God brings His Children to Broad Places.

What are broad places? “Swedenborg tell us that in terms of measurement, height relates to the desire for good and breadth relates to the knowledge of the truth. Following that, something that is “broad” has a great capacity for truth, and a ‘broad place’ or ‘broad land’ is one where a large amount of truth can be learned and understood, one where a mind can expand.” Swedenborg is right on! It should be no surprise to us to understand and clearly comprehend God’s desire is to bring us and lead us to all truth. God, who created our innermost parts, knows the capacity of our mind, heart, and being. He constantly wants to reveal His truth in our lives. We cannot follow a God we don’t know. Imagine marrying someone you don’t know nor care to know just so you are married. How many marriages are like that? Sad to say too many. How many times have we heard, “I didn’t know this about this person?” We can know there is a God, but we don’t know this God we worship. Many people go to a place of worship, but they don’t know who God really is. It’s all about traditions and rituals, and they are fearful if they don’t meet these expectations that God will not bless them. God is not about traditions and rituals. He is all about truth and sin. He’s the relational God. God wants us to know Him. He wants us to understand who He is and what He’s capable of doing in our lives. He wants to expand your places, to bring you into broad places of understanding and living a blessed life. We cannot expect to live a life of blessings without obeying His laws, and they are not many: Ten Commandments to follow. Is it really that hard to follow? Even heathens don’t like to be cheated, lied to, and murdered. Let’s get real. Who here wants people to use them, hurt them, steal from them, or lie to them? Can we at least agree up to here? Mostly, who wants their spouse to cheat on them? I venture to say, at the very least, no man or woman wants their spouse to cheat on them. Too often people perceive the blessed life to be a trial free, no pain, no hurts, no temptations life. This is not true. We paint a picture of God as Santa Claus and then find our expectations are crushed when something bad happens in our lives. God promises over and over He will be with His people in their troubles and promises them to deliver them from all trouble. In the worst of trials, He is there. He uses the bad and the ugly, and He turns our mourning into joy. Yes, God blesses, and God still allows things to happen to good people. It’s called the sovereignty of the All-knowing, all-seeing God. He is the Healer and Restorer, and He upholds us with His righteous hand. We are safe in His hands no matter what. This is why God brings His children to “broad places.” Places of understanding, great places of understanding and truths are learned also in the hardest and most testing trials of our lives, expanding our minds to truths we wouldn’t have known without the trials, allowing the fire to purify and cleanse our soul. Pure gold is what he’s after. God reveals the truth to those who truly follow Him. He increases their paths, plans, and blesses them regardless of joy, sorrow, pain, no pain. Every breathing moment is a moment of greatness in the eyes of God. REFLECTION: "He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me," (Psalm 18:19 NASB). Something to ponder today: Do we know God as we should know Him? If you’re married or plan on marrying do you want a spouse you can rely on? Loves you unconditionally, wants to build a life with you? God is the same way. He desires to love you, help you, and bless you. Even vows we say, “In sickness in health until death do us part.” Imagine a God who vows more than just in sickness. He goes beyond death! For those who love Him and give themselves to Him, He will bring them into Heaven when their days are over on Earth. Ask God to show you the broad places he wants to bring you too, places of truth, vision, and greatness -places where only God shines and you diminish, places of revelations and expansions of mind, heart, and soul. Yes, Folks, this is the God I serve. He’s the God who has led me to broad places, and those places were to understand who He is, truths about His love, faithfulness, and greatness to fully understand His expansion of what He created for me to do on this earth. They were purposes I didn’t even understand myself. Until I fully gave my everything to Him -my heart, mind, soul, and life to Him. He wants to do the same for you. Don’t miss out on knowing your broad places in life. It’s not all a bowl of cherries and cream but an adventurous, exhilarating, amazing, unpredictable, passionate, filled with surprises, and at times, supernatural kind of life. I love my life, and it’s not pain or trial free. It’s a life lived with evidence in whom God is and what He’s done in the midst of the trials. I’ll say it again. I love my life because it is filled with God moments of victories and miracles. I pray you find this God I speak about for yourself. He’s waiting to bless you and bring you to “broad places.”

Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are the God who leads me into all truth and the One who leads me into the broad places. Father, give me the grace I need as I walk this narrow road, that I might please You through wholehearted obedience, seeking Your righteousness and Your Kingdom, and Your truth. Thank You for watching over me and protecting me. Be the Shepherd of my heart and the guard around my heart and mind. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Linda A. Knowles

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