#5a God is eager to bless us
Please consider:
Luke12:32 "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Matthew 6:10 "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
I believe that God blesses us in two primary ways:
A) The Warm and Fuzzy—This includes all that is wonderful, desirable, and aligned with God's Highest and Best for us.
B) The Cold and Abrasive—This has two aspects:
1B serves to strengthen us, build character, and develop steadfastness.
2B shakes everything in us that is shakable—that is, every disposition and circumstance inconsistent with God's Will, Way, Highest and Best. This includes, but is not limited to, learned behaviors, conditioned responses, unforgiveness, traditions, habits, cultural and religious influences, false beliefs, unbelief, and countless other worldly dispositions.
In God's awesome and wonderful way, we can discern—individually and/or collectively—the difference between these two aspects.
Relationships as a Means of Discernment
One primary way we discover these aspects of our dispositions is through relationships. Scripture commands us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Without godly love, no relationship or circumstance can be a true blessing—to us or to others.
Our earthly relationships, both with ourselves and with one another, serve two purposes:
1. They bring out the best in us (the warm and fuzzy).
2. They expose the cold and abrasive to either build character or reveal areas needing transformation.
As we cultivate discernment—individually and/or collectively—we learn to differentiate between these aspects of character.
Circumstances as a Means of Discernment
Another primary way God reveals whether we are experiencing His Will and Way, Highest and Best is through our circumstances. Just as with relationships, circumstances bring out both the best and the worst in us.
When the yoke is easy, the burden is light, and the path is clear, we are experiencing the warm and fuzzy (A).
When we anguish, toil, or spin, we are confronting what is shakable (B)—not what builds character, but what needs to be surrendered to God.
We can be thankful for both categories A and B, recognizing that each serves a purpose in our spiritual journey.
Overcoming the Shakable Through God's Power
As we deepen our understanding of God's prayerful provisions, we can—by His Presence and Power—identify what is shakable(2B). This allows us to address it, not merely through our strength, but through the presence and power of God. Attempts to accomplish godly objectives through fleshly effort alone have no lasting benefit.
Individually, we may consider the power of prayer:
"In the name of Jesus Christ, I forgive and/or confess ________.Amen."
For deeper, more complex spiritual bondage, we may seek the assistance of those with comprehensive ministry Gifts of the Spirit [1], including Discernment, Faith, and Intercessory Prayer.
The Process of Sanctification
As we prayerfully avail ourselves of a deeper aspect of God's presence and power, we can experience the extrication of what is worst in us and its replacement with a further anointing of God's Spirit—His Love. This added anointing provides a greater manifestation of His highest and best for us.
This is the ongoing process of Sanctification, an ever-deepening transformation and anointing of His Spirit and ongoing progression described as:
"The mystery hidden for ages and generations, which is Christ in you(us), the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:26-27)
It is Christ being formed in us, allowing our light to shine ever more brightly as we bear greater witness to the world—not just in the hereafter, but also in the here and now—of the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Jesus Christ.
When the Going Gets Tough...
When we face the cold and abrasive, we continually have the opportunity—individually and collectively—to ask ourselves:
2B or not 2B?
P.S. Please consider that, absent of the evidence of conspicuous results, we may rest assured that we have not availed ourselves of the fullness of God's provisions for us. It is by our Fruit and not our doctrine that we are to be known. Here again is another opportunity, in our collective togetherness, to pray together and reason together, as a Christian culture, and discover what we are missing.
[1] It has been my experience that many counselees have, at best, a superficial knowledge and appreciation of Ministry Gifts of the Spirit.