Rooted & Refined: The Building of a long lasting relationship in Christ Jesus

Who am I? I know at some point you have asked yourself this question. The Bible says, we ought to examine ourselves. I believe the season so many are embarking on, will display where many will arise from the furnace and into purpose, which can only be defined as the ones who are "Rooted & Refined". They have been tested by the fire, purged of iniquities, and have arrived on the other side in the promised land in which God has called them. What does it mean to be rooted? It is firmly established over time. The testing and purging happens over time to get to the finished masterpiece. Remember Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." What does it mean to be refined? To be made pure by removing impurities. This is what is produced after the testing. You have finally arrived, now what? It's time to Fly!

What does it look like to be Rooted?

We mentioned earlier to be rooted is to be firmly established over time. It does not happen over night. This goes all the way back to the time when the seed was first deposited in you, even before you were born. Galatians 1:15 is a great reference as Paul shared how God chose him and called him to his marvelous grace and so it is the same for you. Paul was taught by Jesus Christ and with that it was through time where he received into his spirit the teachings of Christ. So, in this process comes an uprooting of what was, meaning the sinful nature we developed over time. When you accept Jesus Christ as your savior then you receive the Holy Spirit, which guides and teaches you. This is why there is a process to uproot and remove then to replace the old mindset with The Word of God. When we are rooted in The Word of God, we become immovable and unshakable in our Faith, because we have discovered who we are in Christ. It will not matter what a season may bring we will remain steadfast in the promises of God. So, how do we do that? We let go of a worldly mindset that restricts us and puts us in a box and take hold of a Godly mindset, one that says, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. You can not allow what one person believes about themselves to define who you are and your relationship you have with Christ. Your God may be limitless, while others may place limitations on God simply because they have not grown enough in their relationship with Christ. One word of advice concerning this is to "Believe Bigger". 

Enduring the Refining Process.

I can reflect on some tough situations I've found myself in. Most of them impacted my mindset greatly. I wanted to give up in more ways than one, BUT GOD, the Holy Spirit on the inside of me would not allow me to do so.  Scriptures I've read would come to mind and I would begin to feel energized and an emerging joy would peak through. My HOPE. It took me a while to realize the enemy was trying to steal my hope. My Faith and trust was being attacked. If the enemy could get me to throw in the towel then God would no longer be my hope. This is where the Word of God comes alive because it says in Psalms 62:5 "Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him." So through the testing and the refining where all the impurities are being removed this is where you wait on The Lord and continue to put your Hope in Him. The Word of God is refining your character, changing the way you walk, changing the way you talk. A surrendered soul, with hands held high saying "I surrender all". 

What are some struggles you face in the refining process?

The refining process has a lot to do with the mindset and discipline. God begins to uncover the hidden things. The things you picked up from the world, things he warns us about in the Bible. Jealousy, comparison, low self-esteem, and weaknesses overall in your faith. Let's begin with jealousy. We can go back to Cain and Abel in the Bible. Because God approved of Abel's offering and not his, it caused Cain to become jealous which led him to kill his own brother and let us talk about Joseph with the coat of many colors and his brothers who sold him into slavery. By these two stories alone we see that betrayal can come from those close to you. If you yourself struggle with being jealous, just know that what God has for you is for you and what God has for someone else is for them. He prepares and equips us differently to handle whatever he gives to us. Why as women, do we have to compare ourselves? I believe this occurs naturally and instead of turning it into competition we can take the time to learn some things from other women to see how we can make our own lives better. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus as we run the race He has called us too.  When it comes to low self-esteem, it shows where we have a crack in our identity. Believe who God says you are and stand firm on it. The Bible says, in 2 Corinthians 10:4 "We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments." Our faith grows stronger, as we begin to take notice of the things the Holy Spirit highlights to us. We see what the Word of God has to say about it and replace the lie with what the Word of God says. Overall, this is why it is an ongoing process, that never ends as God continues to refine us daily through His Word.

When you are rooted and refined by God, may your light so shine for all the world to see. One of my favorite scriptures concerning this is found in Ephesians 3:17 and it says, Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong." You will become firmly planted in the Word of God and in your Faith, because you believe. The purification process is so worth it for those who endure. God is your source and your strength, whom supplies all your needs. Take God at His Word and walk by faith.