Hi friends,
Today I’d like to share a butterfly analogy that came to mind when thinking about the different phases in our Christian Spiritual Walk with the Lord. This is similar to the life stages of a Butterfly.*
1) Egg stage -
The egg on the leaf deposited by another butterfly can be likened to a person who has just accepted the Lord when Holy Spirit convicts him.
2) First Instar Caterpillar -
The next stage is when the Egg hatches and a young caterpillar now emerges. It is called the First Instar Caterpillar. It has only one job and that is to eat – very much like the baby Christian who is now thirsty for the living waters of God and hungry for the Bread of Life, he satisfies himself by voraciously feeding on the Word of God.
The next stage is when the Egg hatches and a young caterpillar now emerges. It is called the First Instar Caterpillar. It has only one job and that is to eat – very much like the baby Christian who is now thirsty for the living waters of God and hungry for the Bread of Life, he satisfies himself by voraciously feeding on the Word of God.
3) Second Instar Caterpillar-
At this stage, some changes have already started to occur to the caterpillar and he may look a little funny also. His head capsule is already separated from the rest of the body- This is when we have filled ourselves with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit begins to deal with us and reveal to us areas that we need to change. The quicker we obey what He says, the quicker we can change.
At this stage, some changes have already started to occur to the caterpillar and he may look a little funny also. His head capsule is already separated from the rest of the body- This is when we have filled ourselves with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit begins to deal with us and reveal to us areas that we need to change. The quicker we obey what He says, the quicker we can change.
4) Molting-
This stage is when the caterpillar has grown larger for its skin to contain (as a result of continuous feeding) and so now begins to grow a new skin underneath the old skin- This refers to the stage when the sanctification process begins and we now begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit. There will be an automatic visible change in our character, as we are now new creations and during this time the new skin is exposed and slowly pushes away the old skin and this is called Molting.
5) Third & Fourth Instar Caterpillars-
The caterpillar continues eating, growing and shedding its skin once again. With every passing day, there are now visible changes in its appearance. It is no longer like the baby caterpillar nor is it a fully grown butterfly-This refers to the years in our Spiritual life when we discipline ourselves to feeding on the word and obeying whatever the Holy Spirit tells us to do including change in some areas of our lives that we were not previously aware was wrong. This revelation comes when we are willing to obey God even when it hurts us.
6) Fifth Instar Caterpillar (PUPA)-
Now the caterpillar has become too big for its skin. This time when the caterpillar molts, a new skin forms the outer shell of the Chrysalis / Pupa. Though it may appear that nothing is happening, inside the pupa a lot of changes are now taking place. The body of the caterpillar is now being transformed to butterfly- Wings & antennae are formed, mouth parts are changed- This refers to the stage in our Christian life when nothing seems to be happening but we continue to stand on God’s promises and trust His faithfulness. We may wonder what has happened and feel lonely and forgotten but this is the time when God draws closest to us. We will now start seeing Him with new eyes and hearing Him with new ears. We have the promise to encourage us but He asks us to WAIT patiently till the right time.
Now the caterpillar has become too big for its skin. This time when the caterpillar molts, a new skin forms the outer shell of the Chrysalis / Pupa. Though it may appear that nothing is happening, inside the pupa a lot of changes are now taking place. The body of the caterpillar is now being transformed to butterfly- Wings & antennae are formed, mouth parts are changed- This refers to the stage in our Christian life when nothing seems to be happening but we continue to stand on God’s promises and trust His faithfulness. We may wonder what has happened and feel lonely and forgotten but this is the time when God draws closest to us. We will now start seeing Him with new eyes and hearing Him with new ears. We have the promise to encourage us but He asks us to WAIT patiently till the right time.
7) Emerging Butterfly –
This is the stage when the outer shell Pupa breaks and the butterfly emerges. Even though it has wings, they are small & wet and so it cannot fly as yet. It must pump fluids from within and cause the wings to expand to their full size, dry and then exercise its flight muscles before it can fly- This refers to the stage when God reveals to us that we are ready and that He has fully equipped us with what we need to fly. But just like the butterfly, we need to exercise our faith and spread our wings, shake off our fears and insecurities in ourselves and trust God to help us fulfill His call on our lives.
8) Ready butterfly-
This is the flying butterfly in our gardens – so pretty to look at and it brings us so much of joy. When we are ready, we will be able to fly free like this butterfly and bring joy to the lives of others too.
This is the flying butterfly in our gardens – so pretty to look at and it brings us so much of joy. When we are ready, we will be able to fly free like this butterfly and bring joy to the lives of others too.
Friend, I want to encourage you today that no matter which stage of Metamorphosis you are in today, rest assured in this promise Phil 1:6 : “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Enjoy this beautiful song that confirms it. http://youtu.be/eNjZlHARnEk
Have a blessed week,
Take care, God bless,
Sparky Laurie
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