Don't Let Me Forget The Pain You Went Through

1 Peter 5:10-11 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Wow! What a powerful passage. I logged onto Bible.com this evening to do some reading. My intent was to continue reading in the book of Colossians, as I have been lately. However, on the very front page, the above passage was quoted as the Bible verse of the day.

Its as if they knew I was coming. Well - He knew. And He was faithful. And He clued me in on a little way He likes to work in our lives.

The entire chapter, while short, is very moving. It is very powerful. And full of many truths. It speaks of our willingness to serve. It speaks of how God favors the humble over the proud.

And as I continued reading, another powerful passage - perhaps incredibly descriptive of my life of late - popped out at me. This comes from verses 8 and 9.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

My journey on this new path, while brief, has been filled with challenges and temptations. I am learning how to resist them. I'm learning how to turn from them. But perfection is nowhere to be found in the footprints of the steps I've been taking lately. I've fallen several times. I know it. God knows it. I've given in to evil desires, temptations of the flesh. I have to remind myself that this will take work every day. Every moment of every day I need to be alert. I need to learn to be self-controlled.

God is faithful. He always has been, and always will be. And its my job to stand firm in my faith, take hold of His hand, and walk through every battle with Him at my side.

Together, He and I will make it through this. I know it to be true. Even if the people I've surrounded myself with in my former lifestyle do not. They may mock me. They may question and criticize. They may disbelieve the words that come out of my mouth.

I am made new. I am made in Christ's image. Together, He and I will discover the man I am meant to be.