Eternal Glorious Fountain Ministry (EGFM)
Programme: Writing the Vision (September Edition)
Date: Saturday, 24th September 2022
God has been expressly speaking to us about the ability to come into weakness. One of the hallmarks of the faith life, which we saw in Hebrews 11, was how people became strong out of weakness. They were able to do this through the operation of faith. This is the direction we are presented with as we come to God.
Part of the things that God wants to do for us is to build our confidence and strength, cover for our vulnerabilities and heal our weaknesses. Sometimes, we may think we have gone past a level of weakness because our minds have become aware of the realities presented to us in Christ, but it may not be so. This is because we have not fully mastered victory in those areas of our weaknesses. At other times, when we have not fully held on to something, God may begin to introduce us to something new. This seems like a contradiction, but it is real. But in the midst of that, God wants to paint and raise us as people who can receive the hope that is in Him.
What makes a man stand firm and able to go through a process orchestrated by God without being broken is that an image has been formed in him. That image creates a capacity for such a person to trust God. The season that is ahead of us is a season in which there is so much death and yet, so much glory.
“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. [42] So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: [43] It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: [44] It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” (1 Cor. 15:41-44). The dealings of God compare very closely with the mystery of resurrection (Jn. 12:24). There is a perception of glory that we have and we see ourselves in the image of this glory. This image is a building that is against what God wants to make/build in us, and men have used this image over time. But God wants to bring those images down.
However, before God can bring us to that experience, He has to work in us. The essence of this work is so that we do not crumble under the expressions of God when He begins to demand our strength. It is frustrating for a natural mind to have strength but be unable to put it to use. But the wisdom of salvation or resurrection is that although a man has strength, he should not use it. We need to go through a process where God builds hope in us.
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: [3] If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Pet. 2:2-3). In the first level of a person’s walk with God, He wants to be known and visible in that person’s heart as a God who is gracious. If we lose sight of that reality of God being gracious, we would not be able to handle the season ahead where it will be demanded of us to be low, weak and unseen. God might take a person through a season of speakings which is aimed at endearing and building a strong sense of hope in him. This is because that man would need such capacity of hope to thrive when Satan begins to accuse God of abandoning him (Psa. 27:13).
If God is not making an express demand on a person to be lowly or meek, it is because He knows that the person cannot take it. God's expectation of us in this season is to take His word and allow Him to build a sense of hope in our hearts, because the principle of growth is that one is sown in weakness and raised in power (1 Cor. 15:43).
If God does not fortify a person, he may not survive the phase of weakness. We need to take advantage of the season of God’s speakings over us and be encouraged through them. We fail many times because the image of hope we have is a projection of self and the image that can resonate with what God was calling for has not yet been formed in us.
“He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” (John 7:18). When God is training us to become weak, it is because He wants to give us righteousness. If the Lord brings some demands our way, many of us might still respond in our strength, which lacks God's definition of righteousness. For us to be able to harmonize the many-sided expressions of what God has for us, we need to know that He wants to train us not to seek our own glory but His.
As basic as Ephesians 1:18 is, it is very fundamental for the journey into the seasons before us. In the definition of that hope, it is not about what a person has done, but what God has done. We do not have a sense of accomplishment that we can count on, but we are able to learn, see and judge God faithful through the various phases of our lives. This is so that whenever He comes to make demands, He will be assured that we are ready for those seasons.
You cannot truly participate in God’s dealing if you have not found the strength that is cultivated by a hope where you will see God. There is a strength that isn’t short-lived but on a reality that has been planted in our hearts by God to make us formidable.
As God is speaking, we must fully engage and build a robust identity that is laden with an image that can survive the dealings where He may ask us to be very low. Ultimately, God wants us to be raised as statures of righteousness where we would not see ourselves or seek our own glory. The definition of glory where self is present is unrighteous.
This is a call to the young ones not to joke with the season over their lives but to garner strength so that they can be sown in weakness and be raised in power. Satan will want to ride on the vulnerabilities of young ones and make them lose their depth of connection with the Father. But God desires a people who can complete the season of training and come into glory.
We need to be tenacious in taking the dealings that God is bringing. If we do not respond well in the seasons where hope and character are being built in us, we might faint (Jer. 2:13). God is reassuring again that we will inherit glory (Mark 10:28) and we will walk through this path where we will truly lay down our lives.
We should focus on growing and grooming strength so that the image of Christ can truly be formed to go through a season of weakness.
Blessings!
Summary
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Sometimes, we may think we have gone past a level of weakness because our minds have become aware of the realities presented to us in Christ, but it may not be so. This is because we have not fully mastered victory in those areas of our weaknesses.
-
What makes a man stand firm and able go through a process orchestrated by God, without being broken, is because an image that can cause him to have the capacity to trust God has been formed in him.
-
There is a perception of glory that we have and we see ourselves in the image of this glory. This image is a building that is against what God wants to make/build in us, and men have used this image over time. However, God wants to bring this image down.
-
Before God can bring down wrong images in us, He has to do a work inside our souls. The essence of this work is so that we do not crumble under the expressions of God, when He begins to demand our strengths.
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It is usually frustrating for a natural mind to have strength but be unable to put it to use. However, the wisdom of salvation or resurrection would demand that we do not use our strengths, even when we have them.
-
God wants to be known and made visible in a man’s heart as a God who is gracious. If we lose sight of this reality of God being gracious, we would not be able to handle the seasons where it would be demanded of us to be low, weak and unseen.
-
God's expectation of us in this season is to take His word and allow Him to build a sense of hope in our hearts. This is because the principle of growth is that one is sown in weakness and raised in power (1 Cor. 15:43).
-
When God is training us to become weak, it is because He wants to give us righteousness. For us to be able to harmonize the many-sided expressions of what God has for us, we need to know that He wants to train us not to seek our own glory but His.
-
As God is speaking, we must fully engage and build a robust identity that is laden with an image that can survive the dealings of God to become lowly at heart.
-
The definition of glory where self is present is unrighteous. Ultimately, God wants us to be raised as a stature of righteousness where we would not see ourselves or seek our own glory.