Have you ever thought about what God has created you to be? If you have, then you may have also thought about how you will become that individual. Maybe you have a plan with a five-year strategy and goal sheet to accomplish each thing you need to do to succeed, checking them off as you go. But, have you taken into consideration that you are not the one creating your life to turn out as He designed? It is very likely that if you are a performance-driven person, you have figured out what you think you should be like for God’s purposes and are working hard to become that person.
I hope to show you how to overcome the ideology of perfection and the thought patterns associated with it. Those thoughts that tell you to strive to become who God created you to be. The truth is that He has asked us to yield to His hand, trust and have faith in His ability to create beauty out of ashes. You do not have to work so hard, child of God, to be what He has called you to be. If He purposed and fashioned you to be and to do something, it will be in His will and timing for you to accomplish such things. You cannot make God make you something faster than His will to do so; for if you do, you will eventually burn out and fail.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Ja 1:2-3 During the trials of life, our faith becomes productive in patience, and then we add even more to it. To our faith we must be diligent in adding virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. (2Pe 1:5-6)
These are the steps to becoming the individual God created you to be, and we cannot shortcut the process of “becoming.”
The Prophet is to Get up, Go, Watch and Hear
When Jeremiah went to the Potters house, he did so with an expectation that he would hear from God. God told him to go, and he would hear His words. The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words." 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. Jer 18:1-3
God is the Potter, and we are the clay. As such, we really have no control over what He has chosen for us. We do have a choice to partner with Him or not. His image is imprinted on all people, but only those who yield to Him will become the vessels of honor He desires them to be. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Jer 18:4
When we choose to yield and soften our hearts we can be made into the creation He desires. When we resist His will for our lives, He will continue to artistically create in us what He wants. Whenever God sees a mar in us, He starts working on that part of us over and over until we are as He imagined us to be.
As Jeremiah observed the potter, he began to hear the Father. Sometimes we must look to see because our eyes are closely connected to our ears. There is a secret place that all of us should crave, a place where God speaks as we yield to listen. God said, Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. Jer 33:3 NLT
Where has God told you to go so that you can hear? God desires to speak to all people and for them to be reconciled to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. God promises to speak if we will ask Him by drawing near to Him in prayer. Prayer is not just speaking, but it is seeing and listening to what the Spirit of God is doing.
When we are swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath we can release the things God gives us because we have our hearts aligned right with His. We must lay aside all filthiness and wickedness and receive the implanted word with humility, for it is able to save our souls. (Ja 1:19, 20)
Active listening takes practice. Our heart must be for the Father’s kingdom to manifest, and His will to be done on earth. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. - Jas 4:8 NLT
Compare the words of James to the Prophet Isaiah when he said, 9 “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.” Isa 6:9-10 Jesus quoted Isaiah’s words and added, 16 "But blessed [are] your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; - Mat 13:16
The ears, eyes, and heart are connected, and we must purify our hearts if we are to have understanding of our seeing and hearing. This type of purification does not happen naturally, it is a process of seeking God in the quiet places. There is a place of humiliation where we submit to God and resist our flesh, where we admit our weaknesses and ask for wisdom. Pride must be put in check because everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 Jn 2:16 NIV
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Eph 4:18 NIV When we are ignorant of God’s ways are hearts become harden; when we refuse to read our word and search for God, we cannot truly know Him or His will. If we don’t know Him, we cannot please Him. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Heb 11:6 NLT
Only the Potter Can Mold the Clay
True vessels of glory are those who yield to the Hand of the Potter. Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? – Rom 9:21 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. - 2Ti 2:20
Let’s Pray,
Heavenly Father I desire to be used as a vessel of honor for Your glory. I confess that I have areas in my heart that need to be purified, so as I draw near to You today, I ask that You would infuse me with Your Spirit, with Your heart’s desire for my life. As the prophet said, “Heal me, and I will be healed God,” I ask the same. Remove from me the dross of life, take the rejection that overwhelms me, heal the hurts and wounds that have bound me to the things of this world. In Jesus name, Amen