More Faithful Than the Rising Sun

September 23, 2018 3 Comments

From the teaching He is Able 1-3

Greetings all!  I pray everyone is rejoicing during this Fall Feast season.  Over the past several weeks I've been listening to the series of teachings He is Able over and over again.  Being 8 months pregnant, I'm up quite a few times during the night and when I'm wide awake at 2 AM, I like to listen to the audio Bible or Bible teachings.  These are times I can listen for at least an hour without distractions.  If you haven't watched  the entire series, please do so because these are extraordinarily powerful, life changing  messages!  I've heard something different each time I've listened and I feel that this series on replay is definitely NOT a poor use of time.

As Brother Marcus stated that he taught this message because he envisioned it as a message that he himself needed to hear, I could relate as well.  This is a message that I needed to hear!  Since entering into my twentieth week of pregnancy, I've gone through challenging times.  During my first pregnancy, I started experiencing contractions around 20 weeks and like clockwork they showed up with this pregnancy.  I prayed and proclaimed that I wouldn't go through the same things like in my first pregnancy so when the contractions came, naturally I was challenged.  I remember one night, I was lying awake in bed experiencing wave after wave of braxton hicks contractions.  It seemed that me rebuking them was no longer working and I cried out to Father that it felt like He had left me.  Here I am all alone in the middle of the night and I'm just praying that I won't go into early labor.  At that time, Father spoke to me that He had not left me, I only needed to pay attention to my responsibilities and my response to adversity.  The truth was that I was not heeding warnings about staying hydrated and taking care of myself diligently.  Father had given me the tools to deal with this issue, but I was not consistent on my end.  Now here, I am questioning Him for the corner I put myself in.  Like Marcus mentioned, sometimes the trials we face are because we do nothing with His council and He allows us to suffer to wake us up.

Before my husband left for his deployment, we had been praying that Father would miraculously let him stay.  There even seemed to be an opportunity presented to him that appeared like the avenue God would use to let him remain home.  When that didn't happen, I could tell that a sense of desperation was starting to creep in.  We started trying to "make something happen" in a sense and ultimately resigned that we were going to be separated.  I was a bit confused by my understanding of Scripture and the words I had heard from people.  I was told by people that "he wasn't going anywhere, you just wait and see", however,  in the depths of my spirit, I felt that Father was letting me know to prepare for separation.   I started to question why people would tell me with surety that my husband would stay home just because they felt sorry for us.  This brings me to an important point, please don't "prophesy" to people without knowing that word came from the Father because it could become a stumbling block for the person you're trying to minister to.  Thankfully, that was not the case for me because even though I was hoping for a miracle, Father had already been speaking to me that he would go, so it wasn't a surprise.  

A week after my husband left, I submitted a praise report and was contacted by a woman that stated she met me during Passover in Charlotte.  During the Feast, I publicly proclaimed that we, as a family, were faithful that Father would make a way for us to stay together.  She explained that although she understood our position of praying for my husband to stay, she could not come into agreement with our prayer as she sat there listening to me.  She told me that she knew Father was going to use this time apart to show my husband and I that HE is our provider in every way.  It was sweet and bitter news, but I knew it was the truth.  There were two or three other encounters during Passover and the HOI Dedication that also pointed to this very revelation.  I just wanted to have faith that our prayers would be answered.  When he left, I purposed in my heart to rejoice and see what He needed me to do during this time.  So fast forward, to the night I told Father that I felt He had left me.  In that moment, I was afraid and lonely. I wanted so bad for my mother to be there, for my husband to be there, for a trusted friend to be there, but I had none of those.   Then I was reminded of how He is preparing me for the next part of my journey; how He was right there and if, I'd just allow Him, He'd take care of every need.  Father wanted then and now for me to totally rely on Him and Him alone.  I can attest that Father is indeed sustaining me and my family.  He has already shown me so much during this time and is working to purge fortified idols in my heart.  

Sometimes Father will remove distractions to allow Him to purify us and if we can be honest, often times our home life can be a distraction.  We can get complacent or get into "ruts" that distract us from our jobs as disciples of Yeshua.  The most challenging part of my walk is coming out of my old way of thinking and operating to conform to Yeshua.  Father is trying to move me to a place that will set me up for success in building me up to follow Him even more than I am now.  I HAVE to make the changes that He desires of me during this time period NOW!  It was important enough to Him to separate me from my husband so that  I would get the picture.  Not only is Father pruning me, but my husband as well.  My husband is having a more difficult time because he is the one that has been removed from his normal life.  He's in a stressful environment; working seven days a week, but Father has blessed him.  I know that everything he is experiencing is Father trying to show him something.  I try to remind him that the goal of the enemy is to wear us out and overwhelm us with the cares of this world so that there's little to no room for the things of Yehovah.  He has to learn to navigate the world that he lives in with the truth that Father is revealing to him, but the enemy is not making it easy.

As I approach my due date in roughly two months, I prayed last week for Father to show me where my provisions and resources are regarding the birth.  I desire for my husband and mother to be here with us during that time, but looking at that from natural eyes tells me that hubby is thousands of miles away and has been told that childbirth is not a reason to go home and my mother 's health is questionable.  However, I have faith that He will provide for us even if it's not the way we desire; all I have to do is to heed His voice.

In comparing the things presented in the teachings to this stage of my life, I find room for tremendous reflection and improvement.  It's humbling to really submit to the saying, "may His will be done".  Sometimes those words can hurt.  Our own will above His is most likely the common idol that all human beings must supplant, but if we love Him, we know that everything we experience will work to our good if we operate within His will and purpose for our lives (Romans 8:28).  I remember having trouble understanding all the blessings listed in Deuteronomy 28 and then reconciling that with 2 Timothy 3:12.  Why would obedience bring blessings then, but bring persecution now?  I was misunderstanding the big picture.  Obedience always did and always will bring blessings, the question is are we aware of where those blessings lie.  For the most part, we don't desire hardship or tribulation, but knowing that it is a part of our "prescription for health" will assist us when it appears.  Be assured that we don't know what dwells within until we are tested and it is those trials of faith that the Bible says are more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:7).  

We don't always know or understand why our Father allows certain things to happen in our lives, but one thing is for certain and that is His love for us and His desire to see His creation live and not perish.  To live with Him then, we need to live for Him now.  To receive that crown of life, James 1:12 says that it is for those that love him.  1 John 5:3 states that this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous.  Keep His commandments saints; apply your will to doing His will and remember that it is not limited to the written Word.  All of the things we endure in life mean something.  Every one of us whether we trust in the Lord or not will suffer hardships and since suffering is universal, suffer not in vain.  We want our trials to be for purification or to perfect our faith.  

The evidence of our obedience will not always be determined by our desires being met.  He will meet our needs, but sometimes we battle with certain things it will seem like deliverance is slow, but the encouragement is to remain steadfast.  Endurance to the end as we walk in His purpose is the key.  Whatever we go through will be worked out for our good if we abide in Him.  There is a crown of life that He desires to give us.  We need to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance so that we will be judged worthy of praise to receive it.  So as the title suggests, as sure as the sun rises each and every morning, our Father in heaven, creator of all, is faithful to His promises.  He will NEVER leave us, so if it feels that way, examine if you've taken your eyes off of Him.  There are blessings in obedience, in this life and the one to come; the ultimate blessing culminating in standing before the Righteous Judge as He bestows upon the faithful, the crown of life.  Can you picture it?  If we can't, we need to start imagining ourselves in that way and getting serious about what we are doing down here and who we are serving - Him or ourselves.  

Cassandra

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