ARE YOU WILLING TO GO THROUGH A NARROW PASSAGE?
ARE YOU WILLING TO GO THROUGH A NARROW PASSAGE?
I heard a pastor talking about narrow passages the other day. I was thinking about what a child has to go through in order to come into this world. That is a painful process for both mother and child, but totally necessary for the child to be born. A child can be taken by a Caesarean operation, but it is said that it is better for the child to be born in a natural way. I will not write more about that since I lack knowledge.
We are still in a time of Corona even if it is getting better in some countries. I got a revelation that this time is like a narrow passage and a lot of babies should be a result of it. I am primarily thinking of spiritual babies. In Sweden we call a delivery room for BB. We pronounce that in Swedish: pray, pray. In order to get children, we need a lot of prayers and we need to be willing to go through narrow passages.
The Bible talks about suffering. We should be willing to suffer for Christ and for the sake of the Gospel. We need to know the difference between the sufferings we should be willing to go through and the sufferings Jesus already has taken for us. Isaiah 53:4+5 describes what Jesus did on the Cross. He took all our sins and all our sicknesses. Colossians 2:15 says that Jesus disarmed principalities and made a public spectacle of them. We do not need to pay for our sins or punish ourselves. We are not suffering for Christ when we are sick. If God had sent us some sickness to teach us something, Jesus would not have carried them already and said that in His wounds, we are healed. The devil will get in wherever he gets a possibility, but we can stop him in the name of Jesus. Matthew 11:29+30 speaks about His yoke. He says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. The devil will put heavy yokes on us. If you carry a heavy burden, I am not so sure that comes from God.
What is a narrow passage? Do you remember the story about the young rich man? We read about him in Matthew 19. He was a person trying to follow the Law. Jesus asked him to give everything he had to the poor and then to follow Jesus. That was too much for this man since he was very rich. He had not understood that Jesus is not a bad man and blessings would have followed his doings. When we talk about a narrow passage, we might have to sacrifice something, but we will get blessed with much more. If you have been dependent on alcohol or drugs, that has been your crutches or a bad comfort. When you are breaking your dependency, you might enter a tough and painful time. You might get symptoms of abstinence. The body craves the poison, but you need to go through that narrow passage in order to get free and well.
When God calls us to a certain task, He might test us before we enter the assignment. He is not testing us with sickness, but what are we willing to sacrifice for Him? Are we willing to crucify our own ego? Are we willing to sacrifice our comfort? Some missionaries are so dependent on their comfort at home and they carry with them everything out to the mission field. Many Indians were upset about missionaries from certain countries. I want to live as an Indian when I am in India and that opened doors for me in India. I could write a book about my time in India. It would mention many difficult situations, but it would also describe God’s miracles and wonderful people.
I know some women with a certain calling from God. They wanted to get married, but they have dated men that were not willing to give up a comfortable life. These women chose God. I am thankful for the fact that there are couples that can serve God together even in difficult situations in other countries. These women have made a sacrifice.
How much resistance can we tolerate? Job was truly tested, but also we can be tested. I know of some weak areas in my life. The devil tests me in these areas until I can resist him and gain victory. When I was younger I could very easily get angry when I felt something was wrong and I mean too much. Other situations would give me fear. I was forced to seek the Lord for help and ask Him to show me the root of the problem. Corona has been like a test. How did we react during this time? Many Christians have isolated themselves because of fear. Fear does not come from God. I do believe that we should be careful, but we should not be ruled by fear.
Some Christians become like martyrs around the world. They are actually killed in some countries. Others are disconnected from their families when they change religion. The price for following Jesus is enormous. I heard that the first missionaries coming to Papa Guinea were eaten by cannibals, but they kept on coming. Today there are many Christians there. The narrow passage led to many children.
What are you willing to sacrifice for something bigger? What are you willing to go through for giving birth? Are you willing to be mocked for testifying about Jesus? Are you willing to lose your partner because you say no to sex before marriage?
SAY TO THE LORD: HERE I AM, USE ME!
Mother Else