Thanksgiving 2012

1 Pet 6-9
⁶ You now rejoice in this hope, even if it’s necessary for you to be distressed for a short time by various trials. ⁷ This is necessary so that your faith may be found genuine. (Your faith is more valuable than gold, which will be destroyed even though it is itself tested by fire.) Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Although you’ve never seen him, you love him. Even though you don’t see him now, you trust him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words. ⁹ You are receiving the goal of your faith: your salvation.

This is what I am truly thankful for.  The working out of my salvation tested and approved by my victory over my own sin in the many trials I face.  The moments where I would have chosen an angry or self seeking response and the power of God through His grace has acted through me.  That my time in obedience to be in the word and pray has transformed my actions.  Not that I can boast for it is truly Christ in me that is taking over little by little as I surrender to Him.  If  I am to boast in anything it is in my knowledge of my weakness and utter helplessness to change my circumstances and my knee jerk destruction ways.  Praise God for this revelation for I am finding victory in areas that I never thought possible.  God is transforming my tongue.  Causing me to be slow to speak.  Some times I think I am being gagged by the Holy Spirit but I am choosing to submit to being held silent.

I want to shout this amazing grace of God from the hill tops for I know many Christians that are held captive by their own short comings.  I am far from perfect and their are many areas that I have yet to find victory over but their is hope.  If God can take me this far in just a few years of being fully submitted to hear his voice, read his word and pray continually then I stand on his word that a full victory over my sinful nature and circumstances can be achieved.  Maybe not in this lifetime but I will see and experience myself as completely set free from the effects of  in heaven.

Why do I consider it pure joy to endure trials and submit my will and my time to the Father?  Because God is truly amazing.  A light brighter than any other.  To be in His presence is an oasis from my circumstances.  It is the one time in my day that I need not reflect on how I will react to someone.  The Lord wants to be with me, yes me and I get to sit at his feet and just rest in all that he has to impart.  It is a time of receiving, breathing in life and restoring my very soul.