Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina Food Photographer/Stylist on Pexels.com
And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you .Philippians 1:6, AMP
I have felt drawn to read the book of Philippians lately, over and over again, trying to get it down into my spirit. I wanted to share some key verses and what I feel the Lord has been impressing on me. The Apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter to the Philippians, yet you can sense his heart of love and concern for the Philippians more than for himself, as he writes this letter talking about how much he prayed for them and thanked God for them.
This verse really encourages me that although we have our part to play, the Lord is ultimately the one who is doing the work in us and He will be faithful to continue developing us and bringing us to a place of maturity in Christ.
Sometimes when ministering to others, I feel frustrated because we can only work within the limits of their will, what they are willing to do or not do. Sometimes people have lifelong habits that are detrimental to their health, but they’re not ready to give them up yet. So, I just focus on the positive and the small victories that they can achieve and am thankful for that. What may seem like a small victory to some of us is huge to them. Often, the more mental and emotional damage that has been done to a person, the longer it takes for them to be healed.
A friend, who had been abused and placed into foster care as a child, shared with me recently that she had hated her biological mother for a really long time before coming to Christ. She imagined killing her mom. But, after coming to Christ, an older couple in the church basically adopted her and her children as part of their family. She said “They loved me so well, that all the anger and hatred I felt towards my biological mother just melted away.” This was a huge victory that came through Christian people loving someone well.
People who have been abused often pick up bad habits as a coping mechanism to deal with anxiety, etc. What I am noticing is that as the person gets healed mentally and emotionally (little by little), often just by spending time with them, loving them, taking them to doctor appointments, etc., they make progress in other areas. As they get healed mentally and emotionally, I believe eventually, the bad habits can fall away. As they learn to turn to Christ for comfort and are healed, I believe He will deliver them from the rest. This takes a lot of patience, but thank the Lord, He is very patient with us all and He is the one who will bring to completion what He has begun. God bless you all.
In Christ ~ Kelly Rowe
A Deeper Walk 