Discipline
At the beginning of August, the Lord invited me into the secret place. He beckoned me into incubation. (If you missed the post on Incubation, click here.) I never know what to expect when He invites me into something. Mostly, it ends up looking different than I pictured. So far, incubation has looked like refraining from some things, surrendering grief, rearranging my schedule and now discipline, which I least expected. If I could choose, discipline would not be my pick. I enjoy the results of it; I don’t like the process to get there.
This week began with a new set of instructions from the Lord. He asked me to do something daily and at a specific time for the rest of August. New instructions always excite me, but my initial burst of enthusiasm soon trickled to a drip given the required daily execution.
On the second day I prepared to do my task, I almost talked myself out of it. “Did I really hear from the Lord? Did He really say to do this daily at this time?” As quickly as I questioned myself, I remembered Eve being questioned by the serpent in the Garden of Eden,
“Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” – Genesis 3:1 CSB
Recalling Eve’s conversation with Satan sent a chill down my spine and quickly shut down the questions attempting to upend my decision. “Did God really say…?” I almost fell for it! Soon after this revelation, I opened Proverbs 12, and verse 1 confirmed to me that I did indeed hear correctly,
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.” Proverbs 12:1 CSB
The Faith Study Bible explains the beginning of the verse this way,
“The wise love discipline because it increases their knowledge.”1
The daily activity the Lord asked me to do required discipline, which the enemy tried to have me question. And this discipline leads to knowledge! It’s no wonder he tried to get me off track. I know I cannot do what God has put before me without His knowledge, so as uncomfortable as I may be with His discipline it’s the pathway to the knowledge I need to complete my assignment.
Is the Lord disciplining you? If so, how are you managing?
I’d love to hear from you. Please reply to this email if you would like to share.
Until next week …
Miracles + Blessings!
Brenda
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