And Again
(5 minutes)
"I want to show you the goodness of God to continue to bring us back, even to spots where we failed." (Pastor Tim)
When it comes to this process of healing, wholeness, and maturity, Abba is going to bring you the best way, which is not always the path of least resistance. He knows exactly what we need to be brought into wholeness. He knows exactly what we need to walk through with Him.
During those days, another massive crowd gathered to hear Jesus, and again, there was no food and the people were hungry. So Jesus called his disciples to come near him and said to them, "My heart goes out to this crowd, for they've already been here with me for three days with nothing to eat. I'm concerned that if I send them home hungry, some may faint along the way, for many have come a long, long way just to be with me." His disciples replied, "But could anyone possibly get enough food to satisfy a crowd this size out here in this isolated place?" (Mark 8:1-4)
Jesus has already fed the 5,000. We've already been in this situation before. The disciple failed miserably the first time around and now we find ourselves in the midst of another massive crowd, and again, there is no food to eat and the people are hungry.
"Jesus is not afraid of your failures. When you fail, He doesn't avoid it. He wants to take you right back to that place and say, 'Let's do it again!'" (Pastor Tim)
But we're not like this! Pastor Tim always says that storms cause amnesia, we suddenly forget how the goodness of God brought us through similar situations. Storms also cause us to become expert forecasters so we never find ourselves in another storm ever again. There is nothing in us that desires to relive past failures...again. We never want to be put in that uncomfortable situation ever again. Not so with Jesus!
"Religion will tell you that God will cause you to avoid your mistakes, but He says, 'And again.' Let's do it again. Let's set the scenario up again. Let's put you in the situation of vulnerability, again." (Pastor Tim)
This is why we keep finding ourselves in the same situations, at the gate of our worst failures. He's bringing us through an "and again" moment so He can take us by the hand and walk us through it.
"If you go into this thinking that God cares more about your comfort than your character, that's when you're going to lose who God really is. He has promised that we're going to look like Him at any cost." (Pastor Tim)
What is Abba wanting to say or do, again?
What are we trying to avoid and not deal with that Abba wants us to face, again? What area of our life are we saying, "Not again!," that Abba is trying to bring us through, again, so we can look more like Him?
Listen, He's not wanting to produce fear in you; He wants to cast the fear out of you by way of His perfect love. If we're not careful we can get so good at avoiding past failures that we believe we're walking in a measure of freedom, when that's not the case at all. We're just not letting ourselves be put in a situation that exposes our brokenness. That's not true freedom. That's decorating the jail cell. That's the best that religion has to offer, but it's not the best that Abba has for us.
You've been asking yourself why you keep encountering the same issues or problems over and over again. Abba is giving you the answer in this word. He wants to take you by the hand and walk through it with you, again. But this time...He wants you to come out healed, whole, and completely free.
Muscles don't get stronger by being left alone. They require resistance to grow. The first thing that must change is our perspective. Can you see these "and again" moments differently today? Can you see them as opportunities instead of offenses? Can you run toward them instead of away from them? Can you see them as invitations from Abba into a greater degree of healing?
Beloved One, your confidence in every situation is this: you are not alone! Abba doesn't abandon you to walk through these "and again" moments by yourself. He prefers to walk through them with you, hand in hand. Hear His voice whispering to your heart, "Let's do it together this time."
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Worship: "You Walk With Me" by Housefires
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
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