(28:00 minutes in length)

(PROPHETIC EXHORTATION AND WORDS OF KNOWLEDGE ARE NOT INCLUDED IN WRITTEN MESSAGE BUT DO CONTINUE IN THE AUDIO MESSAGE FORMAT BEGINNING AT AUDIO PLAYER TIME MARKER 21:38 )

By Mary Lindow

The words, “The Harsh Winds of Life”  have been playing themselves over and over in my mind.

As I have pondered them and have allowed the Voice of the Holy Spirit to instruct me as to why I have been impressed with this statement, I sense the Lord addressing many deeper issues that are well anchored and maintained within our souls as believers.

HARSH WINDS

These blustery currents in the natural can be devastating to property, trees, and all living-breathing creatures. We have all seen what the devastation of hurricanes and tornadoes can do in a very short amount of time.

Often when listening to the traumatic stories of those who have lived through a nightmarish storm, the realities of what they hold near and dear have been laid bear and brought to the surface. Many weep over the loss of family photographs or tender things like Grandma’s old chipped china and are unconcerned about larger material items, but are deeply thankful for the safety of family members after a traumatic event. Others, are shaking fists at the sky and are enraged that they have been infringed upon during a difficult time, and want somebody else to pay for it!

THE HARSH WINDS OF LIFE BLOW UPON THE GODLY AND THE UNGODLY.  NO ONE IS EXEMPT.

There are some of life's storms that threaten to blow away everything we've depended on as well.

Friendships are tested, relationships are strained, and the Lord uses these harsh winds blowing against our lives to remove the crusty chaff that can form and harden around the seed of our lives.

Those who are independent in nature find a bitterness creeping into their attitudes and heart. They feel infringed upon when things are not easily controlled or maneuvered in their favor. And so, the Holy Spirit allows the winds to blow until a conviction penetrates the self centered soul, and exposes the fleshy comfort zone of, ‘My Way, My World, My Rights”!

"No man has power over the wind to contain it; 

So no one has power over the day of his death. 

And no one is discharged in time of war, 

So wickedness will not release those who practice it."

-Ecclesiastes 8:8

HOW LONG WILL THE HARSH WINDS BLOW?

As long as we practice wicked behavior in the eyes of the Lord, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot stop it! He is winnowing us, allowing us to be caught up into the refining wind of the Holy Spirit's conviction so that the chaff and waste places in our souls are removed.

And trust me my friends, anything that you may be hiding or pretending wasn’t “that bad”, that harmed someone else, well God will allow it to come to the light to be either judged or to be cleansed and yes, there may be consequences that you don’t like.

WE CAN’T HARM OTHER PEOPLE, OR ABUSE THEM, SEXUALLY PREY UPON THEM, SPIRITUALLY ABUSE AND DOMINATE OR SLANDER, and then pretend that it wasn’t “that big of a deal”! It’s a huge deal to God and he will continue to pursue us in order to cleanse us if we will allow him access.

(Yes you can say "ouch" right about now!)

CHAFF MUST BE REMOVED.  BUT WHY?

Chaff is a waste material plowed into the soil or burned.

Chaff, as a waste product from grain processing, shows us a symbolic use of the idea that refers to something seen as worthless.

Now, this is where we read, "to separate the wheat from the chaff" from

Matthew 3. It means to separate things of value from things of no value.

Another example is in Psalm 1 which says: "Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away".

WE CHRISTIANS OFTEN PRESUME THAT BECAUSE WE ARE REDEEMED THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE OF CHRIST FOR OUR LIVES, THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AN EASIER AND MORE PRIVILEGED LIFE.

This is simply not so!

We are given a shield and a holy stamina to withstand the wiles of this world, but no free passes to a life of ease.

THE LORD LOVES ALL OF MANKIND.

He longs for ALL of mankind, (that includes you and I) to come to a place of trust in His way, not “our way”. Fully stripped of self-will, self-gratification, self- justification, and self-focus.

Matthew 5:45 says~

 “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,

And sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

I KNOW! I KNOW! THIS STINGS!

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth." James 3:14

About now, I can hear a few righteous folks saying, "I would never boast about envy! "

Well! Selfish ambition is well hidden in our personal behaviors.

We offer gifts or opportunities for others to be blessed or helped as long as we are feeling in control and benevolent at the time of the offer or good intention.

But when the winds of life shift and the Lord allows the chaff of "waste materials" in our soul to be Tornadoed —bitterness and exclusive rights abound! Huffiness, abrupt harshness and passive aggression (which means getting even) will manifest and expose the soul's clinging nature, which does not want the hand of God striping away any safety veneer that we use to protect our approach to life.

A CHANGE IN THE SPIRITUAL CLIMATE HAS OCCURRED!

John 6:18 says, “A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.”

Jesus allowed the wind to be a teaching point for his disciples.

They had walked with Him, talked with Him and served alongside Him. But trusting Him when the Storms and Harsh winds blew revealed a weakness that we all must look at, and often.

We trust the Lord when things are going our way, but when the Harshness of a storm blows us off the course that we set, many times we run to our own devices or “Plan B”.

SO MANY AT THIS TIME IN THIS DIFFICULT AGE ARE SCREAMING,

“Lord! Don’t you care about me? The winds are blowing, and I am fearful for my life! If you Love me, why are you allowing this horrid event to occur?”

Even Peter in his zeal to get out of the boat and see if it was indeed Jesus calling to him to come, once he was out of the safety of his own control and the winds blew against him, he focused on the wind, and not upon Jesus, who was there the whole time. Peter cries out, "LORD I am perishing! SAVE ME!”

CONTROL IS A DEEP, DEEP NEED.

Perhaps THE deepest need people have, is for control.

When we feel out of control, we experience a powerful and uncomfortable tension between the need for control and the evidence of “inadequate control”.

Without the Presence of God in our lives, we will attempt to control everything, every event, and every person around us in order to attain the sense of order and “identity power” that we crave.

DRAWING NEAR TO GOD

It was James, the brother of Jesus, who wrote to the believers in Jerusalem, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double- minded people!" (James 4:8).

If we draw near to God, he will respond and draw near to us.

Drawing near to God is spending time with Him, worshiping Him, praying and talking to Him, inviting Him into every aspect of our lives.

EVERY.  PART.  OF.  OUR.  LIFE.

BRING YOUR HEART UNDER HIS LORDSHIP

James gives us the blueprint for drawing near or “right up close” to the Lord. 

If you've committed sin, confess it, get rid of it.

Next, ask the Lord to examine your heart, your motives, and the things that make you do what you do.

Bring your heart under His Lordship as well.

May our actions be manifestations of a clean heart and conscience.

Allow HIM to remove the Chaff, the wasted time controlling things, and TRUST Him to align your life.

Notice that when he writes about this he says,

"Purify your hearts, double-minded people."

WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY "DOUBLE-MINDED"?

Well, a person who is double-minded is drawn in two completely different directions. And so he or she will get nowhere fast because loyalty is divided.

They will vacillate between faith and unbelief.

And, a double-minded person is unstable in all his/her ways and his/her spiritual walk is inconsistent because he/she tries to serve God and his/her own interests, and gamble their life against the Harsh Winds.

We've all learned that this kind of living never works. 

YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS.

Friends again I say this under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the master that you serve whether it be hiding something that is a secret sin or offense to The Lord, or things that you are aware of that have dishonored others, they will be brought into the light one way or the other.

If you think you can hide it, if you think you can gloss it over, God will eventually bring it into the light and have you exposed for deception.

Or, you choose to get the help you need and you can humble yourself! Yes, there may be consequences you don’t like, because of your actions and choice