This word is submitted by Teresa Seputis [ts@godspeak.net]

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                         A Season Of Growth


Recently Many of God's children have been asking the Lord the same 
question, and He wants to answer it. In particular, some believers who 
are very strong in Him are wondering why they have been struggling so 
much recently.

It feels like they have lost ground...like they are moving the wrong 
direction, and they don't know how that happened or how they got in this
position. Things from the past that they thought they'd dealt with have 
come up again, and they are discovering that they had not mastered them
after all. Old wounds are resurfacing with fresh pain. Old struggles are 
rising up once again, and they are still a huge struggle. At times, it 
is they cannot feel that sense of intimacy with God that used to be such 
a regular part of their life.

They still love the Lord with all of their heart, but they don't "feel" 
as close to Him as they usually do. And it is a struggle, at times, to 
do spiritual disciplines (prayer, worship, bible study, etc) that were 
previously routine for them.

These ones have been asking "what happened?" They have been crying out 
for the Lord to restore them, for Him to bring them back to that "closer"
place that they used to reside in.

Is that you? If so, the Lord would say this to you:

"You have not fallen backwards. Rather, you are being propelled forward.
You are in a season of growth and maturity. I am bringing many of My 
strong ones into this process...into this place of maturing. It comes 
with struggles, and it comes with character formation. And it comes with 
a withholding of your ability to sense My presence, so that you might 
stand in faith. I bring you to this difficult place so that you might be 
forced to grow and mature and to be strong in Me.

Don't be discouraged by this, I am not displeased with you--in fact, I 
feel just the opposite. I am not disappointed in you, and I have not 
disqualified you. I am just bringing you through a phase of growth and 
maturity, so that you may be able to move with Me in greater measure in 
the days ahead.

The enemy of your soul would try to disqualify you and he would try to
discourage you. He wants to tell you to give up and he hopes to beat 
you down. But he is a liar and the father of lies, and the truth is not 
in him.

The truth is simple: You are in a season of growth. It is a season of 
learning how to stand firm in faith. It is a season of dealing with past 
issues, and learning to be free from the bondage they used to hold you 
in. It is a season of learning how to overcome and how to stand strong 
in Me.

I have not left you, nor have I turned my back on you. I am with you
even when it feels like I am far away. I will bring you through 
this, and out the other side.  Then you will be back in that place of 
intimacy that you desire. You will walk in a place of greater victory, 
and you will come higher up My mountain. You will be able to draw closer 
to Me than you could before.

So be encouraged, and know that I am with you. You are not moving the 
wrong direction, little one. You are simply in a season of growth.