OCTOBER

My prayer for you on a continual basis is that you would grow in the knowledge of God. This is a wonderful season of God releasing the spirit of wisdom and revelation to His body. I believe this is a season of unprecedented revelation for the Body of Christ. I encourage you to continue taking time daily to listen, hear and meditate on the voice of God.

This month I want to share with you a brief story from my life. Over 19 years ago as a graduate student, I began working in an extremely difficult work environment. It became very apparent that my immediate superior would be unrelenting in his difficult posture towards me. One day after returning home from a particularly challenging day, I cried out to God, “God, I do not need to take this anymore.” Immediately the Holy Spirit responded to me so clearly (so clearly that it sounded audible), “You do not need to take this but if you do not stay in this job I cannot do what I want to do in your heart!” This was certainly not the words I wanted to hear from God. I wanted to quit that job and find a much more desirable work environment. I knew what God had spoken yet I went to get counsel from a staff pastor for whom I had been volunteering, hoping he would counsel me to quit. Instead, He encouraged me to stay in the position.

I decided to “receive” additional counsel. On this occasion, I went to the Senior Pastor (hoping once again for him to counsel me to leave the job). He too counseled me to stay in the job. Finally, I called my father and told him how difficult the work environment was and that I should certainly be looking for other employment. As you might guess by now, He too counseled me to finish the commitment I had made to the workplace while finishing my graduate degree.

By God’s grace, I was able to finish the commitment I had made to work while completing my graduate degree. Looking back all these years later, this challenging work environment where God placed me became a beautifully transformational season. God had actually answered my desire to grow in His character and nature by placing me in an extremely difficult environment, one in which I was being severely mistreated. The difficult situation I was placed in was an invitation to grow in the character and nature of God.

I wanted to highlight the key aspects from what I learned and continue to learn from this experience that I believe are foundational in our lives as disciples.

Godly counsel is essential for our lives as disciples (Proverbs 19:20-21).
God often allows what He could prevent in His sovereignty as an invitation to grow in His nature (I am obviously not speaking about physical or emotional abuse) i.e., Joseph, David, Daniel.

Having established these two foundational principles, I want to offer two reflective questions for your consideration this month:

Are you a believer who has and allows others/leaders to speak into your life and give you counsel on a consistent basis? Why or why not?
What difficult and challenging situation has God currently allowed in your life? Are you intentionally allowing it to be an opportunity to grow in the character and nature of God?

I want to once again thank you for your continued partnership with this ministry. Together we are making an impact and advancing the gospel of the Kingdom in the nations of the earth.   In addition to sending your testimonies, please also send us your prayer requests so we may stand with you in faith and believe with you for God's word to be manifested in your and your family's life.

Pursuing Him,
 Abner Suarez