Scriptural Foundation:
2 Corinthians 12:6-9 New Living Translation (NLT)
If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
Romans 12:18-19 New King James Version (NKJV)
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Reflection:
The Lord spoke to my heart, “Grace growers are the dung that fertilizes your purpose.” Well that is a little graphic… For those of you that live near a farm, dung is used as an asset. The Lord in this example uses fecal waste to help grow plants. The same is true with individuals in your life, Believers and non-Believers. Note I listed the Believers first…sometimes sisters and brothers in the faith are first line of opposition.
The Holy Spirt is constantly cultivating in you the fruit of the Sprit….But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:22-23). How is this fruit going to grow? In and out of season you have to prepare the soil of your heart to endure adverse situations. The Lord prepares you daily with the Grace Growers in your life. Individuals that are always correcting you; overly critical of you; people that play the victim card; etc.
Beloved, the only way the devil can attack a prayed-up Believer is in the mind and in the flesh. Paul mentions the “thorn in my flesh” and how he asked the Lord to remove on different occasions, however He didn’t for the purpose of growth and enlightenment. Personally, I think these are the people that God allows in our lives to heap on the dung. That is the only way the fruit of the Spirit will grow. The devil thinks that he is breaking us down, but if we stand on the Word of God all these mental/fleshly distractions will make way for beautiful blessings. When family members, spouse, friends, or co-workers challenge you in the natural, remember the commission of Romans 12:18-19 and choose to live in peace instead. My Pastor said recently, “correction gives us direction…time is a great teacher.” We may never know why a certain person is so difficult, but we do know that the Lord is using it all for our good. Embrace your Grace Growers today and watch how your harvest begins to flourish.
Seeking Revelation:
Grab your notebook:
- List out all the “difficult” people in your life.
- Ask the Lord how you can use challenging interactions with them for His glory.
- Make it a point not to enable negative behaviors in others, if you actions feed them then change your approach.