Whenever God is preparing for increase, fruitfulness and harvest there is a battle. How can we break through and break the spiritual reistance? How can we push past the attempts of the enemy to hinder God's will being accomplished.
Keep in mind, in the end, God's will, will be done and his purpose will be accomplished. But we can co-operate with God to see it happen.
Someone might ask and say," Why don't these things come easy, if it's God's will?" Sometimes it does, we just stand back and watch. But most of the time, we see in the Bible, we have a part to play. Praise Him for our part! He is sharing the delight of seeing His will come to pass with us.
How does God use these circumstances for good? Let's look at three things. First God uses the resistance to build our spiritual faith muscle. Like weight lifters we must lift weights beyond our muscles capacity in order to get stronger. I believe the same is true in the spirit. When we face impossible circumstances we must rise up in faith to believe. Like the children of Israel, God led them to the Red Sea, with mountains on either side and the Egyptians racing hard after them. Did I mention God guided them there. And then with the sea in front, mountains on each side and the enemy behind, God gave them a plan. Step into the water! Priests first and everyone will go over on dry land. He could have parted it first. But God wanted their faith to grow.
Secondly, I believe that God uses hindrances to push us to a greater expression of passion. I think of a woman having a baby. Everyone knows toward the end of the nine months that this baby is coming, but when you are in the delivery room, they tell the woman, Push! Push!
I've learned this principle: If I don't care about something, I won't earnestly seek Him. If I am passionate and desperate, it get's God's attention. Remember in 1st Samuel where Hannah is barren.
She wanted a son desperately. She had intimacy with her husband, but she wanted a child. As she poured out her soul before God in the temple, God gave her a word. You will have a son. She dedicated him to the Lord and he became Samuel, one of God's greatest prophet/judges.
Finally, God uses pressure in our circumstances to build our character. Rom. 5:3-5 says trouble/tribulation works patience and James 1:2-4 tells us to let patience have her perfect work so we will be mature and complete! We know that diamonds are made from coal under extreme pressure. To me the story of Joseph in Genesis is one of the best examples of this. Time and time again bad circumstances, false accusations and the bad memories of others pressured Joseph. But he kept his spirit right and refused offence. In due time God promoted him. Millions of people were saved and God's purpose was accomplished.
God has a plan, a big picture if you will. Don't lose heart! Keep believing, keep pursuing Him!
The good work He has begun in you He will finish!
I pray that as we press into God in these days of difficulty, we will become more like Him, we will grow in faith and confidence and we will draw closer to the lover of our soul.
