Don’t fret; God has your back. In Bethel Church Sermons podcast Providence: The Divine X Factor, Pastor Kris Vallotton shares many examples from his own life and from the Bible; showing how God uses the trials we encounter to do the things He plans for us to do. What we think is impossible; what we see the enemy doing God uses to prepare us for the things He has for us to do. The X Factor… But God… Amazing things happen when we trust and obey, believing He has our back no matter what’s happening around us!

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

How often do we realize God knew us before we were born; had plans for us before we were a gleam in our mother’s eyes? His ways are higher than ours; His knowledge beyond our understanding. He’s been from the end to the beginning and knows what’s ahead before we do. In the first chapter of Jeremiah, God declares He knew him before he formed him. Jeremiah prophesied Cyrus would free Israel years before he was born.

Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

I declare what the enemy meant for evil God will use for good. This is not the end of the story! Kevin Zadai tells the devil: “You’re pushing me right into the glory!” I also like his: “I think I’m coming down with something; I’m coming down with a healing!” On that topic, I just finished reading It’s Time to Take Back Our Country. Kevin pushed to get this out before the elections next week. He bases the first chapter on Revelation 3:15-16 which talks about lukewarmness. It’s the prayer/declare topics Jesus gave him which I will continue praying frequently. In the foreword he begins:

^{Matthew 18:18} Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”

I give this book five stars! Even if you can’t get it before the elections, I encourage you to get it and keep it high on your repeat-reading list!

It’s a challenge to live in the Spirit and not cater to the flesh. This week I realize my desire to buy many books is an addiction like any other. There are so many books on my shelf – more coming in the mail -and on my Kindle. They were all recommended or topics I want to study. I hope to read them as the Spirit leads; or hand them off to someone else as the Spirit prompts me to. The challenge in the back of my mind: I have a young friend who is reading nothing but the Bible as the Spirit prompted him. Smith Wigglesworth’s wife taught him to read when they got married, then he read nothing but the Bible. This resulted in Wigglesworth not going over ten minutes without quoting the Word!

At this point in my walk with the Lord, I desire a deeper walk; to go deeper in His love. I heard love in its truest form is discipline, which is why Father God disciplines us as His beloved children. This means I need to learn to be still and know that He is God and I am not.

Another thought from this week’s Glasgow Prophetic Center is God takes us through the fire; through the waters. Don’t despise or rush through the “through” part you’re in. He is with you and working all these things for His glory, plans and purposes. Seek Him and be patient.