few things: Women naturally mature quicker than boys. We grow taller earlier and such by nature.
In many cases, this is true when it comes to development in other ways such as socially, and
spiritually in general. This means that there has to be a level of patience within a woman of standard
to be able to forbear in whatever state she is in rather waiting on a mature man of God as she
continues to develop with God or in a marriage. While the woman waits she has to remain secure in
​her worth.

Distracting Ourselves from the Pain:
Being honest, there will be some pain when a woman of God has a standard. Everyone will not agree nor understand our standard, but we still will need to maintain it. One of the ways that we can
continue to do so is to distract ourselves from the pain of loneliness, misunderstanding, and feeling
rejected. If our pain is not properly dealt with it can produce negative emotions that cause us to make poor choices and to end up dealing with things such as condemnation instead of the love and
redemptive power of Christ within us.

Give your burdens, negative thoughts and emotions to the Lord in prayer. Exchange them for what
God says about you. Surround yourself with those who agree with God’s plan for your life, and limit your dealings with those who do not. Be willing to endure whatever hardships the Lord allows
keeping a praise in your heart and on your lips for what God is doing within you. Any suffering
​endured will only produce more character within you

“And not only this but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing
that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance;  and endurance, proven
character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal
salvation].  Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been
abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 
Romans 5:3-4

Continue to enjoy your life, and whatever you do, do not settle for anything below the standard God
​has set for you in his word. Allow God to constantly change and secure your perspectives as he heals you from the wounds incurred along the way.

Don’t Allow Covetousness to Prevent you from Enjoying Your Life

DEALING WITH COVETOUSNESS

WHAT IS COVETOUSNESS:

Covetousness is defined as “eagerly desirous of possessions. (dictionary.com)” This is almost an anxiety or unrest concerning what we desire. It is also defined as “inordinately or wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions; greedy.” Meaning, there is a right way and a wrong way to desire things, and the covetous way is the wrong way.

Covetousness almost always leads to a spirit of in-contentment, and unthankfulness for what we have because we are focusing on what others have.

COVETOUSNESS EASILY SEEPS IN AND STEALS OUR CONTENTMENT.

We could be coasting along life just fine and content, and all it takes is a scroll of the social media news-feed to take our attention off of the joy that we have in Christ to what we feel we are missing. However, before the click of the mouse, we did not feel like we were missing anything. Covetousness and in-contentment normally have its roots in what we are focusing on.

This is why the Bible makes important the point of what we allow our eyes to focus on by saying the below:​

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matthew 6:22

In other words, we will go in the direction of what we choose to focus on. If we focus on healthy things we will be healthy. If we focus on unhealthy things, we will begin to manifest deception, darkness, and confusion. Deception, darkness, and confusion are the things that cause us to stumble.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP IT?

We can get a guard for our eyes. Meaning, intentionally choosing not to focus on the things that will cause us to compare ourselves to others, or to desire what others have. This can mean unfollowing or blocking people on social media.

When we shift our focus off of what it isn’t currently our season to have right now; we are better able to enjoy life. For example, as a single woman, it isn’t my season to be sexually active. Therefore, I am specific with setting parameters against certain television shows, movies, or songs that may cause me to become anxious for a season of marital love-making.

We can also become thankful for what we do have. There are going to be some things in our lives that we get to enjoy that other’s that we may be covetous toward will not be able to enjoy. For example, I have the luxury of much peace and quiet because I live alone.

Whereas, a married person with a house full of kids or a spouse has to bargain for personal quiet time. Being thankful for what we have allows us to enjoy our current season. It helps us to avoid the “what about me?” attitude that comes up when we compare our lives to others.

Covetousness always produces distracting questions that work to get our thinking off track. When our thinking is off track; our actions will be off track.

Finally, during our personal prayer time, we can pray specifically for those that we may be tempted to be covetous toward. I often pray for exes and those that I am tempted to be covetous of when they come to mind. I do not pray according to the flesh, but according to the love of God in my heart toward them and God’s word. This helps to alleviate any awkward feeling toward them I may be tempted to have, and it is also a Biblical principal that protects our heart.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; – Matthew 5:44

This helps especially in the scenarios where someone may have done us wrong and were blessed with something that we wanted instead of seeming to pay a penalty for doing us wrong.

Scenarios like the above can be very easy temptations for us to become covetous and begin to compare ourselves, but God gives us wisdom, so we do not have to get caught up in the snares set before us. Don’t allow the trap of covetousness to derail your life. Be intentional on what you allow yourself to focus on. Be thankful, and pray for all men including those who have offended you.

The Design of Our Future Generations:

What seeds are we sowing today that will provide the peace, opportunity, and unity of future generations as it relates to race and ethnicity?

​Many may have noticed the increase of racially charged news on all forms of media including social media. Some of the stories floating on social media aren’t true; however, it’s clear that a real problem exists. If the problem that exists is not dealt with; what will it mean for our future generations in this country of America?

For a good while, it seemed that we stood on a somewhat plane of unity based on the work of the many civil rights activists who came before us. These activists were Black and White working together toward a common goal. That goal was freedom and justice for all people. It seemed that after several laws were passed such as the “Civil Rights Act”, “Fair Housing Act”, and “Brown Vs. Board of Education” there was an attempt to live together in unity and understand one another even though all did not personally agree with integration.

Now, with the settling of social media as a norm, and the election of a president who is not ashamed to hold views that cause him to appear racist, there has been an emboldening of racial division. People feel disenfranchised and powerless toward the police, and the melting-pot of racial divide continues to simmer.

What will that simmering bring about? If we aren’t careful to be intentional of the seeds that we so today as it relates to our thinking about race and ethnic relations, it could easily produce something that we aren’t proud of as a nation and a people. The former thinkers and activists always acted intentionally when racial injustice peered it’s ugly head, and the former activists who have had the most impact have always used their faith as a spearhead to guide them through the uncomfortable fields of social activism.

Some examples of those social activists are not as well known as Martin Luther King. Examples include Fannie Lou Hamer, and John Perkins. Mrs. Hamer started out being tricked into sharecropping at 6 years old. After attending an event that shared the importance of voting, she quickly signed up to vote, and because of it was fired from her job. She then faced much domestic terrorism and intimidation as she continued to rally others to vote. She was beaten and thrown in jail, yet she held true to her Christian beliefs that she would not allow the hatred of others to cause her to hate.

John Perkins is still with us today. In 1970 he was ambushed by several police officers, tortured, and threatened, but he also chose not to hate them. Instead, he continued his work in the community spear-headed by his faith. He came up with a 3- R program to deal with rebuilding the community and providing racial reconciliation. His 3 – R program is summed up in Relocation, Reconciliation, and Redistribution. More can be found on his program, and the work that he has done at (https://jvmpf.org/our-history/).
The work of social reconciliation and equality is uncomfortable and many choose not to deal with it. Many choose to remain silent altogether, and pretend that it doesn’t exist. That’s like boiling a pot of soup and watching it boil over, and expecting the mess made to clean itself up.

We all have a responsibility in this. Even if it’s as simple as making someone feel welcome of another culture by inviting them into your life and your world. Or it could be as simple as reminding someone of another culture that God loves them. So, I encourage you to find a common ground with someone different than yourself. Talk with them, and understand their stories, and the way that they think. Share your stories, and refuse to be defensive. Keep faith in God’s word practicing forgiveness, love, and wisdom toward all men like the examples in this post. These things can be small steps that lead to bigger ones to appropriately sow seeds that would help to design and create a better future for our children, and those to come.
“This blog post is a part of Design Blogger Competition organized by CGTrader” Contest Link: Design Blogger Competition

The Single Woman & Submission Part II:

When a single woman is considering submitting to a man, she should be well acquainted with submission and who is worthy of submission from her relationship with God and other appropriate men in her life.Single women can practice submission through their submission to God. This will show us what to expect in a man based on how Christ treats us. He willingly sacrificed himself to gain us because he loved us. He consistently forbears with us, corrects us and publicly heralds us as his own bride.

We also acknowledge similar traits in men around us. This teaches us as women who to respond to with our submission or not. Remember as single women, our primary role is not to submit to a man as if we are already married, but to be discerning about whether a brother is fit for our future.

Picking up where we left off on last week; below are some additional values we can look for as single women courting, dating, and waiting, for marriage:

Complimentary Purpose:
This would note that you have an idea of your purpose and are either operating in it to some degree or working toward operating in it. Purposes should not clash. His purpose does not have to be the exact same, but should not stand in the way of you operating fully in who you are, and fully in your purpose. If a woman has to deny being herself; then most likely it isn’t an appropriate relationship that the woman should include in her future.

Demonstrated Vision for His Life:
Where no vision is the people perish. Getting with a brother who has absolutely no vision for his life is like taking a huge risk on an investment known to be unstable. 9 times out of 10 the relationship will not fulfill it’s purpose. It will probably only be based on more trivial things such as attraction and that’s it. Attraction is not enough to keep a relationship together. There has got to be more, and vision for our future isn’t a bad place to start.

Clear Understanding of His Role As a Man of God:
A husband’s role is clearly spelled out in the book of Ephesians. A man is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. He is supposed to make his wife better by helping to shape her and prune her like Christ does the church. (See, Eph 5:27, and John 15:2). There are additional things such as providing and such, but these are some of the core things that we should be looking for.

A woman should already be secure in walking out her role as a woman in Christ. This is how she will be recognized. Notice Jesus pruned the vine that was already bringing forth fruit. A real man of God is looking for a woman of God who is already operating in her identity in Christ.

Willingness to Work Together:
He may have some flaws. Like we as women have flaws such as selfishness, and pride. Is he willing to work on his selfishness? Are you willing to work on your overspending. If the two of you are willing to work at your flaws while showing grace toward one another; there is a strong chance that the relationship can go further.

When we meet a man who exhibits these above traits; we know that eventually when we do get married we will be submitting to this man of God. Let us focus as single women right now more on the fruit then the idea of practicing being a wife and submitting to a man. We will have plenty of time for that later on if we do well with where we are right now.

Ten Scriptures Showing God’s Trustworthiness:

The scripture talks about how the truth makes us free. Just before this was mentioned in scripture, Jesus said if we abide in his word; we will be his disciples. What does this tell us? God’s word and abiding, meditating on, and believing it is the truth that makes us free.

Because there are many lies that believers often face, it is essential to ready ourselves to abide in freedom through abiding in God’s word. Below are 10 scriptures that will help us to continue to trust in the Lord during times where our situations would appear to present a different picture.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32 (ESV)Ten Scriptures showing God’s trustworthiness through his promises

1.   As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. – Psalms 18:30

2.    With the faithful, God shows himself faithful. – Psalms 18:25

3.    He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him,        graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:32

4.    And he said unto his servant: quick get me my robe and place it on him. This showing inheritance despite our goodness. We inherit the goodness of God; we do not earn it. – Luke 15:22

5.    He enlargeth our feet under us so that our feet do not slip. We don’t have to worry about falling because he holds us up. – Psalms 18:36

6.   Syrophoenician woman: Woman, I have not seen such great faith in Israel. God does not limit his goodness to his people but spreads it abroad to all. He is faithful and trustworthy to respond to our faith. If he did it for someone who did not have an inheritance with him through covenant, how much more will he do it for someone who is in covenant with him through birth into the kingdom of Christ through his son Jesus. – Mark 7:24-29

7.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. – Psalms 37:5 (ESV)

8.  Trust in the Lord and he will strengthen your heart. God understands that it gets hard to trust in him sometimes. That is why he has strength specially reserved for his children who trust him. – Psalms 31:24

9.  Trust in the Lord and do good. – Psalms 37:3 God understands that sometimes it appears that those who do good get the rough end of the stick; while those who choose to do evil get a break, but God still requires us to trust him. He is so confident in his faithfulness, trustworthiness, and also what he has invested in us that he expects us to still do good in the face of opposition. Besides, if we fall, he has already prepared a way for us to stand back up. Trust him.

10. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path. God is so confident in his faithfulness and trustworthiness that he wants us to give up all of our trust to him, and not just some of it. – Proverbs 3:5-6

11.  Bonus: None that place their hope in the Lord will be made ashamed. This means that the end result will be one that shows in victory and in our favor. Amen. – Psalms 25:3

When You Cannot See Me Just Walk by Faith:

We all grow up looking up to our parents. As we get older, they prepare us to be more mature than we were before by saying things like, “I’m not going to be with you always, and you are going to have to know how to handle yourself.” They taught us. They trained us because they loved us.

Just like our parents train us and wean us off of depending on their every move, so does the Lord train us, but the difference is that the Lord never leaves. He is always present just at times silent. He patiently waits for us to make the choice that we’ve been taught so that we can go on to the next level of maturity, learning, growing, and advancing in the kingdom of God.

As a child, it can seem scary, when our parents share that they won’t always be around, yet they are preparing us. However, our parents have such confidence in what has been taught that they proceed despite the hesitance of the child. Our heavenly father does the same with us.

It feels scary when God is silent as if he is distant, yet he is right there encouraging us like the parents who encourage their child to come on along to maturity. One of the best things that a parent can give their child is exposure to who Jesus is.

Although, my parents aren’t perfect in any form, I am so thankful for the inheritance that they gave me to know who Jesus is. As a child, we were made to watch Christian television. In particularly, my brothers and I were made to watch Frederick K.C. Price. Price is a faith teacher who at the end of every show had a theme song that he sang just after he said, “and we walk by faith not by sight.”

I had awakened one morning years ago while going through something; I heard the theme song and afterward the saying, “and we walk by faith and not by sight.” Afterward, I heard the Lord say when you don’t see me or feel me; walk by faith in those moments.

That bought about so much peace. God was in that moment training me with something that I would need to remember for the rest of my life.

In those moments where I don’t see God, feel God, or know how he is moving, I will need to walk by faith. Interesting that God used a fond memory Pastor Price’s broadcast to forever in grain that into me. It reminds me of my parents, and how they would make sure we paid attention while watching Price and other preachers. If we fell asleep while the teaching was on; we had to stand up until the broadcast was over.

Of course that was uncomfortable at the time, but it was much needed training for what I would face later. God is so good in that he doesn’t allow us to get too comfortable and remain in the same place, but he prepares us for our next level of maturity so that we can conquer everything that he has to set before us. Let’s continue to boldly walk by faith when we don’t see how, when, what, or feel how God will move knowing that we are in preparation by God for our next level of glory and maturity. Through faith in him; we pass every test.

A New Level of Consecration For A New Season:

There are some things that are not wrong, nor sinful, but they can be a distraction from setting our focus on the Lord. There are some promises that come with setting our focus on the Lord such as peace.
Isaiah 26:3 says that those who keep their minds stayed on the Lord will be kept in perfect peace.I am a firm believer in protecting my peace. Peace is a free gift that Jesus has given to those who have believed on him
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27There are many things that will act as distractions in our lives robbing us of our peace and causing us to take our eyes off of Jesus Christ. This can be very dangerous because if we have no peace, and we allow ourselves to be distracted; we can open the door to confusion, anxiety, and simply walking after the flesh. Thus, there is a need to be cautious about when God calls us to a new level of consecration during walking into a new season in our lives.

We don’t altogether know what that season will hold, but God does and he promises to supply our needs. Supplying our needs also include preparation for what’s ahead.  Some things I’ve done to increase my consecration in this season is limiting the time on social media. Of course, I just completed a social media fast. Now, that I am back on social media I have set boundaries on how often I will go on. I simply do not want to lose the peace and sensitivity gained during the fast.

I am also going a period of time without listening to any secular music, and finally I’ve dedicated one day per week to fasting from food 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. All of these things will help me to intentionally look at the Lord. This will in turn cause me to become more sensitive to the Lord and help me to maintain my peace as well. When we maintain our peace; we can hear God a lot more easily and clearly. These are all small steps that will lead to a big outcome.
Feel free to join me in this new level of consecration for a new season of my life. I don’t altogether know what this new season holds, but I am excited that God would inspire me to began preparing for it in seeking him more.

Why Dating a Person With a Religious Spirit is Just as Bad as Dating a Worldy Person

The religious person has the appearance of being in Christ. However, instead of abiding in Christ which means to be so submitted to Christ. A genuine believer commits to the process of being a true believer. This process includes a willingness to be led by the Spirit of God and the word of God.

Also, it means allowing refinement and growth to take place through submitting to the word of God continually. The religious person still operates according to the standards of the world. He picks and chooses what he will submit to in God’s word making his own standard of righteousness. Here is the worst part. This man is so prideful in his religious spirit that he sees no need to change.

Consequently, the person who operates in the above manner is not fit for marriage because marriage is all about growth for both the man and woman. Humility is also very much so required for the married couple to grow. Without it, the marriage will become stunted and die.

The person who chooses to walk in a religious spirit instead of allowing God’s process of sanctification, preparation, refinement, and freedom through submission to Christ has also stunted his own growth. He thinks he is the bomb, but he is really spiritually dead and nothing will be able to properly grow from him even a healthy and stable marriage until he truly hooks himself into the giver of life—Jesus Christ.

Anything outside of the true vine dies.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:5-6

The person who builds from a religious spirit becomes responsible for the success of what he builds, but the thing is, a religious person is not equipped to bring success to a marriage, relationship or any such thing.

The foundation cannot be stable because the foundation should always be Jesus Christ and nothing else. We build upon the foundation that Christ has already laid in his word. Any other structure has to come down.

Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain. – Psalms 127:1

This religious person is like the one in the below scripture. 

Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. – 2 Tim 3:5

Run from him. Cut him off. Cut him loose. Flee into another direction. For your own sake, leave him alone.

Have You Been Proven?

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17 (KJV)

The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Revealed means to be shown as in to be proven, or placed clearly out into the open. Our character of whether we are walking this Christian thing out by God’s righteousness or our own is revealed through the circumstances that test our faith.

Are we going from faith to faith? When circumstances happen outside of our control that test whether we trust in God or not; are we found trusting in him? Are we growing in faith or faltering in faith. If we are going from faith to faith; we are showing that we have been proven. We are showing that we are truly believers that depend on Christ.

Job was a believer who had been proven. During going through his trial, he remained resolved to continue in faith trusting in God. He made famous the line, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. I will defend my cause before God, and this will end in his deliverance for indeed no godless man would be so bold as to plead their cause before God. (Job 13:15-16)”

Job declared with boldness that he was fed up with his friends judging him. He was no longer going to put up with being judged in the courts of men and their limited understanding. He made up his mind that he would plead his cause before God who would judge righteously. He knew that it would turn out that the Lord would deliver him because the Lord is faithful.

Men were judging him according to how things looked. It looked like Job had done something wrong. Why would God allow a man of God to suffer so much? This is often the case in the body of Christ today when believers go through uncommon circumstances that causes them to suffer.

They are often accused of doing something wrong. If we aren’t careful, these accusations can make us want to do wrong. However, Job in the King James Version says in the same scripture that he would maintain his ways before God (Job 13:14). In other words, he has been righteous, and will continue to be righteous, and because of that he isn’t afraid to approach God. He had been proven.

His friends did not note that the Lord was proving Job in the fact that Job was consistent through suffering. You see, when we continue to walk by faith through suffering, it shows that we have been proven. We have been proven that what is inside of us that is causing us to hold on is not of the flesh, but of the Lord. It is the righteousness that springs from God’s work in us himself.

If you are in a proving process or have been in a proving process; don’t be discouraged. Be bold and continue to walk by faith like Job knowing that the end of this thing will result in your deliverance, vindication, and double the blessing of the Lord.