The Power of Sanctified Choice – A Testimony
This is a testimony. I just wanted to share how the Lord gave me a limited but blessed glimpse of the cross and more personal appreciation of the experience of Christ.
With prayers and much love as we honor together the Father and the Son and all they have given,
Joy
#235 The Power of Sanctified Choice – A Testimony
Pain rivets the human mind on the agonizing moment. Faith rivets the mind on the reality of the Heavenly Father and His Greater Cause. Even on the cross, Jesus through his sanctified power of choice considered the pain to be a momentary light affliction, producing an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. 2 Corinthians 4:16
I was in the dentist office the other day, and experienced a two hour filling for a cavity with intense pain due to very sensitive teeth and resistance to anesthetics. I had been dealing with some depression and guilt during this Memorial season. (I feel embarrassed, but led to share all of this.) As I was feeling the pain and discomfort during this appointment I had a lot of thoughts running through my mind: like God is punishing me; there is no way I can be in the Church class, (So I will devote my life to encouraging those who can be of the Church class). I don’t love people enough; I don’t pray enough for my Brethren. (I thank the Lord that this depression was a temporary lapse.)
I thought of Jesus maintaining his composure as a King even on the cross, and was polite and tried to bear as much as I could. I started to pray frantically. I thought of Jesus on the cross and how this pain I was experiencing would have been a vacation compared to what he experienced. I thought of my Brethren in pain. I tried to quote scripture. The only two I could think of were John 3:16 and Psalm 23. At some points in time there were tears in my eyes, and if I had let go I would have burst out sobbing. My heart could not sense God was with me, but I tried to choose to pray for others and to think Truth.
I am very grateful for this experience. I had a small opportunity to reflect on the spirit of Jesus and an experience that draws me to deeper appreciation for his experience as our sacrifice. It struck me that he knew what it was like to feel guilty when he was on the cross as the bearer of sin. And he knows what it is like to be unable to FEEL the presence of God in the heart and emotions. He knows what it is like to choose to think words of truth even when there is no FEELING of reality to them. This is part of our imperfect human experience, to sometimes “mechanically” speak the truth in our mind or out loud with no back-up of emotion. This is part of the human experience with depression, stress and fatigue. We may sometimes label it as fake, but it is really FAITH.
“Behold I go forward but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Another thought struck me as Ben and I “happened” to be listening to a Christian radio station, a sermon on ‘walking in the light.’ 1 John 1:5-10 The Lord gave specific strength as a result of meditating on these verses. It is the brilliant Light of God that shows up our imperfections. We cannot see what needs to be adjusted when we are walking in the darkness. Instead of feeling defeated and discouraged by all that we see is wrong, we can see that this awareness is the Light of God working in our heart. This light of God not only reveals what we need to see, it guides us into the proper path. The Light shows us the truth about ourselves, AND the truth about that truth: that God is able to deal with all things, and what the next step is in dealing with the issue.
God is able to deal with all our issues:
“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Genesis 18:14 No, not barrenness of womb or soul!
He will help us know what the next step is in dealing with the issue:
“Make me know Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for Thee I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:4-5
“Incline Thine ear to me, rescue me quickly; be Thou to me a rock of strength, a stronghold to save me. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; for Thy name’s sake Thou wilt lead me and guide me.” Psalm 31:2-4
This light is revealing a lot of things at once, another layer of sanctification. There are specific steps I am being led to take related to the use of my time, related to prayer, and to various relationships in life. Instead of looking down I am “looking away to the leader and completer” of my faith, Jesus.
He is our goal, our means to the goal, and our step by step companion.
He is our deliverer, our inspiration and our joy. He is our innocence.
Praise God for this unspeakable gift.
With prayers and much love as we honor together the Father and the Son and all they have given,
Joy
#235 The Power of Sanctified Choice – A Testimony
Pain rivets the human mind on the agonizing moment. Faith rivets the mind on the reality of the Heavenly Father and His Greater Cause. Even on the cross, Jesus through his sanctified power of choice considered the pain to be a momentary light affliction, producing an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. 2 Corinthians 4:16
I was in the dentist office the other day, and experienced a two hour filling for a cavity with intense pain due to very sensitive teeth and resistance to anesthetics. I had been dealing with some depression and guilt during this Memorial season. (I feel embarrassed, but led to share all of this.) As I was feeling the pain and discomfort during this appointment I had a lot of thoughts running through my mind: like God is punishing me; there is no way I can be in the Church class, (So I will devote my life to encouraging those who can be of the Church class). I don’t love people enough; I don’t pray enough for my Brethren. (I thank the Lord that this depression was a temporary lapse.)
I thought of Jesus maintaining his composure as a King even on the cross, and was polite and tried to bear as much as I could. I started to pray frantically. I thought of Jesus on the cross and how this pain I was experiencing would have been a vacation compared to what he experienced. I thought of my Brethren in pain. I tried to quote scripture. The only two I could think of were John 3:16 and Psalm 23. At some points in time there were tears in my eyes, and if I had let go I would have burst out sobbing. My heart could not sense God was with me, but I tried to choose to pray for others and to think Truth.
I am very grateful for this experience. I had a small opportunity to reflect on the spirit of Jesus and an experience that draws me to deeper appreciation for his experience as our sacrifice. It struck me that he knew what it was like to feel guilty when he was on the cross as the bearer of sin. And he knows what it is like to be unable to FEEL the presence of God in the heart and emotions. He knows what it is like to choose to think words of truth even when there is no FEELING of reality to them. This is part of our imperfect human experience, to sometimes “mechanically” speak the truth in our mind or out loud with no back-up of emotion. This is part of the human experience with depression, stress and fatigue. We may sometimes label it as fake, but it is really FAITH.
“Behold I go forward but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him; He turns on the right, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Another thought struck me as Ben and I “happened” to be listening to a Christian radio station, a sermon on ‘walking in the light.’ 1 John 1:5-10 The Lord gave specific strength as a result of meditating on these verses. It is the brilliant Light of God that shows up our imperfections. We cannot see what needs to be adjusted when we are walking in the darkness. Instead of feeling defeated and discouraged by all that we see is wrong, we can see that this awareness is the Light of God working in our heart. This light of God not only reveals what we need to see, it guides us into the proper path. The Light shows us the truth about ourselves, AND the truth about that truth: that God is able to deal with all things, and what the next step is in dealing with the issue.
God is able to deal with all our issues:
“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Genesis 18:14 No, not barrenness of womb or soul!
He will help us know what the next step is in dealing with the issue:
“Make me know Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for Thee I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:4-5
“Incline Thine ear to me, rescue me quickly; be Thou to me a rock of strength, a stronghold to save me. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; for Thy name’s sake Thou wilt lead me and guide me.” Psalm 31:2-4
This light is revealing a lot of things at once, another layer of sanctification. There are specific steps I am being led to take related to the use of my time, related to prayer, and to various relationships in life. Instead of looking down I am “looking away to the leader and completer” of my faith, Jesus.
He is our goal, our means to the goal, and our step by step companion.
He is our deliverer, our inspiration and our joy. He is our innocence.
Praise God for this unspeakable gift.
