Little by little

A while ago I listened to a tape of a church service.  In the tape the pastor mentioned a certain verse and explained it.   It touched me, without knowing why.  I knew that the Holy Spirit wanted me to hear it, but I didn't know why.  I thought it was something for someone else. I even told Louis that this verse and explanation really spoke to me even though I didn't' know why. The verse was basically about the Israelites, where God told them that He will give them a new land but that He won't just chase the enemies away, He will remove them little by little so that the land doesn't become desolate and taken in by the wild animals.   The explanation was about new Christians especially, who wants to be perfect immediately.  Yet God said that He will remove the enemy (sin) from their lives, little by little, or else the land (their souls) will become desolate and be taken over by the animals (enemy/Satan/sin).  I knew that I didn't have that problem... I'm not trying to be the perfect Christian anymore (I did, when I just got saved).  But the message really spoke to me, even though I didn't know why.

A week later the subject went to growth of young Christians, and I mentioned this message.  I still thought:  Ah, now I know why I had to hear it and why it stuck....... but .... Go d had a different plan for me still.

Two days later a friend mentioned a scripture, asking me to have a look at it.  I looked at it in my own Bible, and right opposite that scripture on the previous page, was the scripture of the tape:  It was underlined and it had a message written next to it:   Hair -  11/7/97.   The Lord had actually told me this long ago, but I had forgotten it totally!   In fact, when I heard it on the tape, it was like I have never heard that verse before in my life!  Only when the Lord brought my attention to it, I realized that He told me long ago that my trich would NOT be removed immediately.  It will be removed little, by little!

Deuteronomy 7:22
The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.

A few days later I was reading in Exodus and guess what I got?  Confirmation!:

Exodus 23:29

But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you.  (30) Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land

Isn't God wonderful?

A few days later the situation happened where my husband touched my hair.  And I just realized, another 'little' bit of the enemy was just driven out again!  Praise God!