A Miracle in the Making

Text

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 KJV 1900

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

1 Peter 2:2 KJV 1900

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Keep seeking the word and growth is inevitable.

The Process of Making a Butterfly

Supplement Scriptures

Philippians 1:6 KJV 1900

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Hebrews 6:1 KJV 1900

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

The Process

Butterflies are fascinating. The process of transformation is fascinating.

I’m no expert. But the basics of a Monarch are this:

A female lays an egg on the leaf of a milkweed plant.

The egg hatches into what is called the first in star larvae. A tiny caterpillar comes out of his eggshell and quickly eats it. The caterpillar molts or sheds its exterior four more times, each time revealing a slightly larger and more defined caterpillar. Across these instances, it becomes 10 times its original size. And all the while, this caterpillar is an eating machine - eating the milkweed, eating leaves, and even consuming the skin that he has shed.

After the fifth molting, he looks for a place that he can hang from a high spot. He will shed that outer layer one more time to form a chrysalis, which will be his home for the next 5-15 days. Not only will this be his home, it will be the place that one of the greatest transformations in the animal world will take place. The small casing revealed by that final molt will be the place of metamorphosis. A place of striking, distinct life changes.

When it is first revealed, the chrysalis is soft. But it hardens to protect the butterfly being formed inside. It will take roughly 14 days to fully transform its contents into a butterfly. Inside the chrysalis, almost all of the caterpillar’s body is dissolved into a sort of soup. The caterpillar releases enzymes which rip apart cells in its muscles, digestive system, and other organs. Nearly all of the caterpillar is dissolved, with the exception of breathing tubes.

There are imaginal discs that have been in it’s body from the beginning, waiting for this moment. They now quickly begin growing every part of the butterfly.

After about 15 days, the chrysalis splits down the center and the butterfly exits. As it exits, there is a reddish fluid that is the waste leftover from the 15 day timeframe. The butterfly hangs somewhere to dry its wings, and once they are dry, it is ready to fly.

Most generations of butterflies live 2-6 weeks. It spends that time sipping nectar, which helps in the pollination of all sorts of flowers. They mate, and then the next cycle of metamorphosis starts all over again. In this final stage, they bring great beauty to the world… having gone striking, distinct life changes, they take on the assignment of their creator.

My mind is blown by this little creature. Once little design from the Master Designer. It’s stunning, shocking, and so insightful.

You Be A Butterfly

I was sitting in the floor, playing with Anna the other day. And sometimes, her little self gets wound up so tight, and her volume is high, and that mouth is just spitting things out quicker than she can possibly keep track of.

We were laughing, and saying different things to make each other laugh… when all of a sudden, she says, “Daddy - YOU BE A BUTTERFLY!”

It struck me funny. And I’ve found out… for his little girl, a daddy will be about anything. But then all of a sudden, I thought to myself, “Hold on a minute… I need to hear that.”

“What did you say, baby???”

“Daddy - YOU BE A BUTTERFLY!”

A few thoughts to take away from a butterfly:

God is a God of process

He starts each life in its smallest possible form and slowly transitions from one stage of growth to another.

“If any man be in Christ he is a new creation.” This shows that the new creation will be a baby. We are born again into the family of God and we have growth stages and maturity to go through, in preparation to become what God ultimately has designed us to be.

The stages we go through may not be perfect. I have never heard someone say: “What a beautiful caterpillar!” Someone might think they’re cute, but they aren’t what someone usually associates with beauty.

Every stage is a requirement for destiny! Every stage carries all the potential for beauty!

And so we have to have a mindset of a changing self. Always growing, always changing!

Let me ask you something today: Do you think the enemy really cares if you come to church and you never are in the altar and you never are refreshing and you’re never renewing and never having faith and you’re never witnessing and you’re not involved… do you think the devil really cares if you come and occupy a chair?

I’m talking about more than just being here. I’m talking about your walk with God and your relationship with God.

And my loud cry to you today, that I don’t want you to forget - ever - is: DON’T QUIT! NOT NOW! You’ve got to feel it! It’s got to be in you! It’s got to be your purpose! It’s got to be your desire!

There are times to leave old things behind

God slowly grows us from one stage to the next, and it’s required to leave old things behind.

The caterpillar does not grieve its old skin. It crawls out to reveal a more mature version of itself.

Philippians 3:13–14 KJV 1900

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 4:22–24 KJV 1900

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

There will be times to leave the past in the past, forgetting those things behind.

It’s time to forget. For the sake of the kingdom.

We don’t start off as what we will be, but all the raw materials for future and calling are there

The imaginal discs for “Father of the Faithful” were in Abraham when he left Ur of the Chaldees, but what a journey of wait and false starts to finally have the name Father.

The imaginal discs for ruler where in Joseph when he dreamed dreams as a teenager, but the process to see those dreams fulfilled included betrayal, false accusations, and a prison sentence.

The imaginal discs of king lay dormant in a ruddy shepherd when he strummed melodies on his harp, slung stones, and led sheep. But the steps to the throne were much more than oil poured. The destiny locked inside David was released in caves and wilderness during a years-long manhunt. The man after God’s own heart emerged after setbacks and failures.

The imaginal discs for mother of the Messiah were housed in the body of a young girl before an angel spoke, “Hail, thou that art highly favored.” Mary’s purpose likely unfolded in ridicule, accusations, and assumptions. The holy thing born inside of her came into the world in the least likely of scenarios. And the miracle of redemption required a sword to pierce her soul. And in the greatest of unlikely situations, the imaginal discs for redemption were there, in the infant form of a baby of bethlehem, one night, thousands of years ago. God, robed in the most fragile form of infancy, came into the world, not as He would be, but in the form every other human life begins with. God Himself didn’t find a way around the process! But He MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION! The raw potential of Redeemer lay helpless in a manger! The king of kings lay there in a lonely manger!

No one of us is now what we will be or can be. All of the imaginal discs for God’s ultimate design are currently present… but not realized!

What we will be unfolds as we say, “Thy will be done.”

What we will be unfolds as we surrender to God’s process.

Ultimately, the final result will not be revealed until heaven.

1 John 3:2 KJV 1900

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

The job of the caterpillar in all its stages is just to eat!

The monarch’s egg is placed on milkweed, and once it emerges, all the little caterpillar has to do is stay close to the milkweed. As soon as it hatches, it consumes the egg, and becomes an eating machine!

The primary job of that caterpillar is to eat and grow! Out primary job in the process of our lives is to eat.

Jeremiah 15:16 KJV 1900

16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

1 Peter 2:2 KJV 1900

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Our job is to consume the Word and stay close to the Source. We can’t force any aspect of the process, but if we do our job, we will grow, and the process will unfold!

We must eat our way to purpose and eat our way to the expected end that He alone knows!

Monarch caterpillars eat - but they ONLY eat milkweed

Milkweed leaves contain bitter substances in their latex that the caterpillar stores in its body that it uses to discourage birds and mice from eating it.

Milkweed contains an alkaloid which makes the caterpillar bitter to eat. Predators of the monarch butterfly learn to recognize their bright pattering, remembering not to eat them, for their bitter taste.

The bitter things in your life are actually protection from the enemy! The bitter things in our lives keep us dependent on Him, which ultimately provides us a defense!

Revelation 10:8–11 KJV 1900

And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Don’t despise the bitter you’re required to consume - it’s keeping you safe!

Conclusion

The Chrysalis is pressuring

It becomes tighter as time goes on.

I want to tell you today, that what you’ve been in the middle of… what season you’re in… it might just be the miracle in the making!

Romans 8:18 KJV 1900

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.