Here’s another perspective on challenges that you might want to put into your filter. You control how long your challenges will last.
Snuggled away in the midst of the hills just a short distance from my house is a water tower. Right now the water company is in the midst of sandblasting the entire metal cake pan shaped building. The purpose for doing it is to chip away any or all of the old paint so that new paint sticks to the building. They don’t want the old paint to chip off taking the new paint with it.
Jesus didn’t come to add Himself or new behaviors to us; He came to replace us with Himself. In order for the Spirit to do this, He has to remove our old character. For most of us, this usually takes challenges (Heb. 12:5-11); and, it’s these challenges that expose our need for new paint and the removal of the old one. Believe when I say that sandblasting hurts. I’ve accidentally been hit by it!
Guess what though? We determine how long the challenges will last, not the Lord. The sooner we recognize the challenge, the sooner we can surrender that area of our lives to the Spirit’s hand of change. The sooner we do this, the sandblasting stops and the new paint begins to be applied.
You can fight or surrender to your challenges. But I speak from experience; it’s a whole lot better to say, “Sandblast away!” The sooner it begins, the sooner it can end.
S“E”t Free Nowww