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Topic: Blessed (11/29/04)
TITLE: What Is Blessed? By Sheila Lockhart 12/02/04 |
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Some would see the word “blessed” as a state of what is in site around you, but when I ponder on the word “blessed” I see it as a state of being. It is a result of being and living in complete wholeness. Nothing missing and nothing broken.
Being blessed is the ability to maintain the same state of mind while going through the fire. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, even though they were ordered to the flames, they remained constantly, consistently, the same the whole time.
What is it that causes one to remain in this wholeness? It is a knowing. Knowing that God is with us in those fires, and that we will come out refined as pure gold. It is knowing that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding is guarding our heart and mind. It is knowing that He will keep us in perfect peace because our mind is stayed and fixed infinitely on Him.
How do we get to that point of wholeness? By seeking His face and not His hand as we worship and praise Him daily in the midst of all the circumstances that surround us. When I think of the above statement, I think of the wild forest animals. Imagine those animals thoughts when they are surrounded by wild fires. They must be in a panic, wondering which way to turn, where to go. But, do you think that they falter and die? No, they put on their survival senses and search for a way out. This is what we must do when we are surrounded by fires, we must allow the spirit of God to rise up in us knowing that when He does a work in us that He sees to it that it is complete. We must know that we are blessed in all circumstances. Even when we are down to our last penny, because the prosperity is not the blessing, it is the result of the blessing. We are blessed because we have the word of God to stand on which allows for us to persevere through the storm and come out of it being a blessing.
Over the past few months, my family and I have had to weather the storms. We have watched as people who we considered friends and brothers and sisters in Christ, stabbed us in the back, so to speak. We have heard negative remarks from family members regarding our situation, but we had to stand and walk in love. We have looked out and all that we saw was darkness before us, but we realize that we are blessed first, because we are still together as a family and foremost, because we know that God is right here with us in every move. We know that even the smallest penetration of light over shines the darkness from the enemy and that God is leading us along the way. Through it all, we are blessed to be able to endure and at the same time be strengthened in our faith walk which will allow us to minister to those that are following in our footsteps. That’s the result of being blessed!