After leaving service recently I felt convicted to draw near to The Lord.The more we become unraveled from ourselves and surrender to His sovereignty, that is where we findour purpose!

Our Pastor made it clear that we are a “masterpiece” in progress!I sometimes think that we are just waiting for God to let us down somewhere in our lives! Just so we cansay “See I told you so… I told you God wouldn’t show up for you in this season or for that circumstance.”The fact is that we in our bodies are finite and impure. We require a life devoted to refinement only found in Christ.

Somewhere along the lines, something happens to most of us that calls into question our faith. Our ability to believe in the things we cannot see or understand. Without a firm foundation and grip on hope, our faith will crumble. The wound rarely heals, and we Christians move from one church to another, one group to another, one community to another, seeking to fill our God-shaped hole. In this world, there is always something else to chase, which only furthers us from God. Once we repent and turn, We spend the rest of our lives in joyful discomfort. The Word of God tells us so. I recognize that nearly anything in my life that I justify needs to be sanctified. I am sanctified by the blood of The Lamb and I must surrender to this daily! This is where we must ask God and find a place of humility and surrender to pray dangerous prayers to God, asking Him to break us!

For the other side of our brokenness reveals His glory!

Even when we see, experience, or hear about a “miracle”, our humanity struggles to remain “still” and know that He is God! To wait on Him. To lean in. To walk deeper into the water.

What comes to mind here are some words from one of my favorite songs. “Even If” by Mercy Me“I know Your able and I know You can save through the fire with Your mighty hand, but even if Youdon’t…. My Hope Is You alone!!!”Above all else “my hope is You alone!”

How splendid is He, that we can seek Him in hope alone? We can choose to see the bright side of things. We can choose to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Our hope is experienced through walking out our faith. Not the kind of faith that looks all put together on Sunday but the kind of faith that is experienced in acts of devotion and love.

Desiring to learn the Word of God! Speaking to our Heavenly Father and asking Him for help, for guidance, for forgiveness. Seeking wise council. Accepting our reliance on Him.

Allowing forgiveness to come easier for our neighbor, we quickly accept the forgiveness we so oftenrequest from God. We welcome the daily discomfort as it allows us to draw near to Him. To rely on Him. We are so quick to throw the baby out with the bath water when things don’t pan out well all the time forus or others who are within our circle. We instantly make God so small. Can you believe that? The creator of the universe…. Small!!!!! Ha

It goes on in another verse to say.

“It’s easy to sing when there’s nothing to bring me down, but what will I say when I am held to the flamelike I am right now?”

What would it look like in our self-reflective moments, in the secret sin times, if we would bring that to the throne and surrender it to the one who knows? What mountain would He tear down for us in righteousness? What giant would He slay? This is how amazing our God is

He would allow himself to be battered, bloodied, and horrifically murdered just to redeem us into his family and use it to love us and forgive us for eternity through the blood of the Lamb.

You see it is so often that our biggest giant or worst enemy are the lies that we believe about ourselves!“What are we losing by clinging to our comfort?” Craig Groeschel.

Almost in a role reversal where we are daring God to fail us! Just like with so many of our relationshipswith our spouse, our kids, our family, our church, our community.