The Breaking Process (1)

"The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit."    Psalm 51:17 NLT
Brokenness is the process by which God strips us of pride and self-sufficiency so that the character of Christ can shine through. Brokenness doesn't necessarily mean experiencing some tragedy. Many people suffer tragedy without drawing closer to God. The issue in brokenness is not so much your circumstances but your response. What's God trying to teach you? Brokenness is when God strips you of self-sufficiency to the extent that you have no strength left to fix yourself. When He blocks every exit you try to take and you come to see that He alone is the answer, you make a life-changing discovery. What's that? When God is all you have, God is all you need! The truth is that God's power is reserved for those who have given up trying to do it in their own strength or accomplish it for their own ends. Note the words "the sacrifice you desire." Sacrifice means something has to die on an altar. So, if you want to experience a new level of God's grace and power in your life, you must be willing to die to self-interest, ego, and independence. For a plant to rise from the soil, the seed must be broken. For a baby chick to experience life, the shell must be broken. For a thoroughbred horse to win, its will must be broken and harnessed. After a breaking encounter with Christ on the Damascus road, Paul prayed, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). Are you in the breaking process today? Here are your options: (1) resist, (2) run, or (3) respond and say, "Yes, Lord."
This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word for You Today