“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). 

There is no greater honor than to abide in the place that is rightly prepared. Ill-prepared places are hastily erected without giving enough thought to details. There are special needs, passions, and specific preferences that will suit the taste of the person. We are individuals and always will be individuals. Yes, we will abide together but our personality is uniquely ours and belongs to no other. God, who created all things, has room for us to be ourselves. There are spaces awaiting us within His economy. Jesus Christ, our elder brother has gone before us. He takes with Him our specific needs. The deepest longings of the heart are considered. The things that we are lacking are there in abundant supply. No expense is spared for the Spirit knows the things of God and the thoughts of every man. The place is not prepared for us as we currently are, but it is prepared for us on the basis of what we will eventually become. As we are being purified, our appetites are changing. We are coming to know who we really are. No longer having to pretend nor model or mimic others who are around us. We will fit perfectly in the place that we are being prepared for. The greatest blessing of being there is who will abide there with us. He is there before the Father awaiting our arrival. Where He is, there we shall be. 

“that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14). 

Children are in a stage of indecision and in need of a guidance counselor to place them on the right track. But as we grow, the instructions are there to keep us on the established track made possible through spiritual fathers. Those formative years are so important in order for “the way” to be made clear when the pressures are brought to bear against the soul to compromise. Adults should no longer act childish in their approach to life. God provides for us what is needed for our stability, but if the godly instructions are not heeded, the winds of doctrine will lead to instability and being tossed to and fro and eventually they will be carried away from the foundation. God gave spiritual gifts to those who desire to become spiritually mature. Only the mature are able to lead others to maturity. Childish and unstable thinking will breed unstable souls who will follow another as quickly as they would follow you. Whatever impresses them at the moment holds their attention, but just for a little while. They will eventually move on to something different. God’s desire is for each to remain rightly joined for the sake of the Body. We are then edified and He will be glorified. 

“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). 

The instructions given by God to your children will first produce an inner peace. Their hearts will agree with the truth for which they were made to receive and understand. They would no longer be left to themselves to wander from one opinion to the next, never knowing which path is the right one to take. But rather, they shall be surefooted in their stance in righteousness and not easily swayed by the winds of strange doctrines that have become prevalent in our day. There is a peace for children to receive. Even though they may not have experienced much of what lies ahead, nevertheless they can face the future with confidence. The instruction of the Lord will guide them when they arrive at impasses where a decision is necessary to choose the best way. They will apply their teachings to the situation at hand and not fall prey to the adversary whose objective is to lure them away from the path that leads to life. Each child shall receive his share. None shall be left out for all need the same peace that comes from Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. 

“Now I will rise,” says the Lord; “Now I will be exalted, Now I will lift Myself up” (Isaiah 33:10). 

God rises above the heights of the loftiest mountains. He rises above the ingenuity of the wisest men on the face of the earth. Many have settled for a level of truth based upon what can enter into the minds of men. But when He is exalted, no thought could ever be stretched to dimensions known only to Him. His judgments provide proof that we are wrong in our assessments of life and things excluding Him yet deemed to be important. He exposes the frailty of everything that did not originate from Him and remain attached to Him. God was awaiting the right moment in time, when unbelief had reached its peak among the doubters and skeptics. Those who believe in Him anticipate His return, eagerly longing for His rule and reign to be established among men on earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

“Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures” (James 1:18). 

It was not as the result of skills or ingenuity that we were presented on the scene possessing the qualities the world is in desperate need of. In due time, God presents to the world His solution to its greatest challenges through a people who have been qualified to speak life into the culture of death. Yet none can take the credit for what is spoken or demonstrated. It is His awesome power on public display. Within His own time, He raises up a people who are qualified to speak the truth in love. When the righteous are raised in power, all things are in the process of being restored. Only the truth spoken in love is a basis for God’s order to replace the confusing philosophies of religious gurus who twist the truth to their own purposes. All of creation awaits the manifestation of those who would be willing to stand for the truth at all cost. Then there will be the dawning of a new day of liberty from the bondage of corruption. 

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1Peter 5:10). 

The progression that takes place in the life of a Christ-follower begins with the call. He calls us to Himself. Then we can be conformed to the image of His Son. It is only when we answer the initial call will we qualify to experience what is produced in us as the result of being drawn close to Him. His eternal glory is the finished product of His grace. God looks at the end from the beginning. But the path requires suffering even though it is only for a little while in contrast to the glory that shall be revealed in us. We are matured to see things from His perspective, established in the faith, and not wavering because of various trials. Each challenge provides strength for future challenges as we develop a greater resistance to the evil one. Finally we are settled as not to be moved by whatever may come our way. A steadfast faith remains constant and undisturbed in a fixed position in relation to God. Pray that the God of all grace releases an abundance of His grace towards us for the journey which lies ahead. 

“Let’s decide which of us is in the right. God may avenge me, but it is in his hands, not mine” (1Samuel 24:12 MSG). 

We are in a battle for the souls of men. The opposition has the popular vote and has gained momentum over the years. It often appears as if we are on the losing side while vices seem to be the norm. What the fathers of our faith established is now under attack led by those who ought to be defenders of the faith. Their creeds have been reinterpreted or altogether ignored. Their values have been viewed as obsolete and even objectionable. Who is listening while God is yet speaking through the faithful few? There are those who are willing to stand against the winds of adversity and defy the storms of error that are unleashed in order to overtake, if possible the very elect. Let God decide who is right and who is wrong. God will avenge His elect. Truth crushed to the earth will rise again. The disputes of who is right and who is wrong will eventually be settled. It will not be a draw between two opposing views. God knows those who are His and will avenge His own, but it is in His hands and not ours. 

“And you? Go about your business without fretting or worrying. Relax. When it’s all over, you will be on your feet to receive your reward” (Daniel 12:13 MSG). 

There are places to go and things yet to be done by those who have put their trust in the Lord. None can predict the future, but we can rest assured that the outcome is in His hands. Situations can be paralyzing to those who have no hope beyond what they are able to see. Then others have completely ignored the signs and have not prepared themselves for what we have been prophetically forewarned. There is a God-given task to which the sons of men ought to be engaged. We are to occupy until He comes. The threats are real, but should not create fretting or worrying to the prepared. We have One in whom we have placed our trust. When the storms have passed us over, and the clouds have lifted, we will be standing on our feet to receive our rewards from God who rewards the faithful. 

“The field is wasted, the land mourns; for the grain is ruined, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails” (Joel 1:10). 

There are times when conditions are bleak and the people are called to repentance. Nothing occurs by chance. God withdraws His hand among a people who think they have the abilities to manage their affairs. It is not that the people are completely abandoned, but rather they are allowed to experience the results of decisions made when He is no longer reverenced as Lord. Without His oversight, the field is wasted, the grain is ruined, the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails. Each requires what only God is able to give for their sustenance. Without His care, the people must manage without the rain that must fall from heaven. Nothing planted is able to grow without the rain. When it touches the seed, it will spring forth with new life. Spiritual dryness is a condition where the people have not come to realize the source of challenges facing the world. God’s people must, in humility, seek His face and turn in the direction of righteousness in order for the rain to fall from heaven and cause all things to flourish. 

“You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance” (Psalm 65:11). 

Whatever happens and however it may happen, God ends with the placement of His crown of goodness. That is why He is called good even when things happen that are difficult to explain. When there are valleys there also must be mountains and the deeper the valley, the higher the mountains. Valley experiences are not always fatal. They can be but are not necessarily fatal. His path is frightening to the fainthearted. Every wall in the valley contains a message that you have reached the point of no return. But as long as you are aware that He is leading you, you can trust Him throughout the journey. A crown awaits you at the end of the season of testing. Not only is there a crown, but there are rich blessings to be gathered along the way.