Beauty for Ashes (Isaiah 61:1-3)
By Apostle Joshua Selman

The bible assures us that victory is the believer’s heritage in Christ and should be our expectation at all times regardless of conditions.

Isaiah 61:1-3

Manifesting the possibility that comes with the spirit life is a product of quality training. When the believer is not trained, you will not know how to navigate yourself through the maze that are scheduled around your spiritual life - both good and bad.

Training exposes you to the knowledge required for victory while minimizing errors and waste.

Tragic and unpleasant situations are real! As well as its effects. The bible does not teach us to pretend, but to triumph over pain, situations, but it starts with recognizing the reality of those situations.

Romans 8:28

All things may not come together, but they work together for our good - Including tragic situations.

Meaning provided it came, it can be made a raw material in the hands of God.

Romans 8:18

2 Corinthians 4:8

2 Corinthians 4:17

James 1:2-4

If it is not in Christ your doom is already predictable.

In Isaiah 61:3, the bible says that among the many things that the God is able to give the saints, is beauty for Ashes

Ashes first starts with a tree, then cut down, then becomes wood, then that wood is subjected to fire and it becomes coal and then burnt further and Ashes is formed. But even at that point, there is still something God can do about it.

Pray:

Lay your hands on your head and asked the Lord to open your eyes.

Keys that represent the law of conversion

How beauty can be replaced for Ashes

Keys that brings perspective and solution to any condition of hopelessness and despair.

1. Remain conscious of the love God towards you - No matter what happens

   Romans 8:32

   2 Corinthians 13:14

   He loves me

   Never lose the consciousness of the love of Jesus.

   Refuse to be offended with God!

   Matthew 11:2-6

   Offense can make you speak in a way that even you will be surprised

2. Always hope for and expect God’s best in everything

   Romans 5:5

   There are 3 levels of hope

   1. Hope in the midst of current condition - trusting God that the current situation will change
   2. Hope in spite of the current condition - A state of hopelessness physically has happened. Job 13:15, Romans 4:18
   3. Eternal Hope - Hope beyond death, grave, and this life

   Titus 2:13

   There are no wastages serving/loving God, everything done in the name of the Lord has a reward system, it may not be in the area of your expectation but if it is the God of heaven, it will still come to you.

   I believe that God only has the best for me

3. Never lose your Joy

   Habakkuk 3:17-19

   Nehemiah 8:10

   When satan launches an attack on you, he is looking for your Joy - The more depressed you are, the more satan is happy.

   I rejoice in the God of my salvation. Joy is not the same thing as happiness - You don’t have to be smiling to show you are Joyful.

   Joy is a shield for offense

   Psalm 126:5

   Joy must move beyond being a feeling to a spiritual atmosphere. Find a reason to rejoice.

   You don’t rejoice in the situation, you’d be lying, rejoice in the God of your salvation.

4. Never stop believing and engaging the word of God - Don’t allow your situation to make you lose faith in the word.

   2 Peter 3:9

   Hebrew 6:13 - 15

   3 ways to engage the word of God profitably

   1. You study the word of God
   2. You listen to the word of God
   3. You declare the word of God

   Mark 11:24

   If you have stopped engaging the word of God, then you have partnered with satan to keep those ashes to a point where they bury you yourself.

   The word of God defines the jurisdiction of God’s power

   Luke 1:38

   If you ignore the word of God, you are ignoring the possibility/ potential for change.

   Faith is a product of God’s word.

   John 1:1&3

   Ignoring the word was nothing made

5. Pray without season!

   Philippians 1:19

   Psalms 18:6

   When you are in your darkest hours, obtain grace to pray.

   The bible says be sober, but be vigilant

   1 Peter 5:8

   1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray without ceasing

6. Stay connected to the larger body of believers

   Acts 4 : 23&31

   Hebrews 10:25

   You get strength, support, and comfort from a larger body of believers

The law of receiving beauty for ashes.

You must trust God for grace to forget about the ashes, because you cannot receive the beauty thinking about the ashes.

Most believers cannot go forward because their heads are still in yesterday. Some reminisce about yesterday so much that they don’t see what God is doing today.

The law of conversion demands that you forget the ashes.

God something else(beauty) will always be better than ashes