Seasons of Life - God Wants Your Attention!

 

God Wants Your Attention!

But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity -Job 36:15

I'm sure you've heard some say 2014 is your year of jubilee, miracles or even double blessings! I too feel that 2014 is a special year. One of the things I've learned in my walk with Christ is, if you are a Christian with a call on your life, your breakthrough or next level appointing will come with a price. Many people entered 2014 receiving breakthroughs and blessings upon blessings. Many entered into a wilderness season scratching their heads like, "God what are you doing"? Some people as I write are entering a dry season or a season of spiritual warfare. You might even be experiencing all three. 

 

• Wilderness season is when you feel alone, lost and confused about what's going on in your life and you can't seem to move forward. 


• Dry season is when there seems to be no open doors, no breakthroughs, your prayers seem to bounce off the walls and everything is dried up. 


• Spiritual warfare is when the enemy attacks God's children or tries to take something away that was promised or spoken to you by God. It's a supernatural battle that takes place between God and principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places. Your role is to put on the Armor of God and stand firm until victory is won. 

I will be writing a series of posts sharing my personal experiences entering 2014 and what The Lord revealed to me. One evening (while in the middle of my season) during my time of prayer and reading the bible, I asked the Lord, "Why do I feel so alone"? As I continued reading - this passage of scripture lifted off of the pages for me to see:

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, It remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives. 

-John 12:24

God explained to me exactly what was taking place in my life through this scripture. Every believer with a call on their life will enter a wilderness season, dry season and a time of spiritual warfare. It's a process you have to go through in order for your life to be powerful, fruitful and effective not just for yourself but for OTHERS. Your calling or purpose in life will benefit from this spiritual death. When all is said and done you will have developed humility, great character and unbelievable faith in God which will sustain you in whatever the Lord has called you to do. 

 

God got my attention: 

One morning in December 2013, I awoke with numbness in my left arm and tingling in my feet. I experienced this a couple of years prior and I knew what to do - so I thought. I inhaled a couple of Aleve pills and went on my merry way. After a couple of days, it didn't get any better. I gobbled a few more pills and decided to relax by getting a five-minute massage from the massage chair in my home. The balls in the chair were extremely hard and raced up and down my back kneading me in certain areas. It hurt like crazy but I didn't think anything of it because I've sat in that chair many times before.

A week later I still had numbness and tingling on my left side but now it was starting to affect my right side. From top to bottom, my back was starting to hurt. I whipped out a book I had purchased several years ago but never read called "The Makers Diet." I read the book from cover to cover in about a week. I really don't know why I pulled that book out but it blessed me tremendously. The author who is a Christian shared how he spent thousands of dollars searching for a cure for his chronic Krohns disease in addition to all kinds of infirmity in his body. He was sent home to die but his faith in God and the changing of his diet (God's diet) healed him completely. I was very inspired by his story and decided to change my eating habits and follow the plans in his book. There was a healing prayer that you would say in the morning and in the evening as you followed the plan. This led to me spending time with God in prayer. Prayer means everything to me but I had slacked in this area for a while.

Things were not getting better and I refused to go to the hospital. I was going to trust God to heal me through prayer. Hands and oil were slapped on me by my husband, children, parents, brother and sister n law, I even stood in the prayer line at church! There was no healing and no relief. My whole entire body was inflicted with pain and nerve issues. The pain was so excruciating I ended up in the emergency room. The doctors said it was a pulled muscle and sent me home to inhale all kinds of drugs. After that, I was in and out of the hospital. I researched my symptoms for my lower back pain and realized I was suffering from Sciatica. I visited a spine clinic for my upper back and neck because it was affecting the nerves in my arms, face and head. I was diagnosed with cervical sprain. All of this from a stinking massage chair that I've sat in several times? This was not normal. I began to wonder if something spiritual was going on here. The pain was so great that it literally drove me to my knees.

 

I began to cry out to God for healing. I began to spend quality time in God's word again. I was in God's face day and night praying. My kids were like, "Mommy are you going to pray again?" Yup! After a while, I realized I was right where the Father wanted me to be. God wanted my attention. As I cried out to God I asked, "What am I doing wrong? What do I need to change?" Immediately the Holy Spirit told me to give up a particular thing that I enjoyed. That same night, the thing I was told to give up was confirmed in a dream. Without hesitation, I gave it up. The bible says, "I have the right to do anything but not everything is beneficial" (Corinthians 6:12). God definitely wanted a sacrifice from me and wanted to know if I'd obey his command. Had I not been obedient to what God asked of me, it could have negatively affected what I was going to experience in the coming months. All I knew was God wanted my time and attention and He got it. I was so desperate for relief I told God whatever he wanted me to do, I'll do - thus the journey began.

Are you in a wilderness season or a dry season? Are you battling spiritual warfare? Have you tried everything you know to do and nothing seems to work? Give God your undivided attention! Seek his face and cry out to him. Ask him what is going on and if there is something he wants to speak to you about. Ask him if there is something he wants you to change. God will speak to you in that still small voice, through the bible and in many other unique ways. You just need to pay attention and listen. Once you know what God wants from you, act on it immediately. Delay is disobedience. The quicker you obey God's commands the quicker you will move through the season you're in.

 

The next post will be on Obedience.

Blessings,

Tytenisha

Train Up A Child in Prayer

My Prayer Warriors

"Train up a child in the way he (or she) should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

If you're a parent, guardian or caretaker of children, you have a great responsibility. The scripture above says to train up a child in the way he should go. You can train or instruct your child to do anything, but I pray its positive and beneficial for them in the long run. In addition to stressing how important a good education is, instilling respectful manners, and teaching them to be productive citizens; I believe the most important training we can give our children is a spiritual foundation in God. It won't hurt to be good examples before them either. Jesus said, "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone tied around his neck and to be thrown into the sea" Mark 9:42. Wow, Jesus is serious about his little ones. Hmmm. We probably should be too.

Children are a gift from God and we (adults) are responsible for raising them according to Gods instructions. God is not looking for perfection from us; just willing and obedient hearts to train up these precious children to know His ways. Can I encourage someone with a wayward child? If your child has veered off the path, and you've trained them in the ways of God to the best of your ability - pray for them, and love them right where they are. I'm sure the disappointment is overwhelming and the pain is great, maybe even unbearable; believe in faith that God will help them find their way back. For those who did not teach your children the ways of God for whatever reason, be the best example you can, NOW. Love your children, pray for them and trust God to put them on course. 
 
This post will be about training up a child in prayer. Most of us have taught our children the common bedtime prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep," or the popular grace, "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food." Those prayers are cute, simple and perfect for getting children accustomed to praying. Those prayers are good for a time, but I want to challenge you not to limit your children to cutesy prayers. I believe children "can be" sensitive to spiritual things because their minds have not been tainted by everyday life. The purity in children allows them to have extraordinary faith, and as their prayer life develops, they will begin to see there is power in prayer.
 
Children should know "The Lord’s Prayer." This prayer encompasses our everyday living in the earth. It's a great template for basic prayer. If possible, explain to your child what each line in this prayer means so they'll have an understanding of what they're praying. A child's prayer is powerful because they simply believe that what they are praying for will come to pass. As parents, we have to nurture that simple faith.

Many times I purposely let my children see and hear me pray, so they'll be comfortable and accustomed to a lifestyle of prayer. My children are seven, nine, and sixteen years of age. I try to set aside time for prayer and bible study in my home, and I always let THEM open and close our study with prayer. In the mornings as I drive the kids to school, we have a short prayer session. Each day, a different child, will lead the prayer session which consists of The Lord's Prayer, Praise and Worship, and Intercessory prayer which teaches the children to pray for the needs of others. I teach my children to memorize bible scriptures because it’s important to couple prayer with the word of God. I feel scriptures add more weight and authority to our prayers.

Our children need to understand there is power in their prayers, and that prayer can actually change things! Cute little prayers for children are ok, but we can’t let them stay at that level. The world we live in is becoming increasingly scary. Our children, who are the next generation, need to know how to pray with power and authority with the word of God if they are going to see change in the world and in their own lives.

Let your child freestyle in his/her prayer by allowing them to pray whatever they want, or you can give them something to pray for. Correct them when you hear the prayer is a little off, they have to learn, right? When my seven year old was first learning to pray he would say, "Thank you for worshiping us Jesus." I would chuckle to myself then correct him by saying, "We love to worship you Jesus" lol!!

I hope you accept my challenge and teach your children to pray mature prayers so they'll start to develop a powerful, effective prayer life of their own. Teaching your children to pray establishes a strong foundation in communication with their heavenly Father, so when they grow old, they will never depart from it.

Blessings,
Tytenisha

What is Wisdom?

"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding". Proverbs 4:7

"Get understanding" is a powerful word of wisdom. In order to get understanding you have to ask God for it and then seek after it. "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you" Matthew 6:33. We seek "His kingdom" by reading the bible and learning the ways of God. When we learn the ways of God, we receive understanding.

So what is Wisdom?

"Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom" Psalm 111:10

Did you know Wisdom is one of the 9 Spiritual Gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12?  Unfortunately, not everyone is chosen to be gifted with wisdom. Most people need to seek after it. The word wisdom is used over 200 times in the bible. Clearly, we need wisdom and understanding in order to make right choices and decisions in our lives. Every day we are confronted with choices that may or may not be beneficial to us. Many of us are heavily influenced by friends and family who may unintentionally lead us into trouble if they don't possess wisdom. Sometimes our own personal desires will dictate the choices that we make.

When you study the bible, the choices you make will be a result of God's influence in your life. You won't marry the first dude that comes along (who doesn't share the same faith and beliefs as you do) because you're tired of being alone. You won't frequent psychic hotlines hoping to hear something great is in store for your future. You won't ink 10 thousand silly tattoos all across your body and then regret getting them when you're 50 years old. When you know the ways of God it affects your conduct. You'll think twice about plotting revenge on people, sleeping with someone's spouse, or dabbling in addictive narcotics. A wise person puts bright ideas into action which results in a positive outcome. Wisdom is truly divine! "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere" James 3:17. As you can see, wisdom has wonderful characteristics as well.

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom:

"Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong" 1 Kings 3:9 By age 20 or so, Solomon was named king of Israel. In a dream, God told Solomon to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom so that as the king he would make right decisions for the people. God was extremely pleased with Solomon's request and granted his wish. God also blessed him with unbelievable wealth and honor when he didn't even ask for those things.

King Solomon is a great example of someone asking God for wisdom and receiving it. This is a request I know God will grant every single person that asks lol! Check out this scripture, "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking" James 1:5. Most of the time we don't ask God for the right things. We want money, vehicles, wardrobes and we struggle to obtain these things because we don't make wise choices. It's not enough to just have earthly intellect. The bible says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom" 1 Corinthians 1:25. So true. God's way is the best way even when it seems foolish. 

Let's pray and ask God for Wisdom!

Heavenly Father I ask for a discerning heart so I can make wise choices in my life. Give me an understanding of your Holy Word so that your influence will affect every decision I make. Surround me with people who are full of your wisdom to strengthen and encourage me in this area. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer, in Jesus' name. Amen!!

 

 

Blessings,
Tytenisha