Matthew Chapter 3
Welcome, LOVED and CHOSEN by God!
Matthew 3:8-12 “8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit [a]and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Have you been in a place where the LORD was bringing you to a place of sifting and shaking? This is where I was in 2019-2020. God had me lay so many things down that I thought were my identity only to discover He had other things for me to do. My husband and I left teaching a Couple’s Class that we had taught for 15 years. We left being the Life School Coordinators which we had done for three years. I left leading the Women’s Leadership team which I had done for three years and was a part of for over 10 years. We left our church after 22 years. There was a great deal of sifting, shaking, crying out, questioning, and ultimately being still before His throne. IT. WAS. A. LOT.
In 2017 I felt the LORD lead me in a Jerico March around the church I attended at that time. Every day around 4:00 PM I would go to the church and walk around it seven times. I prayed, I pleaded, and many days I cried as I walked around. I prayed Pastors, Missionaries, Worship Leaders would come from the church. I prayed the LORD would shake people from their slumber and that stagnant people would either awaken or leave. I did not realize that my husband and I had grown stagnant and the LORD would remove us from that place a short three years later.
We were in a place of complacency which was not good. We began to do things in our own strength which left us burned out and frustrated. When the LORD told us to let go of all our places of leadership we held on until we realized He was actually serious. Then He told us to leave the church that we loved so much. The LORD told me we were leaving in February at a conference and BIll in May through a dream. Even though He told us both we were leaving at separate times we hung on until the end of July which was not wisdom. Remember, swift obedience? We were blamed for splitting the church which did not happen until weeks later. We were accused of calling other members to come to where we landed which was not true either. We were being sifted and we constantly had to check if we were walking in offence. Guess what, we were. I cannot tell you how many times I prayed, “LORD, I forgive them in obedience to you. I don’t feel it, so please change my heart.” Sifting and shaking is not fun.
When I look at whom John calls the “Brood of Vipers,” it was the “religious people” of that day. They were the ones who were not willing to see their own shortcomings and their own sin. They were not willing to repent but were the first ones to point out the shortcomings and sins of others. They were the ones, who maybe, were in a place of complacency and just maybe were stagnant. I do not know for sure, but I do know that they were the first to point fingers at others.
As I look back over my journey, I can see where I became one of those who did not want to be sifted or shaken. Maybe my fruit was starting to dry up and fall to the ground. I held on to things He told me to let go of. I was quick to become offended. I was suspicious of others. I was a Pharisee in many respects. Our Beautiful Abba Daddy has been so kind through the sifting and shaking. I know that every single tear has been captured. I know that every single thing will be used for my good and His Glory. Did it hurt? Yep. Am I thankful? Yep. Would I do it all again? Yep, because I know we go from Glory to Glory and His mercies are new every single morning!
