The Bible describes a man named Peter before the crucifixion of Christ and then describes him differently after the crucifixion. Before the cross experience, Peter was impulsive and quick to anger and, when backed into a corner, denied his Lord and Friend. This man was not yet convinced of all that Jesus had taught him.
Sessions in Pain, pg. 129
The cross experience is different than the salvation experience. The cross experience involves suffering, losses, and then an emergence into a new perception in God. The cross experience marks you and changes you for life. The cross experience molded Peter into a true believer, an apostle and eventually a martyr for Jesus Christ. All who have excepted Christ will face the Cross Experience.
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24 NKJV).
Beloved, God calls us to lay down our lives before Him. He may
allow a stripping of your life to bring you to a place where you are ready to leap. This place is not physical but spiritual. He longs for us to love Him, the Giver, over the gifts. The gifts, the things we cling to, will never satisfy; this is why we are called to lay them down at His feet.
Sessions in Pain, pg. 206
The Humility that is needed to lay our things down at His feet will not come easily. Our pride will not go down without a fight. Humility must be determined – it must happen in us on purpose, as we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ!
We lay it all down – we let it all go!
On many occasions I have felt justified in my dislike and hatred of those who have deliberately wounded me. But when I turn to God, I am reminded of the words of David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 KJV). Renew a right, steadfast or loyal spirit within me. Loyal to whom? Loyal to my God. We can become allies with evil so quickly and insidiously when we have been wounded.
Sessions in Pain, pg. 222
As we move into this new year may we seek God’s face to renew a right spirit within us. Do not let the hurts. mistakes and losses of the previous year or years detour your seeking. The Word of God says that His Spirit is generous and that He does not give us what are sins deserve, but is ever seeking to renew His right Spirit within us.
Reach out and take it!
Oh, how God looks for hearts that will submit to the testing—hearts He can purge and make after His own. The Psalmist said, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). Often the on-going pain is because purging is a process.
Sessions in Pain, pg. 166
This purging process will take the rest of your life. Some will begin the process and then concede that the sacrifice is too great and compel the Savior to look else where for a willing heart. But others will long to remain the Children of the Living God enduring the purging of ungratefulness through poverty, of complaining through pain, and of pride through humility.
Will He find your heart? Can He keep your heart? 
In combating erroneous mind states, there are two things you must do: The first is to know the Word of God for yourself. As wonderful as spiritual leaders are, they were never meant to replace your personal study of the Word of God. You cannot fight the effects of grief if you fail to take in God’s daily bread. Secondly, cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit. When you are hurting, there are places that only the Spirit of God can walk you through.
Sessions in Pain, pg. 73
“Will you eat His bread today?” is the daily question that He asks. Some will say it is too old or believe they will choke on it as they try to swallow it into their lives. Can you trust Him as a child trust eating the bread given by its father. Will you take a bite of His Daily Bread by faith?
He is faithful who promised!
Our Lord is faithful to show us the best agenda—His agenda. His remedies for our longing hearts are often very different from our own. Often an insecure person needs an example of humility and not retaliation to help them see the true way to confidence. People who walk in true humility are the most confident.
Sessions in Pain, pg. 113
Confident humility is probably one of the hardest concepts for us to grasp as beings born into a world of pride. Our insecurities keep us on a short leash, inhibiting us from serving or deferring to our fellow man. I encourage you during this Thanksgiving and Christmas season to choose to walk in Confident Humility. Serve others. Choose to be a shining example of your Savior’s humility.
He came to give. He came to serve
Job had the right attitude when he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b). Through the agony of his losses, Job still acknowledged that God was worthy of praise. His emotions may not have lined up with this acknowledgment; but as a deliberate act of his faith, he blessed the Lord.
Sessions in Pain, pg. 190
This week’s “Word of the Week” is dedicated to Dr. Myles and Mrs. Ruth Monroe and their companions on the plane that took off from Earth last Sunday and landed them in Heaven. Dr. Myles Monroe was a great influence to this author as he obeyed his Lord in teaching hard and difficult topics to the Body of Christ. Our prayers go out to their congregation at the Bahamas Faith Ministries – may they honor their memories and Praise their Lord through the Pain.
But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head (Psalm 3:3 NKJV).
See awesome video of Myles Monroe’s Family following their loss: http://vimeo.com/111685970
There will always be those who accuse the people of God, just as Satan did Job. Unfortunately for Job, his friends were counted among those who accused him. Accusers are people who have concluded within themselves that they know why you are suffering. More often than not, such persons have not experienced a true growth encounter with God. This is not because it has not been offered but because accusers often run away from their hour on the threshing floor.
Sessions in Pain, pg.123
The threshing floor is a place where wheat is crushed and beaten so that it can be useful for food. God takes us all to His threshing floor. It is a place where our commitment to Him is cultivated. Our crushing may often come at the finger of an accuser and our God may ask us to trust Him through this injustice as did His Son. We look to Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls (Hebrews 12:2-3 NKJV)”.
Embrace the Threshing Floor.
November 1st
Oh, how it grieves the heart of God to see the waste of a life that was meant to have a greater purpose. He offers us so much more than this type of existence. If you are a picker, beloved, the first step out of this life is to leave the heartache at His feet and begin a life of deliberate focus on worship, prayer and God’s Word. It will be difficult at first because you have learned to live this way but continue the effort.
Sessions in Pain pg. 120
Because of the the victory that was won for us in Jesus Christ we can laugh, play and dance in the rain. We do not have to waste our lives on the sorrow of our past. We can leave our wounds at His feet and rejoice in our future for He is there! But for the JOY, for us, that was set be for Him, He endured the cross…(see Hebrews 2:2).
Dance!
There are places of intimacy that God longs to take us to in Him, but it is only attained by having greater levels of faith. Faith after death and the finality of a situation is one of the greater levels; this is faith to believe that whatever happens in this life God remains above it. He is always the Creator and the Reviver of life on this side and in eternity.
Sessions in Pain pg. 137
I love how God presses us into the greatest intimacy with Him through the greatest places of faith. Mary and Martha came to know Christ in a deeper way through the death and resurrection of their brother. He said to them, “Didn’t I tell you that you will see God’s glory if you believe?” (John 11:40). Faith after death, of a relationship, a job, a way of life, or a loved one can bring you to the place of seeing His Glory and of seeing the Eternal. It is God’s gift to the broken heart and a precious sight to behold.
The Bible describes a man named Peter before the crucifixion of Christ and then describes him differently after the crucifixion. Before the cross experience, Peter was impulsive and quick to anger and, when backed into a corner, denied his Lord and Friend. This man was not yet convinced of all that Jesus had taught him. 
