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This post is written from a testimonial account of God directly working in my life these past few days.
I
have been praying for a while now for God to guide and direct my steps daily, because
I am striving towards “doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my
God” Micah 6:8. Unfortunately, I did not realize the extent to which He would fulfill
my prayer; on my part, I repented to my Father, for doubting His greatness and
interference in my daily life.
Over
the past few months, I have attempted to finish reading a book. I do not intend
to share the title or name of the book, mainly because I believe there are some
convictions from God that are solely individualistic, based off of our personal
struggles, and temptations we battle; what may convict my soul, may not convict someone else.
I
just finished an encouraging book called “Evidence Not Seen”, written by
Darlene Deibler Rose. My spirit was set on fire, and soared when I read each
page; I felt the strong presence of The Lord moving, and I was sad when I came
to the last page in the book.
After
finishing “Evidence Not Seen”, I thought I would go back to read the other book
I have put aside for a few months. Every time I picked the book up to read it,
I would lose interest: I now realize that was The Lord protecting me from
continuing to read. Ignoring my previous loss of interest towards the book, I
decided I would power through reading it; I thought I was experiencing
motivational issues towards finishing the book. Since the book was written by a
Christian author, I assumed it would be similar to “Evidence Not Seen”;
however, as I continued reading, I caught myself growing anxious…and slowly becoming
sucked in to the paganistic love the author so longed to hold on to. You see,
Satan does not ALWAYS blatantly lead someone into temptation. Satan may simply draw someone into something that states it is Christian, but is everything but the representation of Christ.
Last
night, I could not find my book anywhere. I specifically wanted to bring the
book home to my parent’s house so I could finish reading it. I asked my brother
to help me bring the book inside, because with my dog Teddy and my bags, I
needed extra help. I called him later that evening to ask him where he put the
book, but he could not remember where he put it. I put a load of laundry in, and
heard the load finishing up when a thought occurred to me...“Surely I wouldn’t have thrown the book
into the washer…” Sure enough, I opened the washer, to find the book watered
down, and chopped into minuscule pieces covering my clothing.
My
first reaction was emotions, mainly irritation and aggravation. After I took
authority over my emotions and had a clear view on the situation, the first
thought I had was, “What if God does not want me reading this book?” BAM. That was the Truth, and I knew it.
God
knows my innermost struggles, and I fully believe He took charge of physically
destroying that book so I would not continue fixing my eyes on something not of
Him, and something that could cause severe, emotional destruction to my soul. I
should have listened to Him pricking my heart about continuing to read the book
in the first place. But sometimes it takes Him taking measures into His own
hands, especially when we pray for Him to do so.
Some
may ponder and question that I was “overthinking”, being “paranoid” or “superstitious”.
But after time in prayer, I felt God comforting my spirit by silently letting
me know He did not want me to expose myself to that book anymore. I remembered
my prayer I have been praying these past few months: “Lord, I want You to guide
my steps, direct me, and keep me focused on You.” I wholeheartedly believe He
heard my prayer, and protected me from whatever the ending of that book would
present.
Some
may think it is “just a book”. But from experience, that sparks the flame of
the justification process where it turns into it “just being a movie”, but
eventually impacting different sectors of our lives. Justification is one word
that sure stings my bones. But Sin is like that, isn’t it? Sure, I could have
gone online, and easily purchased another book after realizing mine had been
destroyed. But why would I want to disobey what my Father has blatantly
protected me from?
When
asking God for something, such as directing our steps, make sure you are ready
to surrender to what He will do to protect you. I am thankful that I have such
a gracious, loving Father who wants nothing but the best for me.
Leave
comments if you would like prayer regarding this topic, or would like to know
more about Jesus Christ’s love for YOU.
Lord bless,
Hannah
