When You Are Being Processed:Refined as Gold and Sifted as Wheat

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31-32 KJV).

I have traveled through some tough moments, especially the ones that I experienced as a teenager. Those moments felt as if they would last a life time. To be honest, I had no idea that I would ever make it to a place where I could be able to look back on all of them and be able to see that I was being processed. I remember the times when God showed up at the right moments in my life to remind me that I was His. I didn’t see it that way back then, but those moments were like life lines. I lived in the dark and I had no notion of what it would be like to function in the light. I was being processed.

The devil is funny. He will take you through hell on earth in order to destroy the hope that God has something different for you. I was so mentally broken that every successful intersection felt like a mistake. Graduating from high school was by chance. So was graduating from college. After all, I was a broken woman, who in her 20s, finally decided to submit to God, for real this time. I was in a process.

I had given myself away, in the wrong ways, to the wrong people. I was severely depressed, but I was at least with my processor (Jesus). I didn’t know that my “mistakes” would be a part of the passion that I now have to see other people become successful. I didn’t know that the broken heart, that took years to mend, would make room for me to tell young girls what I know and not merely what I heard waiting to awaken love in the proper season..

Yes, I do regret some of the streets that I have walked down in my life, but again, I was being processed. A lot of people cry about being in the fire instead of rejoicing that God is with them in the midst of it. The purpose of the fire is to show others who your God is. Some people are not believers until they see how your belief has delivered you.

“And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.” He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God”(Daniel 3:23-25).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were processed in front of a crowd. Their process was not quiet or hidden. It was for the eyes of everyone to gaze upon because in the midst of their situation, God was about to show up. They refused to bow down to a false God. There are some people who have bowed down to the false god of depression, anxiety, lust, perversion, and suicide. You have counted yourself out and decided that you deserve to die. Your situation has become bigger than you and you have no idea that the King of Kings wants to do mighty things through you. He wants to use your upbringing to save a nation and generations of young people. You are stuck in the feeling of unworthiness, but you need to know that Jesus died for every flaw that you have when He hung on the cross. You are free and you need to accept the deliverance that God has in His hand concerning your life. You have been processed and it’s time for you to come out of whatever hell-hole you have settled in.

“I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God’” (Zechariah 13:9NLT).

The purpose of the fire is to process you, not to overtake you. This process will show the world who God is through your life, your submission, and your obedience. Nothing that you have done is bigger than what Jesus Christ can bare. You are already forgiven, you just need to go to the Lord humbly on your own behalf and lay every weight that you have carrying, down at his feet. He is waiting and He wants to hear from you today.

Recommended Reading and Prayer: Psalm 139

Comments

Peace Be Still

“ One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marv...

The Process of Faithing It: Trusting Jesus with Your Faith

“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (Mark 5:34 NKJV). Can you imagine Jesus in a crowd? Everyone has a need, but His target in that moment is to go and build the faith of a little girl’s family at the request of her father because they think that she will die. The father is scared, but Jesus was on the way until He felt something. This feeling was different, but powerful. Jesus turns around looking, asking questions, but finds his answer in the form of a woman, standing and looking amazed at what just happened to her. After 13 years of anemia, tiredness, dizzy spells, soiled clothing, and impacted relationships, she is healed. This woman with an issue of blood had spent all of her money, but decided to trust Jesus with her faith, which was all that she had left. Jesus was not too busy to stop and ask, “Who touched me?”. The disciples reminded Jesus of all the people that were around them, but this touch was different. Some...

Fear Can Not Exist Where Healing is Needed: The Authority of Jesus within Mental Health

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” ( John 10:10 KJV). The people of Gadarenes gave the enemy access to their region, not just a man at a tomb. As a bystander within Mark 5, I’ve seen many parts of this scenario played out in real time. I know the broken heart that Jesus had at seeing this man, and I also know the love and compassion that He had for him as well. The people may have feared the man because of his strength, but Jesus understood and displayed that fear could not exist where healing is needed . Working within the mental health field, I’ve seen what was depicted by the man at the tomb. It’s not easy, but Jesus removed the cover of what was happening. The Legion of demons (composed of thousands of demons) thought that they could continue to reign and rule, but the King stepped onto the ground and caused atmospheric shift to happen. “T...

Let’s Talk About Sex

Tonight, I thought about sex. I thought about the beauty of it and I thought about the reasons that God created it. Sex can be beautiful and pleasurable, but sex can also be very dangerous if you don’t know the truth behind it. As a young girl, no one sat down with me and talked to me about sex. I never got the “protect yourself” talk and I never got a real run down about what people will do just to have sex with you. I lost my virginity at the age of 14. I didn’t even really know the guy, but I thought that I would spend the rest of my life with him because that was the story that he sold me. I don’t blame him, and I don’t resent him for anything anymore, but I wish that I had been wiser and that I understood the value of what I was giving away. In my 20s I learned that sex is not only physical, but it is spiritual also. I learned what soul ties were and I began to understand why it was so hard for me to break away from people after the “relationship” had ended. I ha...

The Healing Prophet

I did not desire to write this, but I heard this title and agreed to be obedient. I once read a statement by Tasha Cobbs Leonard. She shared that she would go and sing, return home, and then feel depressed. I understand that feeling more than I would like to admit. Depression is a weapon the enemy uses against those whom God has anointed in many areas. Depression has stagnation attached to it, and its assignment is to either kill you, isolate you, or both. As a therapist, I help many people navigate through depression. I advise increased therapy sessions and medication when needed. I tell them all the ways to battle what has been battling them while being in the very same fight myself. Depression is nobody’s friend. It is an enemy that wounds. The Healing Prophet is an intentional title. It speaks to the heart of the one who carries and speaks the oracles of God, and today, God has a word for you, and for me. “Get up and believe Me.” I...

The Barrel of Meal Shall Not Waste, Neither Shall the Cruse of Oil Fail: RESET

This morning as I was thinking about the fact that God gives us a new start each year, the word reset came to mind. I tried to figure out why that word came to mind, and I began to look up its meaning. I have listed the meaning in the noun, verb, and adjective forms. Reset- set again differently, cause to enter the state representing the number 0, a plant that is planted again, to restore, a plant that has been recently transplanted, adjust again after a failure, set anew. Once I found the meaning of the word reset, I began to look for synonyms associated with it. Words like order, switch, replace, shift, changed, corrected, reformed, prepare, recondition, make ready, modify, do over, reappraise , and rework came up. At this point, I got a little excited and began to wonder how the Lord reset His people in the bible and what that word means concerning me. One of the first thoughts that crossed my mind pertained to the prophet Isaiah and the time that hot coal was placed over hi...

You Can Come Back Now, The Doctor Will See You

" And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:51 NASB). We all know what it’s like to go to a doctor’s office, right? We know what it’s like to arrive at the office, sign in, and take our seats. We know what it’s like to arrive with our issues that need attention and we know what it’s like to wait. Some of us even know what it’s like to be nervous about what will be revealed to us in the appointment. We read the magazines, watch television, search social media, get our paper work together, and wait for the nurse to say, “You can come back now, the doctor will see you”. In that moment when our name is called, we gather our things and scurry off to get our medical needs meant. When Jesus died, something happened in the temple. There was a time when only the priests were allowed to go into the holy of holies, but Jesus was the nurse that came to the door, called our name and said, “You can come ...

The Private, Matters

“And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” ( Luke 1:1-20 NKJV). Zacharias’ prayer was not answered in the way that he thought that it would be. During his prayer time with the Lord, he asked God to allow him and his wife to have a baby, but years passed, and they got older. Zacharias’ went on with his life until his season changed, and it was time. Time for what you may ask; it was time for the blessing of the Lord over this man and wife to come to pass. The issue was that Zacharias had allowed this prayer to leave his heart, and unbelief took its place. Wha...

Onward and upward: Positioned on God’s Spiritual Launching Pad

2018 is not over just yet, but so far it has been a year full of heartache, challenges, growth, and blessings. The heartache came from the passing of my little brother exactly 1 month ago. It was a surprise and my heart breaks because he is no longer here, but my comfort is in Jesus. I know that he is in heaven happy, smiling, pain free, and worshiping at the feet of Jesus. I still cry and I still miss him, but I know that God is in total control. God knows what He is doing at all times and I am learning to respect His will in this situation. Aside from the pain of losing my brother, God has been growing me up in ways that I am learning to be comfortably uncomfortable with. God can use any situation to position us in Him. Some of those situations involve challenges, but those challenges are meant to evolve us, not destroy us. I am a person who hates conflict, but I have had so much of it as I get closer to reaching the personal goals that I have set for myself. I have had ...

Go Back to the Beginning

“In the beginning God created” (Genesis 1:1a). As I sat in my car, I found myself being sad. I have no reason to be sad, and I was thinking that I needed prayer to help me through that moment. I picked up my Bible, and I asked God what He had to say to me today. I recalled His beauty and His creativity, and I heard, “Go back to the beginning.” When God created everything within 6 days, sadness was no where to be found. It was not on His agenda or in the plans that He has for us. He created light and life; even the darkness was a place of rest. “Then God said, ‘Let there be’” (Genesis 1:3a NKJV). “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” (Proverbs 18:21 NLT). What are you saying? What are you allowing to be ? I didn’t call anyone on my contact list within my phone. I called God. He is speaking to me in this moment and producing light in a place that I gave a testimony on recently. “Then God said...

JaNina B.

Search This Blog