The Standard Christian Epidemic

Chapter 6 Seasons

In every season of our life, God is at work. Every season has a purpose before God. You will be greatly blessed if you recognize and accept this reality. It will put your life into perspective; you will begin to realize how to live in every season. The Bible speaks often about it. One particular passage of importance is found in Ecclesiastes.

To everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Eccl. 3:1; 11

What I have seen in my life are the many seasons people pass by without discerning and living that season’s purpose. Many people do not choose to accept the responsibility and calling that God has placed on their lives. They believe if they ignore the calling, then they waive any personal responsibility placed on them but the truth is that if you ignore your calling, you make a conscious decision to do so while others make a conscious decision to accept their calling. Those that understand what God is doing are those that will flourish in every season. They will live content, eager, and expectant of God. It is not a matter of waiting for a season, for God has said in His Word that He daily adds to us.

Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Psalm 68:19

Each and every day is a day in your season that can be lived out in perfection and favor. We have heard it said, “God is more interested in the destination.” That being true does not take away from the fact He is just as much interested in the details of our lives. Every day has meaning and purpose. It is to your benefit to live each day’s agenda as God desires. He makes all things good in their time. Don’t buy into the fact that your good thing is coming, so in the meantime you simply wait for it to come. He has an ever-increasing abundance for your life. This is in regards to spiritual and physical blessings. There is specific timing for certain gifts from God, but He is not at all interested in your complacency for those gifts. He wants you to grow in the knowledge of Him and all the while reaping His benefits. If He has made a promise to your life, don’t make it the focal point of your life. Don’t let it tie you down from everything else God wants to bless you with. When you do obsess over gifts, you are serving not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but the god of self. I personally believe God will withhold further or certain blessings if you don’t steward properly the ones He already gave you. If He blesses you with a dream job and it takes over your life, what good has come of it? God was trying to satisfy you and give you your heart’s desire, but you turned it for evil. Not only will this hinder God’s work any further in your life, but you will be dissatisfied with what you already have. We will be set free when we realize God makes everything perfect in its time. We will enjoy what we currently have, knowing He makes each day new.

Today is the day of your favor; He has not only given you Jesus, but all things with Him. It is your choice to release His favor into your life. The error comes when we are not aware of the season we are in. We can miss many good things God has prepared for us. You must learn to discern your season, because every day brings different things. A.W. Tozer once said, “we’ll hardly get our feet out of time into eternity that we’ll bow our heads in shame and humiliation. We’ll gaze on eternity and say, ‘Look at all the riches there were in Jesus Christ, and I’ve come to the Judgment Seat almost a pauper.” For God had not only given us Jesus Christ but He has with Him freely given us all things (Romans 8:32; paraphrased Leonard Ravenhill). I challenge the Christian today to discern their season. Recognize what God is doing in your heart. Realize His work in the circumstances of your life. When you begin to realize His work, you will begin to understand your life and current plan, as God desires. It will give you perspective on what the next steps are. You will begin to see that the Lord has been leading you; it is your cooperation that is critical. As we examine peoples’ lives today, how many can we say are living with destination and purpose, having an eternal perspective? Instead of living with destiny, people tend to live complacent lives because they spend their seasons alone; making the decision not to accept the responsibility God has placed on us. You are a direct result of what you sow into your heart. Do not be deceived, whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7). If you want to live with an eternal perspective, accept this challenge and you shall see “great and mysterious things” (Jeremiah 33:3).

There are seasons that we go through that were never meant for us to go through. There are things we go through, because we brought ourselves there. It is not God who condones such behavior; therefore He doesn’t bring these dark seasons into our lives. We were never meant to walk through some valleys but you begin to go through dark places, when you leave the boundaries of the Word of God. The Bible itself states, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Word of God is meant to safeguard us from danger, whether it is physical or emotional. Though some people are led into great deception when they can’t let go of their past. One major reason they can’t let go is because they can’t understand why it happened to them, so they accept it as fate, something that was unavoidable. But if you start to realize why one gets hurt, it has nothing to do with God. Imagine a sheepfold that is safeguarded by a hedge. The master built that hedge to protect the sheep from any danger, but can you imagine a young sheep finds its way around the gate and goes off into the wilderness. Before long, the sheep is lost. As the sun sets, it gets colder. At this point, the sheep hasn’t had anything to eat for many hours. The sheep whimpers, cold and hungry. The emotional damage has already been done to the sheep but continuing along, the sheep falls into ditches and wounds itself because it sees not where it’s going. Coyotes and wolves begin to howl through the night, scaring the sheep. It is not only hurt, but now scared for its life. The longer the sheep stays in the wilderness, the more emotionally and physically wounded it will be. Back at home; the master notices a sheep is missing. He grabs his cloak and hurries off into the wilderness, hoping the sheep hasn't been eaten yet. He searches for hours; hopeful he will find the missing sheep. Suddenly he hears a whimper behind him, turning around he sees the sheep curled up in a ditch, shivering. The master swoops the sheep into his arms, comforting the wounded, scared animal. The master nurtures and comforts the sheep as they journey back to his ranch. Though the sheep knows its now safe, it will live with that experience for the rest of its life. The emotional wounds of fear are much greater than physical scars. It is the same in our lives when we leave the Master's protection. If we stay in the hedge of God's Word, we will find protection and comfort always. We will avoid many situations that would bring us only hurt and confusion. Anything that scarred our lives can be restored. God will remove all fear and pain from our lives if we allow Him to. We have no reason to hold onto our pains if we have One who died to heal us. Close the doors of your past by allowing the Holy Spirit to release you from it, by repentance, forgiveness, and renewal of the mind. Meditate on the Word of God; as you begin to establish the truths of God’s Word in your heart you will be transformed in soul and body.