(S)he didn't smell like smoke in spite of the fire (s)he went through.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.” Isaiah 43:2 [AMPC]
Special One, this post is for such a time as this. As I type, I know beyond every reasonable doubt that all I have to leave on here today is specifically for people who do not look like “IT”. I for one, do not.
Just three days ago, a few things became hazy to me and I began to encourage myself in the Lord. Later that day, I was too sure that God brooded on my spirit. He gave me words of hope, comfort and strength. All I received and continue to receive is what I have come to relay to you today.
Dear, to become highly sought after, great work must be done (Zech 8:23, Matt 5:16). The “ugly” can actually become the most desired. The crude, unprocessed, unrefined, raw, unattractive, unwanted, underdeveloped can become One or what people NEED and SEEK.
How?
I heard three (3) words in my spirit.
- Preparation
- Processes
- Perfection
Please stay with me while I briefly expound these three words in regards to our subject for today.
“But by the [remarkable] grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not without effect. In fact, I worked harder than all of the apostles, though it was not I, but the grace of God [His unmerited favor and blessing which was] with me.” 1st Corinthians 15:10 [AMP]
Our hearts need to be prepared for the journey ahead. Only the right thoughts will yield the right results we seek. The writer of proverbs said it best when he mentioned that a man is what he thinks (Proverbs 23:7). Think great thoughts and greatness will naturally exude from within you. Think evil thoughts and you know what we all can expect. Question is – how best can we think and retain right thoughts? Friend, reading, memorizing, meditating and speaking GOD’S WORD is the solution. There’s no gainsaying. Although our minds are battlefields, God’s Word is the Sword that gives us victory.
Undesirable persons or situations do not just become highly sought after by accident. Surely, there would been have so much commitments involved in the journey to positive change. For desired products to evolve, right processes must be undergone. Honestly, the processes involved to become and remain no one’s last resort are REAL, you know what I mean. It requires WORK. Lets take a cue from the life of the foremost Apostle. In spite of how undesirable Apostle Paul (Saul) was to the Christians right after his conversion at Damascus, his products can never be denied by the Christiandom till date. He worked more than all the Apostles in the Bible with the Authorship of a good percentage of the new testament to show for it. The great thing is – he always acknowledged the grace of God at work in him. We need to depend on God’s Grace always. We can only do so much without God’s Grace at work in our lives. Mistakes will be made, lessons will be learned. Still, if we hold on to God through the processes, we’ll reach our expected end.
Special One, do you see the pictures above? I bet you do. Guess what?They’re all diamonds. The 1st and 2nd are raw and uncut. Trust me, If I was at the beach and came in contact with any of those two, I’d probably ignore them or throw them around for fun. Why? Because they look unattractive, even though they are way costlier than the diamond in the 3rd picture (Don’t ask me how I know). Plus, I’m not a miner, hence, I have no eyes for precious stones in their raw form. But this is not so for the 3rd picture! It’s a beauty to behold. The diamonds endured unbelievable pressures. They passed through several necessary processes. Hence, they’ll command the attention of more persons, arguably.
With our flaws and all, God desires to unveil the best versions of us. He desires that we command uncommon and supernatural results. With our devotion to God in place and our dedication to hard and smart work, we must never compare ourselves or our works with the world’s. There’s no ground for comparison.
So dear, we can be all that God has called us to be, with God. Life is such a race and I’m so excited to be running it! I believe you are too! God help us all in Jesus’ Name. Amen!
Live victoriously.
With Selfless Love,
Abba’s Daughter—Your Sister
