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Lessons From The Threshing Floor

Every once and a while The Lord will allow you to go through situations that you would never imagine could be beneficial. Jesus told Peter, on the night that He was betrayed, that Satan had demanded permission to sift him like wheat. Jesus told Peter that He had prayed for him and then instructed Peter that when he returns that he was to strengthen his brothers. (Luke 22:31-34)

I do not know what Peter felt during this time. I do know what his life was like after Christ was raised from the dead. Peter was changed. That is in fact putting it lightly. I want to share a few lessons I learned from the grace that God has shown to me as He allowed me to be sifted.
  1. God will stop at nothing to humble his servants. He abhors arrogance and will seek it out to destroy it at all costs and will not tolerate any to remain.
  2. Ministry is a privilege and not a right. No one deserves to be a minister, it is an honor and must be treated as such.
  3. God's Word is the only thing that will heal some wounds. There are times when nothing else will bring peace to your heart but reading the Scriptures and even though it feels, at first, like pouring salt in a wound - the end effect is healing, deep healing.
  4. You can't change another person or force them to tell the truth, you are responsible only to God and you must, YOU MUST allow God to issue justice according to His great wisdom and not succumb to the temptation to handle vengeance on your own.
  5. God will permit the most ungodly events to occur in order to accomplish His good purposes. Learn the lesson of Joseph; what people intend for evil, God will use for good.
  6. The Lord will usher in abundance of grace when He sees His children begin to walk in obedience. There is no end to God's grace and it is so overwhelming at times that it is almost unbelievable.
  7. The Lord does give, but He still reserves the right to take away. He is still good, gracious and kind - and since we deserve nothing, we cannot complain of loss, though we can and do feel the pain that goes with that loss.

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