Friday, October 9, 2009

"The Shaking"

"And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." Hebrews 12:27

Recently, the Lord began to speak to me about a "shaking". I believe that shakings are happening everywhere- on a world wide, national and personal level, within the church and without.

When He spoke this to me, He also showed me something to help me better understand this. Have you ever seen those novelty games that is a little plastic enclosure with a picture of a clown's face on the bottom, three holes cut out in the face and three little balls. (I don't know what it's called.) The goal is to get all three balls in all three holes. The only way to do that is by shaking it. If you shake it just right and long enough you will succeed.

If you are wondering why your life feels so "turbulent", if you are wondering why you can't get past one thing before you feel something else taking place, if you feel like you are always reeling from side to side, perhaps you are in a shaking.

When a shaking takes place it does a "two-fold" work. One, it shakes something "out" of place and two, it shakes something "into" place. When God allows or brings a shaking into our lives it also will accomplish a two-fold purpose. Often it is to shake out complacency, pride, fleshly desires, religious attitudes, and so on. At the same time He is also trying to shake something into place- perhaps it's the Fruit of the Spirit, maybe you are in the wrong position and He is shaking you into your God-called position, perhaps it is a shaking into Christ's likeness that He is trying to accomplish, or a host of other reasons.

All the Bible characters had a shaking in their lives. Abraham was shaken out of his father's house and shaken into a covenant with God. Joseph was shaken out from among his family and shaken into the palace in Egypt. Paul was shaken out of his self-righteous religious practice and shaken into a relationship with the same God he had been persecuting. Esther was shaken out of her home land and shaken into a position to save her people. And the list goes on.

If you feel like you are in a "shaking", if you feel like your life is like that game I described, don't lose heart, it's not a bad thing. The end result is a good thing. It may feel bad while it is shaking "out" something, but what a good thing it is when it shakes "in" the perfect will and purpose of God. And the shaking "in" can't happen without the shaking "out".

Have a great day. God is doing a shaking to gets some things "out" in order to get some things "in"- in their right place, in position, in order- and that's a good thing.

For further reading:
Hebrews 12:26
Deuteronomy 6:23
Galatians 4:19
2 Corinthians 5:17

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