I was listening to an analogy about how rice is winnowed from its coating and I remembered how sometimes when I am cleaning out rice before I cook it, I find a grain or two that is still coated in its case.
During the chaff removal, the mechanical agitation is gentle so as not to destroy the grains, and as a result, some grains are missed; these have to be handpicked.
Likewise, the Lord is mindful of us in the purification process that He does in our lives. He gently nudges us as He moulds and leads us away from the chaff of sin so we can be more and more presentable to Him.
That mechanical force you see is like an agitation, an affliction, and the Lord opened my eyes to see that the things that are happening right now in the world and to us personally, are winnowing us. They are cleaning out the shell from us so that we can be ready for the Lord, for without the coating of that rice being removed, you cannot eat that grain.
This, of course, is all done so that the Lord sits as King in our lives. It does not matter whose agenda is running right now, we must remember that God is sovereign in the agendas of life. Yes, He is the Governor.
For the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord’s, and He is the ruler over the nations.
– Psalm 22:28 | AMP
The Lord showed me something quite important in line with that as well, and that was while gold is the most precious element on earth, souls are much more valuable to Him than any precious stone man can find. We value gold, yes, but if we found gold in its ore state, we probably would not recognize it.
In order for it to be appealing, it has to be fired up, melted, and refined several times for it to show its brilliance. The Lord purifies us so we can be His own special people doing the right things.
He gave himself for us. He died to free us from all evil. He died to make us pure—people who belong only to him and who always want to do good.
– Titus 2:14 ERV
Ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for a bride who is pure and spotless as it’s written in the Word:
Christ died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be holy and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other thing wrong in it.
– Ephesians 5:27 ERV
We are God’s plantings here on earth, and each one of us has a message in our hearts we can write and speak; thus he says, write the message that I give to you so that he who runs, can run with it. It doesn’t matter if it is not for me. Mine is to hear and to write, the rest is up to Him. He is the Lord of creation; He is the Lord of the agendas in our Christian walk. The word will resonate with someone and prosper.
Unlike the grain of rice, we have to be active in our own winnowing process by finding out what pleases God and doing it. If we are prone to doing things that we find are not pleasing to him then we should drop them.
The Word of God is clear on the conduct of a child of God and this reminds me of something my sister once said and that was that deception is rampant, and the bible says that it can even deceive the elect, so let us be watchful and walk as children of light always.
Remember, whatever is shaking right now is preparing us. The Lord said that in this time of shaking there is a harvest going on and people are being drawn to the Lord; people are being harvested for the Lord. Even if they are dying, they are being harvested for they are meant for the Lord because the Lord Jesus said,
This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but that I [give new life and] raise it up at the last day.
– John 6:39 AMP
But guess what, it is the Father’s job to draw each and everyone near and Jesus keeps them. Jesus is faithful. Even the Daily Bread today was reminding me of how faithful Jesus is. He does not forsake, and he does not lose.
So, let us run this race together and yield ourselves.
Here is a little prayer that we can say together:
Lord, I am willing for you to cleanse and purify me. Help me do what you want me to do. I give my soul, myself, my body, and my spirit to you. Thank you that I am precious to you more than gold. Thank you, Father.
Glory to God the Father.
Father, you are great, and you are King. You sit King over all your creation. And I bless your Holy name.