Oh, how swiftly I move to establish the change I desire. From one moment to the next, a shift happens which affects the direction life is headed, creating a new trajectory. With My accurate hand as the guide, I adjust a life’s angle until the aim comes into alignment with the future I have predicted. For the plans I laid from the beginning are held in perfect knowledge, and therefore the outcome, once given into My hands, can only be triumphant.
Though in the natural realm, it may appear all is lost, what must be remembered is this: that it is not the physical part of life where I desire to bring real change. For it is the very heart of My children that concerns Me: those thoughts and desires held at the core of their thinking: the ideas they carry which are not profitable. So, in My perfect estimation, these must be removed in order to make room for a higher thought life: one which is not contaminated by the concerns of immaturity. For once an alliance was formed between us (when the first confession of faith was heard), the goal I held moved beyond mere salvation, and onto unfolding the plan I had spoken over your future.
You see, man is always given “choice”: the choice to maintain his own life, or set his wishes aside in exchange for something much greater. So, to each is given the opportunity of “decision”, which continues after the initial entry into My fold. Even now, each of My children has the ability to choose My will over their own. Though there are times that what I am asking may feel rather painful and cause a heart to know some discomfort, what is being gained through this divine process is pinpointed on the ‘eternal’.
Then circumstances of life are the mechanisms that I use to develop the core of My children. With this understanding in mind, as they journey through life, when a difficult situation comes upon them, a recognition shall arise: a discernment over the matter, eliciting a reminder about what is really at stake. For the experience I have given is not focused on the loss or hardship, but holds a much broader purpose, one which speaks to the faith being developed ‘inside’.
It is these moments in life that should not be squandered on the trivial matters of existence, for what can this world provide a man that is lasting?
Understand that what once was, is no longer, because progress keeps moving man forward. As a result, he tires rather quickly of his environment, becoming unsettled again and again as he chases after what the world has to offer, thinking that “having” will bring the sense of security he is seeking. Yet on his final day when eternity comes calling, what of this temporal world does he retain that will keep his soul from perishing?
And so when I ask one of My own to give up what they are holding, to lay aside the physical things of this life, it is not about being punished. For the suffering I bring is meant to strengthen the ‘inner’ being by dismantling the old and corruptible: those thoughts and ideas that have no part in Me.
My Beloved, count it all joy when your life makes, what seems like, a left turn, an unexpected shift, which to you seems like the worst: like something you heard others had walked through, but never imagined I would require of you. Yet I know the deeper benefits that this type of experience will create in the one who is willing to lay down everything they hold dear, and put their complete trust in Me. Though I do not treat these challenges with a casual attitude, I am confident of the results because I have journeyed this path with many others before, so there is no reason to have any misgivings.
Since I measure the caliber of those in My Kingdom, not by knowledge or wealth, but by the eternal qualities I am developing inside, and nothing more, do not let your eyes rest on those things your heart says are lost. Instead, focus on what is being gained as you walk through this season of internal growth with Me, for once on the other side you will have gained something that is far superior to anything that was left behind: a deeper, more expansive faith in Me.
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9