By now, I hope you are finding, despite trials and pain, growth of maturity in spirituality will allow your faith to become stronger and stronger.
Previously, I spoke about the book of James, and his message to the Jewish Christians. Facing trials builds our faith when we know God.
The Beginning of Sin and Our Need for Jesus
Imagine a scenario where someone lives a perfect life here on earth (no trials, no adversities). In the beginning, Adam and Eve experienced true perfection, prior to the fall of grace, where there was no such thing as sin. All were in communion with God, no barrier between them. When God’s created human beings “chose” to eat the forbidden fruit, sin was born into the world and the fallen angel, known as Satan, became the spiritual ruler of the world.
Although, the equation might sound confusing to us sometimes, relationally, I get it. As easy as it is, to say the prayer, Jesus, come into my heart, God’s desire is for us to “choose” Him.
The Peace That Comes From Knowing Him
Early on in our Christian walks, we NEED Jesus because His peace, we learn, is the ONLY way we can withstand hard and/or difficult times (Philippians 4:7). We often will say, “My gosh, how did I get through anything in life before I was saved.” We say this because; although, it didn’t kill us, we carried the burden of the trial (before we had the blessing of the greatest peace) (1 Peter 5:7 & John 14:27).
Here, as we lean on and rely on our Heavenly Father for that peace which surpasses all human understanding, we begin to grow in our relationship with Him, and in time, get to know Him on a personal and intimate level.
A Vision and a Calling
That beautiful vision the Lord gave me the night He spoke to my heart and spirit never left me. No matter what I was going through, I always trusted in His ultimate plan.
In 2001, I began the “first” part of my career, working for the Bureau of Prisons. I held positions for the five years I was employed where I took the opportunity to mentor the adults-in-custody, even though it wasn’t a necessary part of my job. I was young during that timeframe; however, spiritually I knew it was my duty to be an encouragement to such a lost community of people.
Looking back, I can see where God was growing me and grooming me for what He had in store for me today. Then, I would speak individually to men as happenstance at work, just passing by I would give them a word of encouragement; today I mentor the entire population of adults-in-custody at FCC Coleman, which totals just under 7,000 men.
Please take a minute to let that reality soak in.
Full Circle in God’s Timing
My first stint with the Bureau of Prisons—the reality of my young age, lack of life experiences, and enduring trials that are unavoidable with the agency—forced me to make the decision to resign in 2006.
Side note: Please remember, God will bring you full circle, and in the midst, it just might not be for you to understand His reasoning!
Throughout those years of spiritual growth, He is preparing you for your Promise Land (Joshua, chapter 1), where you will experience the fruits of your labor.
Working for the prison system for those five years, I gained such a heart for those lost souls; however, I also dealt with terrible behaviors and treatment from those I should have been able to relate to and trust. Some would say I was naïve, and that was probably true, but my soft heart couldn’t handle the stress, and I left my job.
Regardless of my decision to resign, that seed was planted within my soul, but it was still going to take many years to bring me to my true destiny and calling. Where are you in your journey? Are you waiting for the vision to come to pass? God’s timing is perfect, friends! Be patient! I sure had to and still do!
Stay encouraged and please remember to share each time you are touched by a message of hope, love and testimony!
Enjoy the additional encouragement in song. Click the link to hear the song pertaining to this week’s message of hope: Who you say I am by Hillsong