Habakkuk

I was preparing for tonight's Habakkuk Bible study at lunch today by listening to a Gregg Matte talk. Gregg said something that I want to record here, as it encompasses a number of things I've been over-analyzing lately:

"Do not fear being single your whole life.
Do not fear not getting a job.
Do not fear not having people like you.
Do not fear those things.
Oh, but be so afraid to not walk in the will of God.
Be so afraid, be so afraid.
Not because God's gonna get you.
But because you will begin to make decisions that will bring storms that you don't want.

For Habakkuk, the storms came in to correct the Jewish people. There are correcting storms, usually as a result of our decisions. Correcting storms move us back on track when we stray from God.

But there are also perfecting storms. A perfecting storm is what Stephen had: He's walking with God, and they throw stones at him and it kills him. But he looked up and says "Jesus, I'm giving you my spirit." Perfecting storms are confusing. You've been walking with God, but Jesus is chistling you into His image and into who God wants you to be. Those are hard, those are confusing, and those are tough.

The fear of not measuring up, let that be a perfecting storm in your life. Have the freedom to say "God, I want to know right here and now that I cannot measure up. You have to do it through me. You have to do it, I can't do it." And you will find freedom in your life that you have never found before.

Here's the deal: Habakkuk says "If the figs fail, if the olives fail, if the crops fail, if the cows die, if the sheep die, I'm going to be joyful and walk in faith. No matter what life brings, I'm gonna walk with God." "