Kingdom Calling Blog…

God has really been speaking to me about celebrating the different seasons of life, even when you’re in or it’s been the toughest season of your life, you can still celebrate and savour the fruit.

Well that sounds easy I hear you say!!!!!!

God directed me to a scripture that encourages us to do just that;

Roms 5:3-5 Msg There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

I read it in the Message version, as I often find it helpful to get a slightly different perspective and I absolutely love this version. I love that we can be alert for whatever God wants to do next and be expectant because God wants to pour so much good into our lives!!!

Yes and amen to all that!

Now before I had walked through a tough season, in fact my last season, I would never have thought it possible to be able to praise through it and even more than that, to experience joy amidst the frustration, pain and anguish that can accompany one of life’s tribulations.

The Lovely Mr B and I have come through a health battle, after he got diagnosed with throat cancer in July 2017 and received the all clear in March 2018. It was the toughest 8 months of our lives and everything that was important was brought into sharp focus, very fast. God kept reminding us to take one day at a time and to stop trying to fit around the plans we had already made and were now trying to shoehorn into our difficult and complex lives. Living like this meant lots of disappointment, tears and tantrums (I kid you not, it got messy) until we finally started to listen and stop planning ahead.

All of a sudden life seemed less frustrating and easier to manage as we took each day as it presented itself and were grateful for each new morning instead of being upset about plans we had to cancel, sometimes things we had booked months before, tickets for events we had, concerts we had managed to get tickets for and the list goes on. But, we kept putting things down to make life simpler where we felt lead.

Lam 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; ²³ they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

This scripture was very real to us and we clung to it along with several others that were key to fighting the battle.

Neh 8:10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

We learnt that knowing scriptures in your head is wonderful and really helpful but knowing them as a reality is even better, but you can’t do that until you experience them. They take on a whole new meaning when they are experiential.

Isa 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

When you read about the foolish and wise builder, which we probably all know so well as we use the story to teach our children about God, you soon realise that there is no way of knowing which one you are until the storm hits! It’s not until you look down you see which one it is! Thankfully, we found out that we had built our life upon the rock and because of that our feet stayed firm on Him, although it did get a bit slippery at times if we took our eyes off Him for any length of time.

We learnt that God is loyal, trustworthy, faithful and incredibly kind as well as being a miracle worker all rolled into one.

We learned things about God’s character that I don’t believe we could have learnt any other way. We also learnt things about ourselves that we couldn’t possibly have known before.

So back to the title of the blog and the meaning of the word savour;

To taste and enjoy to the full.

As I have been reflecting on the season I’ve been in I can already start to see the fruit that is becoming evident. The Lovely Mr B has gone through something of an overhaul, a rewiring in how he thinks about things. It feels like there has been a renewing of his mind in so many different areas and I have to say I am feeling excited about this!!

Having been on quite a journey with God myself over the last four years (since being involved with TSM (Training for Supernatural Ministry), I have at times felt frustrated that Mr B hasn’t had the same experiences, seen the things I’ve seen and had a similar journey if I’m honest. In some ways it has felt like we are on a different page, but I am beginning to see that God is re-aligning us and that Mr B has caught up if you like through this experience of being so ill and having to rely on God, build his relationship, trust and be a recipient of God’s amazing supernatural power. He has experienced the very things I have been witnessing myself! He has first hand experience of God as a rescuer, healer and beloved father, knowing God loves him so much that He came and delivered Him time after time from the precipice of imminent, life threatening danger.

He has brought us together with a mutual love of wanting to see the kingdom break out wherever we go and to see people impacted by the love of God, to be a part of living a naturally supernatural life. I am so excited about what God is going to do and how He wants to partner with us to see His kingdom advance in this next season.

I am also seeing that this season has done something in me and revealed facets of my character that I didn’t know were there, like the opportunities God gave me to worship through inexplicable heartache, being steadfast and fervent in prayer, encouraging Mr B even when I was worn out by it all, being so full of faith that I had an unswerving resolve to not give in to doubt or lies from the enemy and I learnt to take wrong thoughts captive so often that it became second nature to me.

Wow, who knew I had it in me!

Well God did obviously because He created me! But, before this season I never knew that I had so much faith, tenacity and the ability to seek joy in the face of anything else in front of me.

You see, when you start to see your season through God’s eyes you begin to see it as a beautiful part of your journey, however painful it might have been, because it’s only through these seasons that you can experience God in this way and He can get to do what He wants to do in you, when He is literally all you’ve got.

He has taught me to be grateful like never before and to embrace the joy in the moment, without fear of what might happen next. I have learnt that I can fully trust Him with my life and that we now have a track record that no-one can take away from me, because it’s mine, ours.

I can honestly say I am relieved and glad that the season of suffering is over, but I am so grateful for the season and the lessons I have learnt. I am going to continue to reflect and watch the fruit grow after the hard prune from the ultimate gardener and I am going to give thanks and savour the season.

One of the many lessons you learn from a tough season are that the things you learn about yourself and God are transferable and you can apply them in any different or seemingly impossible circumstances, not just serious illness. You realise your test becomes your testimony. If God has got your back through this, why would He not have your back when a different storm hits.

The power of your testimony can bring freedom and build others up in their faith as they see what God has done in your life and claim it for themselves. God wants to do it again, it’s His nature to bless.

God doesn’t ever stop being faithful, in fact it’s impossible because it’s who He is.

FAITHFUL

My prayer for you if you are in a painful, tough season is that you would know the steadfast love of the Father and that you would experience joy in your everyday even when it doesn’t seem possible. I pray that you would come to know the Father on a whole new level and that you too would savour the season you’re in, knowing God knows everything you are going through and that He has a good and perfect plan for your life.

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I have also found this song has been helpful in being able to express how confident I have felt in God’s faithfulness to me. I hope you find the song and even more that the lyrics help you to see how amazing God is when we are in a difficult season.

Confident by Steffany Gretzinger and Bobby Strand.