What is God Teaching Me Now?

Joseph’s journey from slavery to governor of Egypt took 13 years. Much of it was spent in Potiphar’s prison. Perhaps it was that dream he shared with his brothers that kept him going. Possibly Joseph needed all those years and trials to learn whatever he could not learn any other way, to be ready for his governorship, and to be able to forgive his brothers. Joseph was the governor of Egypt for about 80 years.

Paul began his first major missionary journey about 15 years after his conversion on the road to Damascus. His ministry included multiple beatings, imprisonment, and a martyr's death. Paul wrote most of the New Testament and is one of the most impactful teachers and authors of all time.

 The apostles followed Jesus in the flesh for over three years. It was beyond life-changing for them. After Pentecost, they preached the Gospel in the face of severe opposition, danger, and persecution. Nearly all of them died a martyr’s death. Three hundred years later, the entire Roman Empire was a Christian nation.

Through the atonement of Jesus, God has adopted us as his sons and daughters. Our heavenly Abba is crafting the perfect set of life experiences necessary for us to learn essential truths about him and to impact the lives of others. In learning these truths and walking in obedience, we change. Usually slowly.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 ESV)

God is patient and persistent with this process. We, of course, manage to derail his best efforts when we exercise our free will to sin. Pride, greed, and any number of other sinful behaviors can cause us to miss a lesson or fail a test.  God will set up another training opportunity for us, and then another, and so on. This is God’s Fatherly love for us in action.

What are these essential truths that God wants us to know? A good question, and many books have been written about them, including the Bible. I asked the Holy Spirit for a summary. This is what I got.

Believe and trust that God is who he says he is and does what he says he does. Spend your life seeking him as a top priority and learn to hear and obey the Holy Spirit in everything you do and think.

So, all we have to do is change from what we are and move toward what God wants us to be. This will involve some uncomfortable lessons while we unlearn much of what the world has taught us.

As we go along, dying to self and seeking God’s lessons in the life he has laid out for us, our faith, trust, and ability to hear and obey the Holy Spirit will improve. These changes in our minds that we allow God to help us make are the substance of his will being done and his kingdom coming. When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we are praying for more of that for everyone in the world.

One day, Jesus will return for his second visit to rule and reign in his kingdom. The very kingdom we are part of and praying for more of. Our roles in this kingdom will be commensurate with our progress on this lifelong journey to know Jesus, become like Jesus, and do the things Jesus did.[i] Our Abba Father God will be happy with us no matter what, but he has high hopes for our progress and will use our whole life to get us as far along as we will allow.

If you want to speed up this process and get farther down the road with your God lessons, my advice is to slow down and give some thought to what God is up to in whatever you are going through. Ask yourself what is the heart posture that God wants me to adopt in my current situation. Better yet, ask the Holy Spirit this same question, and what it is you are supposed to change about yourself. Pray for and expect a big helping of faith and trust in the midst of it. This works in both good times and when storms rage. It is called seeking His righteousness. God is working to improve you, and there is always room for improvement.

Know that God has a mighty big and difficult task, which is to help you change you. To change, you must want to change. Even then, change is not usually easy or fast or all that fun, until it is.

Here is a good question to keep in mind: What is God trying to teach me now that I can’t learn any other way?

[i] Revelations 22:12: Behold, I (Jesus) am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to the merit of his deeds (earthly works, faithfulness). [Is 40:10; Jer 17:10; Matt16:27; 2Cor5:10](AMP)