When Grace meets Comfort

We have been talking over the last several weeks about barriers that stand between us and what we feel that God would have us accomplish as individuals as well as a collective body and we looked in Exodus through the eyes of Moses and we now see barriers in the life of Nehemiah.

I want to continue a thought that we looked at in the previous posts , ("When Broken Becomes Beautiful: Click Here), and ( "The magnitude of a Message: Click Here) with another portion of the story in a way that you may not have seen before.

Names are very important and it is imperative that we understand that in God's Kingdom, nothing is by accident. You were given that name you were given for a reason and so have those who God allows in your life. I believe that EVERYTHING is connected and NOTHING happens by accident. (See "Hello my Name is: Click Here)

Nehemiah's name meant "Comfort of God". Why is that so important?
He was placed, by God, strategically to bring the embodiment of His comfort and presence to 1) a king that did not know Him. There are none without excuse and if a person desires to find God, they have only to look around themselves. He is very present!
2) a people who were defeated and discouraged because of their present circumstances.

Who in the Bible is called " The comforter"?

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." ~ John 14:26

This is beautiful to me because right when we seem to be without hope in a situation in our lives, as believers we can be assured that we DO have a comforter! Not everyone has  access to this comforter and for a person without Christ, your presence is far more dynamic and significant than you can ever hope to understand.

"So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter."
                                                                                                        ~ Ecclesiastes 4:1

God's given message in your life is not by accident. Where you are at this present moment and who you are around is not by accident either.

The book of Nehemiah contains an awesome picture. God's people are hurting and are in a place where everything around them seems hopelessly ruined and God's Spirit comes to show them what is possible to accomplish through only His Spirit!!!

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." ~ Philippians 4:13

Here is the word for you today:

God has given you a message to deliver to others around you and this is what your "Assignment" is in the lives of those He has placed you among. He has placed you strategically because your message and your unique way of delivery of that message is the the solution to someone elses' problem.

He has given you that message and there will be times that you face a seemingly impossible task in the accomplishing of that assignment. God has also given you everything and everyone that you will need to help you deliver that message in the exact time that you will need them to help you.

Look at this INCREDIBLE passage!!!!

"...And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah..." ~ Nehemiah 1:1-2

Hanna-who?

We see a character arrive on the scene named Hanani and he plays a role that is absolutely stunning if we will take the time to see it.

In a post called ("What a way to die: Click Here) we looked at Proverbs 3:5-6 and saw that in order to "find God" it was really just as simple as searching for Him and in that post I outlined a very simple way to identify God's voice in your life. We will use that method here in this passage.

Hanani means "God's Grace".

God's Comfort and His Grace met to bring about a restoration and a hope!

Do you see the picture?

You and I were destroyed and God's Spirit and His Grace drew salvation's plan to bring about a restoration and a blessed hope that we now have through Christ!

The message was there in the heart of Nehemiah, but it was activated through the message of Hanani. Hanani spoke into Nehemiah which in turn activated the process of recovery and restoration. It was Hanani's unique relaying of the conditions of the walls of their home and his specific descriptions of the feelings of the remaining people that sparked Nehemiah into action. God had prepared Nehemiah and his message all along and used Hanani and his message to bring ignition.


"The Man and the Wall" did not start out as a blog. It started out as a little book that I had written to explain to my, at the time, four year old son why God allows things into our life that bring hurt and pain. I was trying to find a way to explain to a child who said his prayers at night, why a God who loved him would allow cancer into the life of my mother-in-law. If God loved my son, didn't he love his grandmother? (See: Books)

That little book acitvated his four year old faith and spiritual eyes to understand the very big concept of God's purpose not His fairness dictating the circumstances of our lives.

That is the message that I have been given to speak to those I meet.

"God's purpose, not His fairness dictate the circumstances of our life"

I was praying about publishing that little book in order to help others understand that concept. It was such a simple book idea and the more that I talked with people, the more I saw adults struggle to grasp what had been explained to a four year old with this tool.

God sent a man named Gabriel into my life who stayed after me to publish that book. The name Gabriel means: Strength of God. I did not see how I could publish this first book, but God sent His strength in the form of Gabriel to help me bring this about.
The little book has since become a blog that is read now in over 79 countries, and this life's message has been going out to places that I never dreamed it could go.

Nearly seven months ago I had another tool placed in my Spirit to develop. It is going to be a 90 day devotional that is designed to bring Christians into a closer dynamic of relationship with their King. Writing the devotional has changed my relationship understanding and intimacy with God and I cannot wait for you to read it!

God sent a person named  Carla, whose name means "Farmer" into my life to help me with this. Farmer? A farmer plants with expectation of a harvest. God conduits through this individual the ability to plant into other people lives in a way that helps them to unlock their potential. God is able to bring about a tremendous growth in the feeding and nurturing others spiritually because of this "Farmer". God's Spirit is the water, the message is the seed and He has gifted this "Farmer" with the wisdom of how to effectively plant and nurture that message into a productive harvest.

Just this past weekend, God had a person contact me named Elizabeth, whose name means "Consecrated to God". She was able to be an tremendous encouragement when it was needed most and helped in bringing this devotional closer to a reality.

You step out in your message and God provides the resources and the people necessary to bring that message to those it is intended to go to.

Who has God brought into your life and in what way are you different because of them?

I encourage you to do a little homework today and mentally make a short list of the five most recent people you have met. What was there name? What did their name mean? Why did God want you to meet that person?

It is proverbs 3:5-6 being acted out in front of your very eyes!

Next week we are going to look at how to prepare and overcome for opposition. You will not want to miss that post!

Climbing with you,
~Dan

 

The Magnitude of A Message

Few people are familiar with the Biblical figure Nehemiah, and yet he was instrumental in the rebuilding and reestablishment of Jerusalem in the fifth century B.C. following the Babylonian exile.

Nehemiah was a high official in the Persian court of King Artaxerxes I at the capital city of Susa, which lay 150 miles east of the Tigris River in what is now modern Iran. Nehemiah served as the king’s cup bearer (Nehemiah 1:11), which evidently put him in a position to speak to the king and request favors from him.

 I want to continue a thought that we looked at in last week's post, ("When Broken Becomes Beautiful: Click Here), and see another portion of the story in a way that you may not have seen before.

God gives Nehemiah a message of re-birth, renewal, and restoration and he is given a mission to deliver this message to his people through rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

The wall gets built in a record time of 52 days and the story has a great end, but i noticed something this time through that I had missed before.

It's easy to read this story and forget that Nehemiah was not an architect, a builder, a leader, or even a wood shop teacher for the local high school.

"...For I was the king's cupbearer."~ Nehemiah 1:11

He had probably one of the worst jobs in the entire land. He tasted the food and drink before the king in that safeguard that the royal dinner had not been poisoned. Think about that for a moment and let that sink in.

Any given day could be his last and every meal was his potential last meal because poisoning kings was a popular way to depose of them, hence the need for a cup bearer.

The message that God was using Nehemiah to deliver through the rebuilding of the wall was a powerful message of restoration, love and re-building of a place with God. The message was bigger than the task ahead of Nehemiah and the clue to this assignment was given in his very name, (See "Hello my name is" :Click Here) and we are about to see something fantastically relate able to us in this passage.

His name meant "Comfort of God" and God was literally going to bring the walking embodiment of His comfort to a people who were in the depths of despair and discouragement.

Have you ever felt that God had something to say to the world around you?

What is the message that you were meant to speak with you life? It is the common thread of every experience that you live and it is the line of thought that you always seem to work into every conversation that you have.

I remember the day that I discovered my message and that was probably one of the most transformational days of my life up to this point. Everything came into focus and my path seemed to illuminate in front of me. (You Had it All the Time: Click Here)

So what happened when size of the mission in your life seems overwhelming?

Always go back to your message.

The message is what gives you the motivation when the circumstances and the voices in your life seem to pose opposition to your purpose and it is keeping the message in front of you that will empower you to combat the opposition.

What is your message?

You were gifted with a viewpoint and understanding that is unique and you have been given, by God, in your message the solution to another persons problem. To hold back your voice is to hold back the solutions presentation that someone else has been praying for.

Do not let the size of the mission overcome the magnitude of the message.

"...For I was the king's cupbearer."~ Nehemiah 1:11

"It is not your station that qualifies you for an assignment in the Kingdom, it is your message that qualifies you."

Your message will always make room for your presence.

"A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men."
                                                                                                                  ~ Proverbs 18:16

Freely giving away what you have been freely given, in the way that you were made to give it away will open doors ahead for you to walk through in living out your purpose.

Station has NOTHING to do with your qualification for an assignment in the kingdom, it is your message that qualifies you. God has allowed plumbers, teachers, stay at home moms and people from every walk of life to accomplish significant steps in building His Kingdom.

"...For I was the king's cupbearer."~ Nehemiah 1:11

Nehemiah's presence gave comfort to his master and when the king demanded to know what troubled Nehemiah, he was shown favor by being equipped to the fullest in carrying out his message.

What have you been given?

You have been given LIFE by the King of Kings and He has given you a message to deliver. Ask The Holy Spirit to help you see that message if He has not already shown you and then use what you have to deliver that message. God will bring people across your path and open the doors you need in order to deliver that message.

Next week, we are going to look at something amazing in regards to identifying people God brings into your path to help you with delivering God's message with your life.

Climbing with you,
~Dan


*I talk about finding your message in greater detail in (Hello my Name is: Click Here).

When Broken Becomes Beautiful

Broken.

There is something about seeing something broken and abandoned that fills our heart with a sense of hopelessness.

It is sad to us because we all know at one time, that whatever we see as now broken, was at one time in good repair. It was useful and valued by someone and that status changed somewhere along the way.

We feel this sense of hopelessness when we see broken items along the road or beside a dumpster. (See Nothing is Wasted: Click Here)

We feel this sense of hopelessness when we see people who seemed to have lost all self respect and sense of self value. (So close but lame: Click Here)

We can even feel this a bit when we pass by an old house that we grew up in or by a place that we used to spend adventure times as kids and now see the building has been torn down or changed in some drastic way.

This year, the Lord has put on my heart to blog about barriers and overcoming them with His presence. I truly believe that this is a year for many of His children to finally overcome some of the barriers that have stopped us cold in the last year(s), and this in fact is the year for us to see God do some "Impossible" things for us!

In the last two posts, (Life Between the Chapters: Click Here) and (What to do when the water parts: Click Here), we looked at starting this year with an understanding of just what God is able to do in our lives and it is very hopeful indeed!

This morning I was reading in the book of Nehemiah and I came across a very interesting passage because it speaks to those of us who feel or who have felt hopelessness because of a circumstance, dream or relationship that seems by all appearances to be broken or impossible to achieve.

A broken circumstance can be a tremendous barrier that stands between us and where God seems to be leading us in life and this morning I would like to show you how this passage speaks LIFE into what is broken and chases hopelessness away with hope!

"...will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?"
                                                                                                                   ~ Nehemiah 4:2

Nehemiah’s name means, “The comfort of God”. This is beautiful in and of itself and we are going to see just why in a few minutes.

COMFORT: 1) Relief from Distress. 2) One that comforts. 3) A state of, or thing that provides, ease and quiet enjoyment.

The City of Jerusalem had been laid to waste and taken into Babylonian captivity just as it had been prophesied, and God’s judgment did indeed fall. This was a God allowed and timed event that had taken place and if you were left amid the rubble, you would have looked around at ruin and bitter tears.

The city is in ruins, the once mighty walls are destroyed and the at one time majestic gates have been burnt with fire. The glory is removed and amid the rubble are a few remaining ragamuffin people who have been reduced to the brunt of every joke that comes from the kingdoms that surround them.

The crème of the crop had been carried off against their will long ago and this was now a time of tears. There had been two previous attempts between the exile and this point to rebuild and restore the city, but both had reached a point where the plug had been pulled. Then seemingly out of nowhere the comfort of God shows up literally in the form of Nehemiah.

Names are very important and the worst thing that you can ever do in your life is disregard the names that God surrounds you with.

Nehemiah is not a prophet or a priest contrary to popular belief. He is simply a man that has surrendered his destiny to God.
He is a cup bearer in the palace. Think about that for just a minute. He had a TERRIBLE job. Every meal the king ate, Nehemiah had to eat first to ensure the king was not poisoned. Can you see everyone in the king's court holding their breath with anticipation each time this guy took a bite? Talk about a stress full job!!!
The kings that conquered Israel unknowingly served God’s purpose and I find it interesting that this king has had the “Comfort of God” in his presence every day.

Nehemiah has been given, by God, the favor with the occupying King to such a level that he has been allowed to re-build the walls to the city of Jerusalem.
That work is completed in 52 days in spite of tremendous opposition and there is no doubt to the people and those that surrounded them that God performed this.

While Nehemiah and his crew are busy repairing his hometown walls to their former splendor, two of his enemies from rival kingdoms come forward and mock him and what he feels that God would have him to accomplish. Notice what they say!

"...will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?"
~ Nehemiah 4:2
Remember the once glorious walls of Jerusalem that David sang about? Nebucanezzar blew in and had his men burn them to the ground, and then forced the slaves not taken back to his palace grind up the rocks to gravel. These walls were never going to be sang about again.

Have you ever felt that way about something in your life, broken beyond repair and certainly NEVER a hope of things being again what they once were?

You do not need anyone to raise the question that was raised to Nehemiah because you ask yourself the question every time you slow up enough to allow yourself to reflect on the way that things are..

"...will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?"
~ Nehemiah 4:2

Plans, dreams, relationships and goals can seem to be so fragile sometimes can't they?

I read this question and before Nehemiah could even answer, my Spirit answered for him.

No Nehemiah, you can't revive stones out of rubbish or rebuild glorious city gates out of charred timber.

No you cannot re-build a life of function out of a destroyed mindset, or raise up strength from weakness. You cannot gain back a life of beauty from one that has been scarred by abuse or addiction.
You cannot repair trust after a crippling blow. You cannot bring a dream to life that lies in a heap and shattered hope is hope that you cannot repair.

No Nehemiah, you cannot revive stones out of the heaps of rubbish.

You cannot do any of these things, but God can!!!

52 days after this statement is mockingly asked, a wall stood where rubbish once laid.

The rubble was always intended to be repaired as a symbol of God's power and what faith can accomplish. People were created to be free from addiction, lust, violence, greed and weak slave like mindsets. Relationships were intended to be based upon God and thrive.

Hope and comfort were given so that hope and comfort could be shared.

"Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."
                                                                                                             ~ 2 Corinthians 1:4

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." ~ John 10:10-11

I had said earlier that I answered the question before Nehemiah could and I was wrong. Nehemiah had answered the question before it was ever asked.

"That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven" ~ Nehemiah 1:2-4

 

"And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem..." ~ Nehemiah 2:12

God put the desire in Nehemiah's heart and that was enough.

What has God placed in your heart to build from a state of non-existence?

What dream has He placed within your spirit?

It matters not what the circumstances seem to appear to be, stand IN Him and begin to ask Him for the next steps and take them. You are His child and you have His favor. Move in that today and speak LIFE into the heaps of rubbish that stand in the way of your dream!!! God gives you your dreams for a reason, He wants you to be a part of the process of bringing that dream to life WITH Him!

 

"If you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it, to work day and night for it,  to give up your time your peace and your sleep for it.

If all that you dream and scheme is about it and life seems useless and worthless without it and if you gladly sweat for and fret for and plan for and loose all your terror of  the opposition for it and if you simply go after that thing that you want with all of your capacity, strength and sagacity, faith, hope, confidence and stern pertinacity. If neither cold or poverty, famish or gout, sickness or pain of  body and brain can keep you away from the thing that you want, if dogged and grim you besiege and beget it with the help of GOD you will get it." ~ Les Brown

Don't give up at the initial prognosis that "It's over" or "It cannot be done".

This past summer, I looked back at the different mail that the blog has received and the overall thread of content and saw an overwhelming theme. Christians seem to feel as though God loves them, but just does not like them very much.

I felt that way for the majority of my christian life and I strived to be busy enough to keep Him content with my productivity. My value to God's kingdom was based on my level of service, commitment and performance. I asked God to show me what relationship with Him truly looked like and He opened the Song of Solomon to my heart and showed me what that relationship truly looks like. I felt compelled to write this out into a very unique 90 day devotional that truly ignites the believers heart into a dynamic love relationship with God.

I believe that identity will always bring purpose and the reason that so many believers wander around without an idea of their true purpose is because they don't fully grasp their identity In and TO Christ.

I finished the book this past December and began to ask His leading in getting this book published. God directed to a publisher who I believe He would have me use. The cost to publish the book seemed too large for a single income household to generate, but I believe that God can raise this amount out of nothing and that He wants this message of the believers identity to reach His children. I'm calling out to you as the readers of this blog to help build something that gives out God's strength and comfort to those who feel that their relationship with the King is broken beyond repair.

The daily devotional / Journal book is entitled, "Love Letters from a Desiring God" and what makes this book unique is that the reader of this book discovers that the main character has fallen in love with them while they read it. The writing of this book has changed me. It has changed my understanding of God and restored my confidence in my relationship with Him and I know that it will change the heart of the one who feels distant from God. This needs to get out!

I have never done this before but I do know that there are people who are looking for ways to be involved in projects like this so if that's you, here are three possible ways that you can help.

I would ask that you help by praying for two things with me.

1) Pray for those who will be reading this book when it is released that God would use this as a tool to open their eyes to His active and passionate pursuit of their heart. (You can pray for that right now!)

2) If this looks like something you would like to be a part of seeing developed, you can contact me at : themanandthewall@gmail.com. I would love to tell you a few of the ways that you can help and I love mail!

This was something on my heart that God is doing with me and the things that He is lifting out of scripture for me have been revolving around encouraging the dreams that God has given us to see accomplished in this new year. Keep dreaming and keep walking in that dream!

Climbing with you,
~Dan

What to do when the water parts

 

In last weeks post ( Life between the chapters: Click Here), we began to look at the story of Moses and it is in this story that I would like to continue our study, because I believe with all of my heart that 2015 is the year for barriers to be overcome in the life of the believer.

The barriers that stood in our way in 2014, in many cases, did not go away with the turn of a calender page, and I believe that the barriers that we are allowed to face have been allowed to strengthen the grip on the relationship that we hold IN Christ.

Moses was tasked, in Exodus chapter four, with leading the people of Israel out of bondage and spent the majority of the time that spanned ten chapters, overcoming barriers of different proportions. Life is not easy and life is not fair but life has purpose and God's purpose, not His fairness, will dictate the circumstances of our lives.

So we saw Moses in chapter three of Exodus "Hunk a hunk o burnin love"(Click here),  learn his identity to God and when you learn identity, you will always discover your purpose.Identity always brings purpose (Click here)  We saw in chapter four where God opened Moses' eyes to see that he had been equipped, long before he was aware of his purpose, with everything that he needed to accomplish his purpose.
Moses' tools and gifts included a simple stick and we saw that God allowed Moses to use that gift that seemed so insignificant in size and effectiveness to part barrier after barrier. The call in last weeks post was to examine what we have already been given in light of our purpose and to ask Father to open our eyes to see how He wants us to use that gift in light of our barriers.( You had it all the time: Click Here)

We know the story. The water parts, the people cross, Pharaoh is destroyed, and the people go on about there way.
This is how I read it, however I would like to put us in the story for just a moment because I honestly feel as though God has NEVER stopped parting monumental barriers for His children. We seem to love to read about events like this or hear stories in other peoples lives, but they are difficult to take when we struggle with our own barriers and God seems silent.

I would like to propose to you that God has NEVER stopped talking, leading, or parting barriers. I would propose in fact that God parts the barriers but many times, we stand on the banks of the sea and fail to cross because God's parting of our barrier does not look like the way we have asked that it be parted.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen." ~ Exodus 14:15-18

Let's quickly look at the spiritual pictures here for a moment. They are being led by God who has the ultimate plan. They face a barrier that seems to hold them back in their purpose and quickly approaching from behind is a slave mentality of "I can't". That mentality will chase any dream or goal that you are led in and being aware of what it actually is, a lie, is key in defeating it! It could very well be that we are so focused on asking for a barrier to part that we fail to ask the right questions.

I want to give you three simple thoughts on "what to do when the water parts". What do I ask God for when I face my barriers?

1. AWARENESS TO HEAR HIS PLAN AND FOR FAITH TO ACCEPT HIS PLAN.

God's purpose led His people to the waters edge because His purpose stretched far beyond the barrier. Our first questions we ask when we come to difficult and seemingly impossible barriers of our life are the wrong ones. A: How can I get around this barrier or B: How can I get over this barrier. God's purpose is NOT about getting around or over our circumstances, but rather getting through our circumstances WITH Him!

David said, in psalms 23, "Though i walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death..."
Why didn't he fear? Because, "Thou art with me".

The waters part for us so many times and yet we stand on the bank praying for deliverance because we have ultimately decided how that deliverance should look like.

Say you have a relationship that is estranged because a loved one walks away into a wilderness season of life. We pray that God would heal them and restore them. We picture in our mind that loved one walking back like the prodigal son and falling on their knees at our feet in repentance. We sit at that barrier and we weep and pray fervently with that pictured result as the answer we are looking for when in reality, the water parted three days prior when God put that person on our heart with the thought to call them and express love.

We stand on the bank, praying because our plan is not seen as becoming a reality, when in fact God's plan was waiting.

Instead of standing there in insistent that your plan be followed, ask Him to make you aware of His plan and for the faith it requires to accept His plan. I love this passage, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me?" Quit praying about what I have told you to do and start walking IN what I have given you!

Next, ask God for :

2. AWARENESS TO SEE HIS WAY AND FOR STRENGTH TO WALK HIS WAY.

God's purpose in our life can only be lived out IN Christ and the truth of the matter is, if you try to walk His path for your life in your own strength, you will most certainly fail. Ask God to make you aware of His path when it presents itself.

"Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word."
                                                                                                       ~ Psalms 119:48

"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, you knew my path." ~ Psalms 142:3

"But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day." ~ Proverbs 4:18

"Thus says Yahweh, who makes a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;"
                                                                                                                          ~Isaiah 43:16

It is never God's lack of a provided path through a circumstance as much as it is our lack of awareness of that provided path. His ways are higher than our ways and His ways can often come in the form of a loss, a sacrifice or even task that we mould normally pass on. Ask Him to open your eyes to recognize His path and the ask Him to give you the strength to walk that path.

"And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."                                                                                                             ~ Exodus 14:21-22

 Next, ask God for :
3. AWARENESS OF WHO YOU ARE TO HIM.

 
Paul said in Romans 5:1-5 something that is absolutely beautiful and it's understanding or lack of is what determines our response to God and His allowed barriers.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." ~ Romans 5:1-5 
 It was Paul's understanding of who he was to God that allowed him to give thanks in every situation and barrier that he came to and through. Sometimes the path through a barrier for him was jail time, shipwrecks or even beatings. I can see him telling God that he could be more effective in his purpose if people would not try to kill him, and the red sea parting for him was handed out in the form of escaping in a basket out of a window.

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" ~ Philippians 1:6
 
 Paul could rejoice and cross the sea bed in confidence in who he was to God. He was given peace with God through Christ  Jesus and the barriers for him were not looked at as anything other than God developing and growing him for his purpose.

 Your barrier and your crossing of that barrier will lead the way for more than you could ever know. When He shows you your path THROUGH your barrier, start walking!!!

Climbing with you,
~Dan