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REVIVAL NEWS |
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REVIVAL NEWS |
EDITORIAL - THE TROUBLE IS ....... !
by Tony Black - Editor, IRN NEWSHi everyone, I wrote this at a low point a few weeks ago. I hope it'll make you smile!
Quite a few folk have written saying they'd not heard much personal comment from me recently, and asking how I am these days. Since they all seemed to come at once, I guessed it might be a prompting for me to have a really good think about it, exactly where "I'm at", so to speak. So I did. For quite a while actually.
How am I? Thanks for asking. To be honest, I guess the answer is not so good really, but I'm definitely still praising the Lord. What's been happening with me this past season? Quite a lot really: My father and father-in-law both died. My mother has cancer. My spine is broken at the base. My left hand is partially paralysed. My company went bust, and I'm broke. Now I'm stuck in the desert (literally) trying to earn a living, having taken my family home last month because they were completely miserable. So much for that vision, another failure on an increasing list of failures, and so now we are separated, but only temporarily I hope. In the meantime, my car is 20 years old and packing up, my toilet is blocked, and the pipes burst during a freeze. I have no home of my own, no money, no real job, no pension, no insurance... and so the list goes on...
Hmmm? Quite a challenge to any ego in a climate that worships success!!
But here's the main issue: God is Good. I know it. So, it must be me that's at fault. Right? It could still be I suppose, but is that really the case? Even after all these years of testing and refinement, and separation from the world, and "being broken". Hmm! I wonder, how much of that do we need? I'm well past the half way mark in my life, so how long does it take? Seems more likely to me that a good master breaks his horse as quickly and easily as possible, and then gets on with the job of riding!
So, just in case I develop a flippant attitude, I've really been working on things recently, and asking a lot of questions. Here's one I asked the Lord, and some friends too (big mistake that!). I'll give you the question; then what my friends said (might sound familiar!); and then what God said - in that order.....
"Lord", I said, "why is that all of my life people have prophecied success and wealth over me, said nice things to me and about me, and yet all I ever seem to see is failure -- except that is.... when I wasn't a Christian, and had a Ferrari, and a successful business, and loads of money, and lots of fun. Lord, when I became a Christian I seem to have had nothing but trouble?"
This is what (some of) my "friends" said: "You're doing something wrong", or "you've got to stop doing this"; or "start doing that"; or "you must have sinned"; or "you must have been disobedient in some way"; or "you really must die to yourself"; or "you must be in the wrong place"; ... etc.. and etc... You get the general idea? About the kindest things said was: "You're being tested".
Sound familiar? Phooey and bunkum folks. Here is what God said, and it's the truth for sure:
"In this world you will have.... trouble!" (John 16:33 NIV) [Strongs: 2347 thlipsis (thlip'-sis); from 2346; pressure (literally or figuratively): afflicted (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.] Did you know this was almost the Lord's parting shot to his disciples before he was crucified?! Must be significant! It's a fact.
So this is what I reckon, for what it's worth:
It's time to stop knocking ourselves folks. We're not at fault. We're just in trouble :o) It's time to stop blaming ourselves, stop blaming God, and time to stop listening to Job's friends descendants. In short, we are not the trouble, our response to the trouble is what the trouble usually is! And where does it get us? Into the swamp of navel gazing, self pity and internal postulating. It's time to stop that nonsense and place the blame fairly and squarely where it belongs.... at the enemy's feet. We must simply face up to the fact that we will have T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
"In this world you will have trouble. But ...... take heart! For I have overcome the world."
I'm planning on getting into as much trouble as I can. How about you?
Shalom and blessings,
Tony Black~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I R N N E W S D I G E S T Editor: Tony Black
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