I heard the Lord saying, “Beautification! Beautification Process! It’s a Beautification Process of the Bride!” “Fire Refining!” and then, “James 1:5”
I heard clearly. This is how it starts as He speaks to me in the mornings, waking me with a word, then more; a phrase followed by a scripture that ends up going precisely with the word He’s saying to me in that moment; it’s always a match! Listen, I couldn’t do that if I tried. It’s the most beautiful and amazing time of every day and I thank Him for it, so humbled and deeply grateful. The Holy Spirit is our teacher as the Bible tells us, and He is the best teacher! He will lead you from one thing to the next if you will just stay with Him in it.
James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” The strong word of wisdom here did not initially strike me as ‘beautification’ or ‘refining’, yet I knew in my spirit there was more to it. As I read the section and the verses in context preceding this, it became clearer.
James 1:2-5 speaks more specifically of profiting from trials, affliction, and the process of growing into perfection through the testing of our faith. Check this out, “2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
There are a couple of things I noticed right away. There are choices we make in this. First, we choose how to consider our trials. We are encouraged here to count them as JOY, but this is clearly a choice we must make. James tells us why we should count our troubles as joy, too. KNOWING ‘the testing of your faith produces endurance’ sets us up for success – there is PURPOSE in the trials – it’s exercise toward developing endurance; and better still, this carries us to understanding what endurance brings – perfection and completion in the work God is doing in us! In fact, the word says, at the end point where we have continued to endure through our trials, we will then lack nothing.
On top of this, we are assured that if we lack wisdom as we endure, all we have to do is ask! This is also a choice. It’s that simple. The condition is that you are lacking. The requirement for receiving is that you ask. And the promise is that you will be given wisdom – liberally and without reproach – in other words LOTS of wisdom with no rebuke for asking! This is GOOD news!
Now, the Lord led me further to Romans 5, reminding me of the four things we receive from suffering. Patience produces perseverance, which produces character, which gives us HOPE that ‘does not disappoint’ – this justification by faith bringing us to peace with God. See this, in Romans 5: 1-5, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.“
Here again, we are reminded that we already know this – the HOPE that is the result of persevering through suffering into character and resulting in the HOPE of Him who does not disappoint!
Again, in Hebrews 6:19, “We have this HOPE as AN ANCHOR for the SOUL, firm and steadfast. It enters the sanctuary behind the curtain…” (access by grace to the Throne of God) and finally, back to James 1:12…”Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the CROWN of LIFE that God has promised to those who LOVE HIM.”
This is the BEAUTIFICATION PROCESS of the BRIDE! Those who love Him will go through the process and will be made beautiful through the trials, REFINED in the FIRE and given wisdom for the asking, brought through it all to PERFECTION!
Be encouraged if you are in the refining fires of trials! You are being made beautiful for Him and will receive the GLORIOUS Crown of Life!
Thank you. Beautiful. So timely. I praise Him for the Joy in our trials.
Yes, Lisa! There is a JOY to be found in everything when we are with HIM! Love.
Thank you Jill. We are all God’s diamonds in the rough: some are still sand, others are solids chunks but one day we will all sparkle in his light! Truth and Joy is what polishes us.
So good, Denise! Amen! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jill, thank you for this wonderful biblical outline of the preparation of the Bride. It truly is being clothed with righteousness through these choices we make in living with hope in Jesus. How clear it is when those scriptures are linked together! But the clothing is on the inside, not the outside. I have this mental picture of a beautiful bride prepared for her husband, but Jesus is looking at our choices, motives, and attitudes to achieve beautification. Grace and mercy needed, thank you Lord!!
Lucy, Thanks for your comments and insight! It is so beautiful that our clothing is on the inside. Everything He does is so much better than we could ever imagine. Preparing the Bride is my passion! And He has supplied it all; the assignment, the passion, and the equipping with the Word as He unfolds this daily! What an awesome adventure it is to walk with our Daddy God!