You have shown Your people hard things. (Psalm 60:3)

There is no doubt that some things in life are just hard. We don’t always know why God allows these things, but through them we must remember that all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. So many times we focus on the snapshot of our situation rather than the full picture as God sees it. We are in tune with the realm of our emotions which is the soul realm. God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth, not only the soul. Keep in mind that this walk of life on earth is temporal and quick in comparison to eternity. Jesus endured the cross for He saw the joy that was set before Him. We must keep our vision of eternity for encouragement.

I encourage you today to look up for your redemption draws nigh. This is not an escapist mentality but rather a realistic hope of what is to come. No matter what battle you face in this life, know that God recruits His most powerful generals for His army from the fires of affliction. Hold on to Him and don’t let go. In the deepest of my nights, in the loudest of my anguish and in the fullness of my pain; I have found the greatest hope, the peace of my soul and the comfort of knowing Him.

In enduring your fire of affliction comes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and long suffering. In order to reap the fruit, we must first be pruned, cut and bruised. Through it all, shines the final product of beauty in which we are all being patterned. We are being molded into the very image of Jesus. It is because of His love that God leads us into fires of affliction but there is seen in the fire with us One that is like unto the Son of God!

The Teaching Ministry of Michael Cannatello

TMMC