God’s Cycles

“Do I have to go around this mountain one more time?” Have you ever asked that? Since God is committed to our transformation, you’ll go through many cycles of growth. 

You may have found yourself going around a mountain of failure—in the same ol’ pattern—over and over and over. God hasn’t condemned you to that pattern. He wants you to learn more and more and more as you go around that mountain. He wants you to have VICTORY over that sin. He wants you to recognize Satan’s bait, his traps, and learn to avoid them. And you will…if you don’t stop! It’s the cycle of transformation.

I remember when Paul Burleson taught on Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”. Paul taught that we would would know Jesus, and then know His power, then we would fellowship in his sufferings by walking through a time of suffering ourselves, then we would be conformed to Him—dying to self. Then we would know MORE of Him—and the cycle would continue. It’s the cycle of abundant LIFE. 

I saw another pattern this week. It’s the cycle Jesus established in the beatitudes.  Read Matthew 5:3-12. Jesus says the poor in spirit (those who see and admit their spiritual poverty) are blessed—and they will possess the kingdom of heaven.  You move from poor in spirit to those that mourn (over their sin), to the meek, to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness—and on and on. It’s a cycle of spiritual growth. At the end of the cycle, there are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It’s the very same reward as for the poor in spirit. I believe when we are persecuted, we again see our spiritual poverty. We can do nothing without the help of God. And the cycle starts all over. It’s the cycle of the blessing of spiritual growth.  

Don’t panic if you feel like you’re going in circles spiritually. You are! But you’re moving through the cycles of growth which never stops. But each time you begin again at a more mature starting point. God is committed to your growth. He is bringing you from glory to glory! Keep going around that mountain—it's a cycle of transformation, blessing, and growth which never ends.