He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. Psalm 15:2

This point can also be enunciated in the following way: because we do not see teaching in daily experiences, and we flee from them.

God is present everywhere and at all times, and although this statement is part of the general knowledge we have about God, in reality, the idea of God’s presence has been different; Because we have hardly seen God in the places we frequent, nor in the experiences we have confronted.

We have not been able to reconcile the concept that God is Almighty with the idea that He maintains a certain passivity before the circumstances of life, even in many people the idea prevails that certain circumstances are “accidents” that take God by surprise.

The apparent “passivity” is not because God does not interact with man, but because we do not see what we would like to see.

The reason why we do not see God in places or in lived experiences is because we usually associate God with problems and hope that He shows up to solve them. Obviously, by not seeing our problems resolved, we do not see God.

God is not a troubleshooter, as many conceive Him. God establishes teaching with the purpose that we reach integrity, so that we are perfect, not so that we have an existence full of pleasures and cravings.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 2^nd. Timothy  3:16

The Bible states that God trains and teaches those who trust in Him about how to face life.

Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. Deuteronomy 4:6

And He does it not only through his Word but also activating teaching through experiences lived.

And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. I Chronicles 12:32

Precisely because of this naivety about how to understand the purpose of the circumstances it was that Jesus reproached the scribes and Pharisees of his time,

And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? Matthew 16:3

If we review for example Psalm 19 we will see that there is divine teaching throughout the day, and even during the night,

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. ³There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. ⁴Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Psalm 19:2-4

Every daily situation, every routine experience lived, for or against, are the school of God to bring us “wisdom” and make us come to reason about what He is crying up to us.

She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, ²²How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Proverbs 1:21-22

And we do not refer to the usual general teachings, of patience, of love, of faith, when we say, -God is teaching me to have patience, to have love for my neighbor, to have faith.

It is also not a matter of looking for “reasons” that explain the phenomenon of experiences, but of finding the teaching to achieve the protocol to operate with wisdom.

It is about specific teaching, personalized teaching, according to the level of spiritual growth of each one.

I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: Proverbs 8:20

Everything that happens has the purpose of teaching us, of confronting us, of training us, so that we learn to act – and to establish – according to the protocols of the Kingdom of God on earth. Nothing happens by accident.

God teaches and trains those who trust in Him, and He does so by activating circumstances for them to establish a personalized spiritual growth school.

In the Bible, we discover that many of the revelations of the men of God came through experiences lived, some of them painful, that at the time they did not understand.

Although he had a lot of knowledge about who God is, Job knew about the meaning of integrity according to God through the experience of the disease in his skin,

Then Job answered the LORD, and said, ²I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. ³Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. ⁴Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. ⁵I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Job 42:1-5

Many people from Jerusalem and the neighboring provinces received the testimony of the Gospel because of the death and eventual resurrection of Lazarus,

Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. John 12:9

The apostle Peter understood the mystery of the inclusion of the Gentiles through experience with Cornelius,

And so, we could continue to establish example after example that illustrates the way how God uses routine experiences as a training school, even for some, ministerial type.

What is the teaching behind of turning the other cheek after the blow on the right one? What is the teaching behind of leaving the cloak to whom took away also your clothes? what teaching behind being willing to carry the load for an extra mile when they only asked us to take it for a mile?

There is teaching, there is no doubt, otherwise, Jesus would not have recommended it. These teachings teach us to allow God to be He who establishes our justice, teach us not to hold anything back for ourselves knowing that God watches over our needs, teach us to understand that our victory is in Him and not in the ways we usually make way.

Why are we not integrous? Because we have not integrated into our consciousness that daily experiences lived are lessons of growth, of maturity, of discernment, of integrity. Obviously, if we have not integrated them, we will never try to discover the teaching they wanted to establish in us, the real reason why they came.

Finally, let’s answer two questions: the first one, why do some situations affect us for a long time, that is, why do they remain between us for a long time? and the second one, why are other situations repetitive?

Some situations remain for a long time because we resist accepting a change that God wants to introduce into our lives; because we do not want to get rid of something; or simply because of arrogance and pride.

The Scriptures state that situations remain for a long time until the person understands and accepts the change that God is introducing in their life.

That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Daniel 4:25

Other situations become repetitive situations because the person refuses to submit to the sovereignty of God.

And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, ¹¹And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: ¹²Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. ¹³And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. ¹⁴But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. ¹⁵And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. ¹⁶This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Acts 10:10-16

What teaching is behind what is happening to us right now?

How long will the situation that today overwhelms us last?

Why again the same situation, why again the same experience?

How long, Lord?

Until you understand.

The experiences are neither prizes nor punishment, a medieval idea with which religion was conformed as such.

Let’s learn, we are in the prophetic school of God.

What will you teach me today, Lord?

 

Pastor Montoya

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