Good Morning Sunshine! Get Up and Get Out of God’s Way!

Matthew 16:21-23 NIV ~ “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. [22] Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” [23] Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, He had to come to a decision, choose to do what He was wanted or choose to do what He was born to do! It was a deliberate choice to choose a natural death over life, that you may have eternal life! He had to move from a place of barely being able to face what was before Him in His preexisting humanity to accepting His next inherited change, which was irreversible, it was the final road to Him becoming The Christ! The shaping and molding that God did was fierce, intentional and deliberate!

“Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. [3] Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. [4] And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 AMP. You had to go through it, you had to go through your Gethsemane, and the only way is through Jesus! As you can see, Jesus didn’t go looking for His trials, He was born for them. So, you do not have to search for your trials, but embrace them deliberately, knowing that they will lead you to endurance, which leads you to maturity! (All I can say is, “Thank You God, You brought me through this and brought me through that! “Thank You God,” You bought me through it!) and I know that some of you have the same testimony, it might not be what I went through, but it was what you went through, and He brought you through it! You should be praising Him right about now!

Trials Come! Testing’s Come! Tribulations Come! And they all have the same purpose and power to produce in you something greater for His Glory, it’s just how you see it and face it! God wants to get the wrinkles out of you so that you can worship Him, He will press out your pain and push you into your purpose, He wants to smooth out your hurt and take you to healing, and He wants to steam out your stubbornness and bring you to a place of surrender in Him, when you release your cares unto Him, Matthew 11:28-30. Your trials came to increase your faith, patience and love that and that you will guard and sustain you. They came to grow you up! What you see as a challenge, God sees it as a way to transform you, so that you may experience a full life of joy! They come to push you to God!

Your experience is yours and nobody can do it for you or detour you! Sometimes when you see someone struggling, the first thing you want to do is rescue them, especially your children and family, your instincts tell you to jump in with both feet and try to fix it for them! But what if that struggle is the very thing God is using to draw them to Him, to strengthen them, to build their character and grow them? Get out of the way, they need to grow and so do you! Let the Growing Begin! You must let it grow in them and you. Today instead of stepping in, step out of the way, you were never meant to fiddle with what only God can fix. Your role is to pray for God to do what only God can do. Stop interfering, for this may stunt their spiritual growth and yours or slow you down from what God has said for you to do and be!

Jesus knew what He had to do, but Peter always seems to think he knew better than the Lord. Nobody knows better than God! So, Jesus told Peter to get out of His way! Today God is asking you to get out of the way for the only way to eternal life was through the gate of Gethsemane and you need Jesus Christ to accomplish this task, nobody else can do it! You need to look at God! Count it all joy “when” you face these trials, (look at the operative word, when), you will face trials, as a matter of you will face many different kinds of trials during your lifetime, but embrace them, because they will lead you into the mature Christians that God created you to be!

Remember that you serve a God who is the same, yesterday, today, tomorrow and for evermore.  When you face trials, James says, count it all joy! Are you counting your joy moments? Just take a minute and look back over your life and you should see all the times that God brought, kept and sustained you during your trials! Ask God to forgive you for trying to fix other people’s problems when they’re not yours to fix in the first place. Today, commit to pressing, watching, listening, praying and to loving God and watch Him transform you through your trials. Ask God to help you not get in the way of what He’s doing in your life today and in anybody’s else life!

Let’s Pray:
Father, thank You! Father, I’m doing like you said, I’m counting it all joy when I’m tested by trials and temptations for it is producing a greater faith in me for You. Father, I’m going to meditate on Your Word, I’m going to stand on my firm foundation which is Your Word and I’m going to walk according to the promises of Your Word.  I pray for each person reading this devotion and praying this prayer, that they receive You and Your gifts and trust You in everything they go through. May you experience the peace and joy that surpasses all your understanding, even in your our hardest and darkest of days, knowing that God got you. Father, Thank You for the gift of Salvation and the peace you make available to your children though Your son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. Father, may I experience the peace and joy that surpasses all of Your understanding, even in on my hardest and darkest of days, knowing that God got you. Father, I Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that reveals Your plans to me and how You are using these tests, trials and tribulations for my good, to give me strength and courage to face these things head on and overcome it by the word of my faith and testimony in You, for Your Glory. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean