Revelation....yes THE book of the bible

If you know me, you know theology isn't my gig.  Life application from scripture, yes.  Figuring out the language and what the words meant, etc... deep study is challenging for me and I really don't enjoy it.

However, I was at a point in my life when I felt God was telling me I needed more study, challenge and accountability in my life.  I needed some meat - I'm talking jerky --- serious chewing and protein in my life.  There are seasons to life and I was in a season of needing some good meat.

I didn't even check out the study of year at Bible Study Fellowship, just knew I needed to sign up.  I did this program 10+ years ago and had really gotten a lot out of it.  Guess what the study was? Revelation! I really thought about reconsidering, but knew that God had laid it on my heart to join and needed to follow through.

Fast forward 7 weeks --- I am loving it.  I really was apprehensive as I've stayed away from that book because of the symbols, talk out post-pre-mid tribulation -- I just really didn't want to have conversations on all that.  But guess what?  The first 3 books have been full of life application.  I've been blown away by what I've learned and how Jesus even ties it to the old testament over and over.

This past week, I couldn't get past these concepts and have been chewing on them all week.  Jesus spoke through the angels to 7 churches.  We have done the first 5 churches in our homework:

• Jesus identifies the church, personally.  Personally, we don't fit in a box, it's not a one size fits all.  He loves YOU for being YOU.  He created you and knows you intimately, so when he addresses you -- it's just for YOU. 
• Jesus begins each conversation with what the church is doing well in. He focuses on the positive and when doing that, he addresses what they are doing well in specifically to their locations and the people in their care.  Is this how you address others in your life?  Do we look for the positive before anything else? This too was VERY specific - which means that He knows me to my core.  He knows my gifts, my heart, my deeds.  Each one, none is forgotten. 
• Correction/Discipline -- okay, this is WHERE I'm humbled and have a feeling of awe-inspired.  The correction needed for these churches were again specific to their people, and place.  This was handled in a way -- that if you do THESE things, I can promise you ________ and the things he promised were what they desired in the beginning but had gone about it the wrong way. 

What I see is --- He wants the best for us.  He knows what we want, and He wants to give us the desires of our heart.  IF we obey Him and walk with Him and correct our wrongs, these promises apply to us to.  

It was eye opening to me that the correction was so personal.  It wasn't a one size fits all.  He desired to give them what they were longing for but they were going about it in the wrong way.  

How many times do we try to fill our own longings? Our own buckets in ways that are not God's ways.  

We need to trust God in what He desires for us.  I know He has more things in store for me than I can ever imagine - as long as I put one foot in front of the other and love those in my path.  

It's going to be good. I'm going to make it through Revelation in the next 23 more weeks and now I'm not so scared about it.  One foot in front of the other...