Breaking into Beauty

Sometimes, He allows us to break, so that we may see that He's still there. When things are good, or we act as if they are good, we easily push God to the side and say, "I've got it." This independence only leaves us stressed, angry, and falling apart. We feel this way because God didn't bring you to these things to do alone, but rather, with Him. When we choose to fight alone, we choose losing independently, rather than winning cohesively with Him. Most often, it's in our breaking that we realize He's there, but we've made Him an outcast to all the other things of our lives. It's in our breaking that we find that what's been breaking us is that we pushed God to the sidelines. Not only does our breaking reveal that God has been on the outside, it also reveals what we have replaced Him with. You can only break so far until you realize the very things you keep turning to; for comfort, joy, coping, satisfaction are the very things that are breaking you. When you choose to live life without God, you're choosing defeat everyday. You're choosing to drink poison- the world, and you're left dead, defeated, and empty. I've quoted it on my posts several times and here it is again.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I cam that they may have life and have it abundantly." -John 10:10

The thief is the prince of the world, Satan. The ruler of the world only comes with these motives: steal, kill, destroy. And if he can accomplish getting us to choose the world over God and His Word, daily, he has won. We sit and watch him poison our drink, yet still take a sip, because we are too curious to stand firm. The world beckons you with temptations, the Lord calls you by your name and renewed title- Child of God. I've been reading in Ezekiel and in many of the chapters, God allows the breaking of people and you read the in and outs of these breakings, and at the end of each one He says "Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done." -Ezekiel 33:29

In Ezekiel 20, Israel was purged, but it didn't end there... they were then RENEWED.

The breaking teaches us, most often, not of ourselves, but of HIM. That He's still there. The enemy's goal is to make us miss Him. With all the distractions and temptations of the world, the enemy is catching many and leading them off course. We must be alert. The hardest part of breaking is the pain of the process, but the beauty of being renewed afterwards, puts all the pain to shame. He may allow us to break, but make no mistake, He does not leave us that way. He restores us, pieces us back together. Stronger, patching up the weak spots. With lessons learned, new growth, more sanctified. In the breaking, we must rest in the hands of the Restorer. Breaking is the most painful beauty I think we'll ever experience. But we must be cautious where we turn to in order to be restored. We can turn to God or continue to choose the world. Breaking in God's Hands is beautiful, breaking in the worlds hands is gold to the devil.

"The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God."

-Psalm 51:17