I Don't Look Like What I've Been Through

"O house of Isreal, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel." - Jeremiah 18:6

Like most of my blogs, this is inspired by a song I have been listening to recently. As I type this I am listening to I Don't Look Like (What I've Been Through) by Deon Kipping (@ThatDudeDeon) on repeat. Very few people know my life story and they can vouch for me when I say that I really don't look like what I've been through. If I did, I would look a mess. No one would want to come around me. I would be like one of the lepers before being healed by Christ or the woman with the issue of blood before she touched the hem of Christ's garment.


While listening to the song, I felt like I should write so I went looking for a scripture to relate to this song. As I was looking through my highlighted scriptures on YouVersion.com, I came across Jeremiah 18:1-6 and almost immediately these words came to mind "Pottery doesn't look like what it's been through either." 


A piece of pottery is made from clay and some other materials, and if you saw how this stuff looks like before it's sold in the stores, you would know it looks a hot mess. I don't know the details of the process of making a pot or vase, but I do know is that the clay has to go through a lot of mixing, filtering, and chopping before it can be molded, dried, glazed, and fired to look like a masterpiece.


Some people may wonder what a pot or vase has to do with what people go through. Here it is:

• A nonbeliever is the clay before it is mixed.
• Once becoming a believer, God will begin to filter the mess(water) out of your life(clay).
• The chopping process is when God starts to remove things/people from your life that are not relevant to the plans He has for your life.
• The potter molding the clay is God molding you and shaping you into the person He created you to be for His kingdom.
• The drying process is you becoming more stable in your walk with Christ, not straddling the fence but walking with God. (I'm not saying you will not fall. Romans 3:23)
• The glazing process is God's protection around you. The glaze covers the clay like God covers you from your enemy's attacks.
• The firing process is the trials and tribulations you go through. Some people like to call it "hell on earth" because that's what it feel like sometimes. Like the glaze becomes a liquid and turns into a hard glass like substance, you are broken down and become stronger.

God did not put us on this earth to be clay all of our lives. He created us to be masterpieces made in His image (Genesis 1:26). He wants to mold and shape us into those masterpieces. When you see someone going through, give them the good news that God is doing somethings GREAT in their lives despite what they're going through.

A little encouragement:

When you are going through hell and want to give up on God, say to Him, "Lord, you are the potter and I am the clay. I know that when you are finished with me I will be beautiful in your eyes and you will not have to turn you eyes away from the sin in my life. I thank you for everything I'm going through because it's all part of the process and your perfect will. You told Jeremiah to tell Israel that you wanted to mold them and I know you want to do the same for me. I surrender to you, not my will but thine be done. Have your way in my life and I will be so careful to give you all the glory, honor and praise in the midst the process. I give my life to you in Jesus name."

God doesn't want to see you miserable, He wants to prepare you for something much better. It may take years to get through each stage in the process but be encouraged and stay in the race. When Christ comes back, we will all see that our process was well worth it.

Be blessed until next time...

Sista T

New Found Freedom

"Some of us have been in captivity so long, we don't remember what it feels like to be free." - Minister Keiron Phillips

Something changed in me since the new year set in. I am no longer bound by the things of my past, both old and new. God taught me how to let things go and depend on Him. My prayer recently was that god would remove every pain, past hurt, thought, feeling, and anything else that would hinder me from receiving His love. I asked that He would pour so much love into me so that I had no choice but to give it away and make room for more.

Last week (1/22/12), Pastor Joel Wise of Ft. Lauderdale, FL came to my church and preached a sermon called, "In the Time of Trouble, Who Will Bail Me Out?" Now prior to hearing that powerful message, I had already made up in my mind that I don't care what I'm going through or how I feel, God deserves every bit of praise I can muster up. Pastor Wise's text came from Psalm 27:5-6. In the sermon, he pointed out three things about David that always got him out of trouble.

1. David's confidence: In verse 5 of Psalm 27, David showed his confidence. While everyone around him panicked, David remained calm and said, "For in the midst of trouble He SHALL hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he SHALL set me up upon a rock." Notice David didn't say that God MIGHT do those things but he was confident enough to say that God SHALL do those things.
2. David took corrective action: He corrected the inadequacies in his life. He said to God in Psalm 51:10-11, "Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." David didn't want to stay in that state of sin and as Pastor Wise said, "He was an instrument of forgiveness and compassion."
3. David never stopped praising: Psalm 27:6 is the perfect example of how David praised God even in times of trouble. David said, "And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy, I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord."

After that point, Pastor Wise asked us to stand up and fine a partner. The exact wording escapes me at the moment but he had us act as though we were removing an old robe and placing a new one on our partners. I went first and I removed one robe and placed on another, then I turned around. When I felt her pull that old robe off, I felt her remove all of the chains, the pain, the guilt, the shame, the baggage I held onto for so long and when she placed that new robe on me, even though there was no tangible robes involved, I felt God's hands and love surround me.It was so overwhelming that I almost fell over. I will never forget that feeling.

Today, Minister Keiron Phillips came in and I could do nothing but praise God for where I came from. The message came from Psalm 126 in its entirety and the title was, "Is This Really Happening?" He began by talking about captives and the captive mentality. Then he spoke the words, "Some of us have been in captivity so long, we don't remember what it feels like to be free." I proudly lifted my hand as if I were saying, "That is so true, it used to be me until God came in and set me free." Soon after that, Min. Phillips said, "Your state of captivity can cause you to think that the place you came from is better than where you are going." Again, I lifted my hand, but this time, I was saying to myself, "I am a living testimony and the devil IS a liar!" It brought me back to when I thought that being in the world was better because I had less problems. WRONG!!!

Sidebar:

That reminded me of a statement made by Bishop Rudolph McKissick Jr. in a sermon. He was saying and I'm paraphrasing. "I don't like to be around people who don't go through anything because it means they're not going anywhere." Whoo boy!!! That got me right there because it reminded me of Psalm 126:5 where it says "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." I can thank God because I am now prepared for some of my blessings because I went through certain things.

Back to the blog:

At one point in Min. Phillips sermon, I had a flashback and almost said to my neighbor, "That's along the lines of what Pastor Wise said last week!" I got excited because he said that we need to put on the garment of praise. He began to prophesy and said that God will be turning things around in 2012. When God starts turning things around we will have a new perspective on things. Then he gave an illustration, he said "When I turn to my right I see Bishop Enlow and Pastor Dariaus. When I turn to the front I see you. When I turn to my left I see the musicians. But when I turn to the back I see something different." I said thank God I'm already in my turning process because what I see now, I didn't see some months ago. I was always thinking in the natural and thinking realistically. Now, I have faith beyond faith where even if people around me said "Teresa, you need to be realistic," I can counter that by saying, "Is there anything too hard for my God??? Absolutely NOT!!! I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me and no weapon that is formed against me shall prosper." (Genesis 18:14, Philppians 4:13, Isaiah 54:17)

I encourage everyone who reads this to stop thinking realistically. Just because some things didn't work out in the past, let it go. God has a brighter future for you only if you believe and keep His commandments. You have to have some serious faith these days because the economy and society says that a lot of things people want to do is impossible. Be free in your heart, in your mind, and ask yourself, is there anything too hard for God? Stop living in captivity and bondage, just be free. I put a couple of songs at the bottom that came to mind while I was writing this. Maybe soon you can join me in this new found freedom. Like the song says, "No more shackles, no more chains, no more bondage, I am FREEEEEE yea!"

For those of you who think you can't get through a storm, praise your way through. Thank God for the storm because you have to go through something to get what you want. God will not give you the huge blessing you dreamed about without preparing you first.

You all be blessed, love you much!!!

Sista T

You Deserve All Praise - Madelyn Berry

Freedom - Eddie James

The Storm Is Over Now - Kirk Franklin