Seasons Come, Seasons Go

Genesis 1:5

NKJV

“God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

There are seasons of darkness, and seasons of light. This guarantee we have in this life, that there will always be a cycle of night and day. Neither will endure forever, but we can't escape their inevitable coming. Joy will always come in the morning. The evening is not always twelve hours, it can be shorter or longer. Learning to patiently persevere in the night, and receive the blessing that it brings is of utmost importance. If we lose heart then, how will we see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living? The night, the darkness, the blackness, is what makes us appreciate the light. Honestly, I've been living in a lot of night these past seven months. The morning thankfully always comes, but it runs shorter than the night. I am where Peter was before he looked at the Lord after denying Him. Peter was self-pleasing, self-trusting, self-seeking, and full of sin, even though he faithfully followed Christ. This life of self is still strong in me. I've left my boats and nets, but my old self is not yet fully surrendered to Jesus. Only when Peter wept bitterly and was later baptized in the Holy Spirit did he truly become a new creation. He finally understood what it meant to deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Christ. This is where I've been stuck. The denial of Christ is more active than the denial of self. Those are the only two camps a Christian can live in; denial of self or denial of Christ. I believe the greatest barrier for me coming to the end of myself is my unbelief in Gods ability to do the impossible. I've seen Him do it so many times for others, yet there still remains unbelief that He can do it for me. I have the knowledge of it, but lack faith in it. It is easy to say it, but another to believe it. At this point, my only hope in becoming truly the new creation in Christ, is in Christ. Now it is a waiting game. I trust that God is omniscient and that He fully knows my heart, my prayer, and the desire and will to become one who's life is defined by this: absolute surrender. God didn't leave Peter to continue living the self-life when Christ left to sit at the right hand of God. He didn't say “Good luck! Hope you figure things out!” Rather, He worked through His Spirit in Peter and transformed him completely to be a man of bold faith and self-denial. God will do the same for me, because He shows no partiality and has given me the same Holy Spirit that changed Peter. My Pentecost is on its way!