Quotes from Intro and Ch. 1
When God begins a season of sifting in your life, the first thing that will be tested is the ballast of your life, which is your heart. It’s the weight beneath the waterline. You can’t see it, but any refining of your heart will affect everything else you do. The heart is not about skill, gifting, or even calling. It’s deeper still. It’s the epicenter, the core of everything.
Most of the growth and refinement that comes from the sifting process begins when you accept that you are exactly where God wants you to be, at least for the time being. The key is that we learn not to fight against the sifting, not to fight against what God is doing in our lives, and learn to acknowledge that he is ultimately in control of the process.
Our encouragement is that, rather than fighting this season of sifting, you learn the language of God, that you cooperate with what he is doing. Keep pressing the weight you are holding even though you may feel like quitting. God has promised to give you just enough assistance to lift the weight while still building the necessary depth of character and strength that he intends to develop in you. God will do something through you when you first allow him to do something in you.
Focusing my attention on the cross, I was reminded that Jesus didn’t overcome the power of evil and sin by unleashing a legion of angels in righteous judgment. He was victorious through his willingness to suffer humiliation and die.
Discussion: It's intriguing. Jesus death - destroyed the enemy. It was death, that brought us life!
An application: When we “DIE” taking up our cross, dying daily, in the midst of controversy, hardships… we destroy the works of the enemy of gossip, arguments, jealousy, strife, pride, lusts…any and every opposing work of evil…
Heb. 2:14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, *esv
17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. NIV
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