The Tribulum and The Threshing

Overcoming During Times of Agony

Sometimes the battles that we face are so extreme that we would not dare share the details of our battles with others, but we who believe in Christ have the assurance that there is no temptation that will present itself without the Lord Jesus Christ making a way of escape for us, so that we can bear/endure the very temptation that is seeking to bring about our fall.  (1 Corinthians 10: 13)   

Peter teaches believers that there will be fiery trials.  There. Will. Be.  

1 Peter 4: 12

1 Peter 4: 13

Thanks be to the Lord for His Word to guide us during such horrific trials.

We will be tried, and the trials will be fiery.  The intensity of the battle will be so extreme that, within ourselves, we won’t be able to find the answer.  We won’t be able to overcome on our own.  

Satan would have a person stay in this state of mind:  There is no way to overcome.  There is no way I am making it out of this alive.  There is no way I can stop myself.  There is no way…

Be careful that you do not believe Satan’s lies.  There Is A Way.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”   John 14: 6

For the last week or so, the Lord has really sought to teach me about the threshing floor.  He brought me to the Book of Ruth when first introducing me to this concept.  While I read the Book of Ruth, I thought, “What is a threshing floor?”  No sooner did I ask that question in my mind did I move on with my reading and not give it another thought.  But within 24 hours, the Lord very unexpectedly (for I had basically forgotten my question about a threshing floor) led me to this information.  Again, I was not seeking it; He led me to it - as only He can.  

Here are the exact words He led me to:

"Sacrifices or offerings to God are made at the expense of ourselves. It is an expression of depreciation from the created in acknowledgment of the Creator. If there is no personal cost to us in making the offering, it is indeed not a "sacrifice" at all.

David referenced the significance of personal sacrifice in offerings when God commanded him to build an altar on the threshing floor. Araunah offered to give David what was needed for the sacrifice, but he responded, "And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing." (II Samuel 24:24a)

The threshing floor is where the wheat was separated from the chaff. After the stalks are threshed, the grain is tossed in the air so that the wind will blow away the chaff.

In the New Testament, our lives are the offerings sacrificed on the altar (Romans 12:1). During the act of praise, we are inviting the breath of God to blow upon us, fanning the flames that burn off the chaff while at the same time bringing life to our spirits. This offering becomes a sweet savour unto the Lord because it is inspired by His Spirit.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:11-12

I’ve pasted the portion of the article that the Lord used to teach me about the threshing floor."                 The entire article can be found here.

The truth of the matter is:

Our walk with Christ WILL involve seasons of intense agony.  

The agony will be so difficult to understand, but those who rely on the Lord through the pain, the confusion, and the pressure will be carried through the trial by Jesus Christ Himself.  He will provide a Godly way of escape.  A Godly Way of Escape.  

Just a few hours ago, I was listening to a preacher talking about a subject matter that did not at first seem to relate at all to the subject of this blog, but while listening to him teach, my mind drifted to a time in my life (2008-09) that was, hands down, the most difficult trial of my life so far.  The battle was one that I have shared with very few people.  It was one that I thought would destroy me and those around me.  Oh, how Satan sought to lead me into lies, deception, psychosis, and sin.  The Lord showed me during that time of anguish to endure IN HIM.  He taught me that He would deliver me safely as long as I kept my eyes on Him.  He proved faithful.  From faith to Faith, I grew.  

As I thought about this time of agony in my life, I recalled how the Lord, a few years ago, showed me that the trial above was a time of tribulation in my life.  The moment I recalled this, the British preacher I was listening to stated the following:

“How can anybody be comfortable if they are going through the big trouble?  Well, that kind of comfort Jesus did not promise us.  He [Jesus] said in the world, you’ll have big trouble, great tribulation, but cheer up.  He [Jesus] said I’m on top of it.  And that’s how we react when big troubles come, and we’re under it.  The word tribulation is a fascinating word.  It’s from the Latin word tribulum, which in turn goes back to  something that is very practical during Jesus’ day.  A tribulum was a big square piece of wood, usually made up of three layers joined together, a heavy block of wood about 5 feet square.  And on the underside were hallows, and into these hallows were four flint stones.  So if you can imagine a heavy block of wood, and on the underside projecting stones, sharp stones stuck into the wood, and this was used for threshing corn, and a donkey would pull it around and round.  And those stones would break up the corn and separate the wheat from the chaff.  That’s what a tribulum is, and that is what tribulation is.   When you feel you are under a heavy load that is tearing your life to pieces, that’s tribulation.”  

Sisters and brothers in Christ, as Paul urged disciples to continue in the faith, I echo his words.  We are called to endure times of tremendous agony.  On our own, we will be crushed and shredded under the weight of the tribulum, but by faith in Christ, we can overcome and enter the Kingdom of God!  Glory!

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).

The Table

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.   Psalm 23: 5

Those who place their trust in the Lord can rest in the promise of this verse.  A table is prepared for a believer.  This table is a feast table.  On it, the believer will be fed and will be made full.  Jesus said,  "I am the bread of life."  And Jesus said, "He that believeth on me shall never thirst."  John 6:35

We do not read in this verse that the Shepherd will prepare this table in a secluded little corner where only the sounds of a peaceful summer day can be heard.  In fact, this verse follows a verse that describes walking through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23: 4). 

The table is prepared in the very presence of the believer's enemies - mine enemies. 

1) We are not promised that there won't be any enemies.
2)  We are not promised that they will be removed in order for us to sup at the Lord's table.  Was not Judas present at the feast table?
3)  We are not promised that there won't be any injuries in the presence of the enemies.

Historically, shepherds would have used oil as a salve to pour on and to heal the wounds/injuries of the very sheep they watched over.

1)  We are promised that, especially when the enemy surrounds a believer, the Shepherd will provide.
2)  We are promised that His provision, during perhaps the most difficult leg of the journey, will be more than enough.  My cup runneth over.

Yesterday, the Lord saw fit to allow me to speak the above words to a group of individuals.  Oh, how the enemy made his appearance.  And, as a result, my flesh wanted to address the enemy, but the Lord reminded me that the enemy isn't the one I must keep my eyes on.  A servant won't accomplish that which his master commands if the servant is too easily distracted.  (Oh, how He has sought to teach me this.)

As I spoke the words detailed above, literally as I spoke them, the enemy was silenced and somber.  It was a remarkable moment to witness.  A believer will not use fleshly force against the enemy.  A believer will not use hurtful words against the enemy.  A believer will not raise a fleshly weapon when the enemy encompasses the believer.  A believer only needs to be led of the Holy Spirit during such cases.

When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.  Isaiah 59:19

After being led of the Spirit, the Lord sought to confirm His Spirit's presence almost two hours later.  Not searching for a confirmation, nor knowing the individual who spoke the words, neither did the individual know me, but these words were shared with me. 

"God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies, so that we feast upon that table.  We are empowered to overcome the adversity and struggles which we go through here in time.  God always gives us exactly what we have need of when we have need of it.  Because He's infinite.  He's divine.  He's immutable.  He's unchangeable.  He's irrevocable.  He is our Lord.  He is our Saviour.  He's our Redeemer."