“ Before I formed you in the womb knew you” (Jeremiah 5a NKJV). Dough must get really exhausted. It has to be combined with other ingredients, kneaded, beat on, oiled down to rest after the beating, stuffed into a pan, and then baked. The process is gruesome, but the result is one that everyone loves. People admire the variety that bread comes in, but what about its process of becoming the very thing that many of us love so much. “So, I went to the potter’s house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot” (Jeremiah 18:3-4 MSG). First things first, listen to God, and do not follow the voice of the enemy. You are in a process, and it’s hot. God is getting rid of all the things that you asked Him to. You said that you wanted a cle...
“But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service]” (1 Corinthians 9:27 AMP). If you need to be told that you did a good job, “You did a good job. You gave, and you submitted to man. You showed up and did what they asked. Good job.” “But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me]” (Revelation 2:4 AMP). Gut Check: Don’t love the applause of men more than you love God. Why do you show up? What do you gain from that, and what happens when the way that they applaud you does not meet your need of this kind of fulfillment? Beat your body into submission to God. Serve Him well. Become an early riser and seek the Father to release the strategy for the day to you. Sit in His presence and bask in His love. Thank Him for what He has a...