The full circle

Dear friends

Have you ever seen people of GOD you truly admired?

In person or online?

Someone who seemed to be SO anointed, spirit-filled, wise, on fire for GOD…?!

What was your thought process when you came across them?

Did you admire them?
Wanted to be like them?
Asked yourself what it would be like to be like them?

They all look like GOD’s light is shining from them and their lives seem SO blessed, don’t they?

Well, obviously, I agree with all you may have thought about this MOG or WOG you saw and admired, and I, too have been asking GOD to give me a ministry and make me like one of them, to bless me and to use me for the world to see………

But recently, I have become more and more aware of what we don’t see, of what goes on behind the scenes before they become what we admire so much – what we don’t see is what they had to go through to get there.
In JESUS’ case, we only know because the bible tells us so, but if we had seen HIM in bible times, we would have only seen HIM in public, after HIS ministry had become “activated”, “made public”….and only because the bible reveals it do we know that HE had to go through 40 days of being tempted by the devil before HIS ministry officially started for everyone to see!

I believe the same is true for everyone who will be in a ministry and will be truly ordained by GOD.

The pain and suffering it takes to get to this point where people can see the light this person is shining forth is what we don’t see.

The sacrifices they had to bring to the altar before GOD accepted them as priests, ministers, prophets, teachers of the gospel, we cannot see it…

The humiliation, rejection, scorning, mocking, scuffing, refining and molding they had to endure when GOD changed everything about them that HE deemed unsuitable for their future ministry – we have no idea what that was like for them to go through this.
We do not know how many hours, days, nights they spent on their knees, how many days, weeks, months they fasted…….

The “things” they had to overcome and unlearn and get rid of – only they and GOD truly know ALL of it, all the dirt they had been doing before GOD gave them their ministry….only this person and GOD fully knows their “old self”….
In some cases, we will know a bit about it because it is part of their testimony and it is also part of the glory they bring to GOD with their mere existence – as a living proof that GOD can and will use anyone and as an encouragement for others that HE can use them, too, no matter what they have done…..
In my own case, I have revealed some of it here on this blog, not because I wanted to and not because I like to talk about these things or like to admit how desperate and low I felt, but to demonstrate that only with GOD’s help was I able to become what and who I am today and only because of GOD am I still even alive.

What we DO know – from my example and so many others – is that nobody can truly live, walk and be in the light of GOD and FOR GOD if they didn’t KILL their flesh, their carnal nature and if they didn’t completely submit themselves and their entire lives to HIM.
We know it from our own experience, when GOD told us that we need to change, need to get rid of part of ourselves, of habits, of thoughts, words, attitudes – in order for HIM to be pleased with us and in order for HIM to accept us as ministers / representatives of HIM.

Yes, we see many people (for a while) who claim to be people of GOD, but their true colors shine through eventually and GOD removes them from their fake ministries – OR HE sometimes lets them “repeat the class” when an aspect of their personality is not pleasing to HIM and needs to be purged out of their “system” – even by force, if they don’t do it deliberately.
Take the countless scandals when “people of GOD” are exposed for the dirt they have done sexually – me, I am not excluded from this and I have even exposed myself here on this blog for having fallen prey to sexual temptation and having committed adultery (unknowingly but still) about 5 years ago….. nobody is exempt from being tempted, and some of us fall – I am actually glad it happened, because I was judgemental before I fell myself and GOD had to take this arrogance and the “holier than thou” hubris out of me!
In fact, many of the things GOD removes from us have to be removed by force, because we are by nature not very prone to see and admit our flaws, we are very self-confident, too lazy and pleasure-seeking beings, we don’t like to see when something is wrong with us, we don’t like to suffer, we don’t like to labor, all we want is to reap and enjoy the benefits, the pleasures and the “good things” of life.

But that’s not how life works, how GOD operates and how the KINGDOM OF GOD works.

I am 100% certain about it.

If you live a life full of pleasures and in the complete absence of challenges and trials and tests and if everything always goes your way, you are NOT living with GOD.

I will say that again:
if you are never tried or tested or challenged or even tormented, it is extremely likely that you are not saved and are not walking with GOD.

Because GOD as well as the devil will come for you if you are serious about serving GOD.

Why do I know?

Not just because I have experienced it and seen it in other people’s lives – because GOD has shown it to us in HIS WORD many many times and also, HE HIMSELF has given the most memorable demonstration of what it takes to serve HIM.

The moral of the story is:

THE FLESH HAS TO DIE.

There is no holy life without the killing of the flesh.

Without the killing of the flesh, there is no sanctification / consecration.

Without sanctification, we cannot please GOD.

To put it more practically:
– there is no overcoming of sin without withdrawals
– there is no healing without forgiveness
– there is no freedom without deliverance and compliance
-there is no love without trust and submission and sacrifice
– there is no intimacy without honesty and confession and accountability
– there is no blessing without obedience
– there is no power without purity
– there is no righteousness without refraining from sin
-there is no exaltation without humility
-there is no glory without having gone through the fire

When GOD exalts someone, you can rest assured that they have gone through the fire before and have been tested and refined.
IF it is GOD who exalts them.

The bible says you shall know them by their fruit.

If you see someone shine and want to know if their blessings are truly from GOD, ask them about their struggles and challenges.

If they have nothing to tell you there, please be very careful and discerning.
There may be people whom GOD just blesses, perhaps even from their birth onwards, I mean, HE can do anything and HE can do as HE pleases, HOWEVER, that is absolutely not the norm and not the pattern HE has shown us in HIS WORD over and over again.

And if even HIS OWN SON wasn’t spared from suffering, why would HE spare any of us?

And did HE not say that we need to obey HIM and HIS commandments?

Can someone who is “filthy rich” for instance truly have gotten there with keeping ALL the commandments, not even lying???
Me, I doubt it.
And the bible backs me up on this opinion, as it says it is easier for a Camel to go through a needle’s ear than for a rich man to go to heaven.
Not impossible, but very hard…..I believe only a very mature person, and I mean mature and educated in the faith, not just in age – can truly handle material wealth without becoming greedy, corrupt, proud or overindulgent – all these things not pleasing to GOD at all!!!

Every person who was depicted in the bible as being close to GOD, or one of HIS prophets haven’t “just” be blessed by GOD, but have also gone through MAJOR stress and their victories were earned after overcoming many hurdles.
There’s nobody I can recall who didn’t have to go through something……
Ok, you may say that this is also the style of the bible and it only has notable stories in there, fair enough, but when you read all of them and the principles and concepts it teaches, it is not a coincidence that these people had to suffer before GOD accepted and rewarded them.

And if we say we believe in GOD, aren’t we supposed to believe in HIS WORD, and study it?

It’s hard to be a Christian without believing that everything the bible says is true.

So all these people had to go through “stuff” before being blessed.

And notably and apparently, HE loved them very much.

This means that loving people doesn’t keep GOD from putting them through trials and the bible even says that “whom THE LORD loveth, HE chasteneth”, HE will correct us, punish us, try us, test us………..it’s in the bible and it is also an experience that every Christian I know shares.

If you don’t – why would yours be different?

Why would GOD not want you to prove your character to HIM when HE even demanded proof from all his “close friends” in the ancient bible times?
Why would HE not punish you if HE even punished his “favourites” like Moses for instance?

Why would you be the only one not having to go through the fire?

For me, it makes no sense.

Of course, I know that GOD loves me.
But HE loves ALL HIS children.
And even though I am made in the image of GOD, I am not better than any of my brothers and sisters who sincerely seek HIM and want to serve HIM.

So I personally, I will never say I like it when HE makes me go through things and when HE tests and tries me, “not liking” it is even a huge understatement!!!

But I like the fruit.

I like it very much even.

I like to see the rewards for my hard labour – don’t you?

It’s similar to when I fast – I don’t like the fasting and the pangs and withdrawals it comes with, but I do like the intensified intimacy with GOD during that time, I like the insights I get every time when I am fasting, the clarity I find, the new wisdom I hear, the answers I receive during that time, yes, also answers to prayers, but not only that – just as if GOD would grant me so much more time in HIS presence…. this is also a confirmation for me, that HE wants us to go through the process before HE will bless us.
It has been like this for me ever since I found HIM, almost exactly 8 years ago…. it is how I know HIM…..perhaps other people have other experiences with HIM and perhaps their relationship with HIM is different from mine, but at the same time, it can’t be a coincidence that there are many examples of this in the bible and also many Christians I know or read about are saying the same, so chances are that this is indeed a principle, a way GOD thinks and operates, so I thought I’d share it with you….

I call it the “full circle” principle – as HE will make us go through the “entire shebang” and perhaps even through some of it more than once just to make sure that we “got it” and will not be overwhelmed or tempted again or even fall….

BEFORE the world can see our light shine………

How about you, my friend, what is your experience and what are your thoughts on this, and if you are already in ministry, can you relate?
Would love to hear about it in the comments!

Also, what I wanted to say with this is, if you are currently going through trials and “tough stuff”, it could mean that your breakthrough is close, so hang in there my dear friend!

I hope and pray that this will inspire, encourage, heal and bless you. And that THE LORD will bless you abundantly in all areas of your life; that HE will keep you and shine HIS face upon you and bring you PEACE. In JESUS’ name I pray. AMEN.