The Purging Always Precedes the Promise!

My Dear Child,

You might feel you’ve being shaken, abandoned or rejected. You may feel dazed, confused, in unrest, lost – but you must understand, this is not a time of rejection or neglect – this is the arrival of GRADUATION Time!

It’s a good time. The fulfilment of years of work in your soul!

In recent times I have crushed you to cleanse you ready for the coming glories. Did you not think this would take place?

My dreams settled in your heart many years ago, and became the prayers and longings of your own soul. And there we began the journey to cleanse and prepare you for them to come to pass.

I have allowed you to fail, I have placed limitations on you, I have crafted and shaped you through human rejection and sometimes even ruin. I have hidden you, allowed man to overlook you, caused others to shift you from pit to prison. But it was all to ensure that when your promised times and promised lands arrived, you would be strong enough to stand in them steadfastly for the rest of your life!

Purging Before Promise

Before my people entered their Promised Land by conquering Jericho, I instructed them to be circumcised (Joshua 5-6). Before entering in, there must be a cutting off. The flesh has to go, or it will kill you even in the Promised Land.

So in recent times I have been cutting off all the clutter, the burdens, the sins, the religion, the wrong perceptions and the associations that will hinder you from fully occupying your land of promise. It’s a purging to release greater power.

I have been cutting away your tendencies for empire and ego, envy, competition and comparison. I have been drawing you to love, patience, trust and grace, through trial, rejection and waiting. And it’s felt like a long time hasn’t it?!

Dependant Disciples, Not Big-Headed Heroes!

So, rejoice that the season of preparation is ending! Allow me to wash your weary soul, as the cutting away and crushing time has been deep and you are tired, I know. Let me wash you in my presence, my grace, my love, my Fatherhood. Though the lessons have been tough, my purpose was not to cause a loss of confidence in you – just a loss of pride. While you might feel weaker, more broken, a little lost – the truth is you are actually stronger, cleaner, more humble and more ready than ever. I need dependant disciples, not big-headed heroes, for my purposes! And so I have made one of you. Thank you for sticking with me!

It’s now time to stand up straight, and start to confess my promises and your royal sonship over your life. To speak words of mercy over yourself. To utter words of triumph again, even while your heart feels slightly broken. To wash your heart in worship. To bathe your soul in kindly truth.

And as you do, watch closely – because the seasons are changing around you. The winter, when everything dies and lays fallow, is coming to an end. The purging is finishing. Spring is here. Grace for change is lifting you to new days. Old habits, and even some old relationships, are falling away. Tears are turning to joy. Confusion to clarity. Exile is turning to homecoming. Turbulent waters are turning to open seas…

Yes…the seasons are changing – it’s GRADUATION TIME! Well done, my child! I’m proud of you.

Declaration: Purging Before the Promise

I declare that God, the Refiner, is purifying me like gold and silver, burning away impurities so that I may reflect His glory (Malachi 3:3). I will not despise the discipline of the Lord, for I know that He disciplines those He loves, and His pruning is for my good (Hebrews 12:6; John 15:2).

I know that the purging process is preparing me for greater fruitfulness. What seems like loss is actually gain, as God removes the old to make room for the new (Isaiah 43:19). I am being shaped and molded into a vessel of honour, ready for every good work He has ordained for me (2 Timothy 2:21).

I declare that the Lord’s promises are sure, and His Word never fails. Though the process may be uncomfortable, I trust that His plans for me are for good and not for harm, to give me a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). I will endure with faith, knowing that the momentary trials are producing an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).