Kingdom Calling Blog…

You’re not too far gone!

A friend of mine shared a picture of her paint brushes recently and they had gone all hard and inflexible because they were so full of paint and needed a deep clean. 

As I looked at the picture I felt God say “They’re not too far gone and nor are you”.  

As a creative person I know that when you paint your brushes can quickly become full of paint, right down to the part of the brush where they are held together, the very part of the brush where the metal casing holds the bristles firmly in place. 

The thing about an artists tools of the trade are that they need to be well cared for to get the best out of them and for them to have a long and fruitful life in the artist’s hand. 

Often when you paint you don’t get finished in one session and you have to come back to it. As someone who paints I have often left my brushes overnight in a plastic bag sealed over the bristles to prevent them from drying out. The next day they are in pretty good shape to go again and use. However if you were to continue to do this for a long period of time and never clean them properly they soon wouldn’t be. 

When you do get around to actually cleaning them but don’t take the time to properly clean them, then over time they harden from the base and they become inflexible and of no use for the creative process they’re created for. 

So if you only ever give them a quick swill around under running water your brushes will not last long. Cough, cough who does that!!

The point is, you have to take the time, you can’t shortcut the process for long before the brushes are past their best. But let’s face it if we are honest who wants to spend the time cleaning brushes when you could be having all the fun painting with them?

My friend went on to show a photo of the products she used to really clean the brushes well which was a variety of cleansing products and a wire brush. It took her 4 hours to get them back into a state where they could be used again in the way that they were intended to be used. 

I felt God say as I looked at the photos that just like the brushes there are those who feel they are too far gone and cannot be rescued and are no longer fit for their intended purpose. 

Just like the brushes we can collect a build up of ‘life’ and all that it brings which can start to get clogged up right at the base, right at the core of who we are. 

If we don’t prioritise taking the time to be soaked and for the build up to be released then we can’t be as fruitful as we could be. We can for a period of time just about survive by swilling ourselves quickly in His presence, but if we never really allow the time that is really needed to soak in it for a deep cleansing experience it begins to have a negative effect on us and those around us. 

There are those of you who feel there is such a build up deep within you that you no longer feel fit for purpose. You have written yourselves off completely because you feel so hard and dry inside and have nothing of value to bring to the table. 

There are some who look at others and see them stepping into all God has for them and feel jealous because they want to be used by God and to step further into their own calling. 

Some have hardened their hearts from the disappointment they feel at the season they are in and have felt they have lost sight of their true identity. 

For others they see those who are fruitful and it makes them sad as they remember how they used to be so on fire and doing ‘the stuff’ and can’t pinpoint when the rot set in. 

Today God would say…

You’re not too far gone, there is more ahead for you and a season of renewed fruitfulness in and through your life. 

The truth is many of you who are feeling discouraged are those who have seen much and have carried faith for God to come and do it again. He wants you to raise your gaze to Him and for your faith levels to be revitalised. He wants to partner with you to create something beautiful out of your life that will be a picture of Gods wonderful grace to all those looking on. You are a canvas for His glory!

Activation: Take some time to be with the Father and repent of any wrong thinking or lies you have been believing about your life and who you are. 

Come to Him and surrender those areas that have become hardened by disappointment, jealousy or just life stuff that has become hard and over whelming. 

Allow Him to come and soak you in His presence and for Holy Spirit to come and do a deep cleansing work in your heart that will bring fresh and renewed thinking that will change everything as you come alive again on the inside and allow Him to use you to reveal His glory to the world around you.  

Jer 24:7

7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

Photo cred: Kate Green Art