"There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On! What is it For?" Jennifer Martin

      This article, posted on The Elijah List this morning, certainly spoke to me as I have been trying to keep my eyes on the Lord as one trying experience after another seems to come my way.  This morning I am attempting to recoup from excruciating back pain that happened as I reached for something last night.  I continue to wait on the Lord to heal the double vision that has plagued me since February, a hurdle I haven't yet crossed as this new one arrived.  I am also dealing with an imbedded rose thorn in my knuckle which has caused much pain and swelling. These are just the physical shakings happening.  Several other areas of my life are undergoing shakings, too.  Does this article resonate with you, also?   I am ready to be through with all this shaking, aren't you?   I very much appreciate these words of encouragement!!

"There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On! What is it For?"

Jennifer Martin, Nashville, TN

Have you felt the shaking lately? And not only in the natural, but in the spirit? It seems that many in the Body of Christ are feeling an intense pressure going on in their lives. We've been used to dealing with things happening, but not like this. It seems as though once we cross one hurdle, we get to another, then another, and another, but it doesn't stop there. Then 2 or 3 hurdles at a time show up just when we thought we were at the end of this lap. This isn't business as usual. This is something different than any season we've ever encountered before. There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on, but why?

"You see, you are a threat to the enemy, and he wants to shut you down."

I believe that the Lord has spoken to me through my own life as a parable for the Body of Christ. As I have been sharing about this, it has been bearing witness to many others too. We all are feeling the shaking. When it looks like you can't handle one more situation and your plate is full, something else manages to come along and jump onto your plate. 

Maybe you've been dealing with problems in your relationships, health, or finances. You've been praying and believing God to see breakthrough in these fiery trials, but the answer has not arrived...yet. You're waiting to see "the good" come out, especially after being worn out, as your hope and faith are challenged to the maximum!

The Bible says in Hebrews 12:26, "At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.'" The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken, so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

The Purpose of Shaking

Do you want to know why it's shaking all around you? God knows there is precious gold inside of you that is yet to be discovered. Just as gold is found in the earth, it is also buried in you. The Lord wants to cause the gold in you to rise to the surface. He knows exactly how to do it too. He shakes you! He shakes you in the midst of the overflowing waters, just like someone who shakes the gold pan in the river. If He shakes the pan hard enough, eventually, gold will be the only thing remaining. Then He takes the gold inside you and puts it through the fire to remove the impurities. He knows that if He turns the heat up high enough, the gold will rise to the occasion and be revealed apart from the dross. He knows that if He can shake you long enough, faith will rise, endurance will come, and eternal fruit will grow. 

The trials, which are not joyous, are for a much better you. They cause you to make a choice. They force you to confront what you really believe in your heart. Do you really trust in God? Do you believe God will surely come and destroy the devourer? Do you believe He will surely make the crooked paths straight? Would you even have faith without the testing? Who would you be right now without the suffering? How could you even know if you believe unless you are tested?

The Bible says in James 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

God has an ultimate goal to bring us to maturity and unfortunately, there is a price to pay: long-suffering. The Lord wants us to exercise our spiritual muscles of faith so that we may grow thereby, and become truly strong.

The Shaking of Persecution

You may believe that God is not testing you, but the enemy is persecuting you. If so, Jesus said in Luke 6:22-23, "Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in Heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets."

"We all are feeling the shaking. When it looks like you can't handle one more situation, and your plate is full, yet something else manages to come along and jump onto your plate."

"If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." (1 Peter 4:14)

You see, you are a threat to the enemy and he wants to shut you down. But nonetheless, you will have great reward and confidence that the Spirit of God surely rests on you!

A Scared Bear – You Are a Threat

I recently had a dream about a bear running towards me. I was with a group of Believers, and the people with me began to panic and run. I called to them, "WAIT!" I knew that this bear was not a threat to me and he would not dare touch me. In fact, I knew he was afraid of me. Just as the bear was within a foot of me, he stopped and stared at me. He saw something. His face changed from rage to fear, as whatever he saw IN ME caused him to turn and run for his life. He was terrified.

Don't fear what the enemy can do to you. He's afraid of what you can do to him! The enemy is scared of the gold inside of you! He wants to cause you to believe that God has left you or that you will never see the victory in your situation. He's afraid of what will happen when you find out the truth. You are GOLD refined in the fire! Nothing can stop you now. You know who you are. You know whom you fight for. And you know WHO is IN YOU!

This is not the time to allow the testing and trials to defeat you, but instead, let them strengthen and shape you. You have stood strong and proven to your God that you believe in miracles and that you believe in Him! He will surely come and His reward is with Him! Let the Word of God encourage you today: Your warfare is accomplished and your reward is here!

I hear the Lord saying this Scripture to you as a promise:

"'Comfort ye, comfort ye My people,' saith your God. 'Speak ye comfortingly to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.' The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'"(Isaiah 40:1-5)

Be comforted! Your warfare is ending and your reward is here! God wants you to rest in His promise today. Enter into His rest. The glory of the Lord SHALL BE REVEALED in your life! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)

Jennifer Martin
Contagious Love International
Email: Info@contagiousloveintl.com
Website: www.contagiousloveintl.com