Earlier this year I had met a lovely woman at the church that my husband and I started going to. We hit it off right away, she drew me in with her optimistic spirit and her beautiful smile. We would talk for hours when we met for coffee.  And often my ear would become sweaty (yeah gross, sorry) when we visited each other on the phone.

This past summer my friend had gotten a Rhema word: “You will live and not die.”  At first this did not make sense to her, however it wasn’t much longer after that she got this word that she was diagnosed with cancer.

The prayers began to flood the heavens on her behalf from different church circles, our church included. My friend held onto that word (you will live and not die) as she began her journey to find help to restore her health. And quite honestly my prayers were not focused on her battle ahead. My prayer was focused on the ‘word’ she had gotten, as if to say; you got this God.

There were days that she would be dropped in my heart and I would pause and pray a quick prayer, but not as a warrior of prayer. Please note; I don’t believe we need to beg and plead with God to hear us. However, we do need to take prayer seriously.

In the different text messages I had gotten from her I had the feeling that she was strong and things were going well, so I wasn’t too concern. I stood on the assurance that she would “live” but when I found out today that she passed earlier this week I was stunned.

The sad news totally took me off guard, I was certain that we would be drinking coffee at the local Starbucks in the new year. The feelings of grief were followed by the feeling of guilt.

Knowing that guilt is not something that I needed to carry (1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.) I tried to push the feeling aside reminding myself of Romans 8:1 (Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…) Though I couldn’t shake it.

Suddenly the Lord reminded me of when Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray (read in Matthew 26:36-40). I didn’t remember the text word for word but, this question ran through my head; ‘Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?’

I decided to look the scripture up in the different translations. As I read and reread my understanding of this began to change. Now, what I am about to say is simply my own thoughts. I am seeing this from a different perspective and I am trying to comprehend this idea. But, before I share my new understanding lets read the scripture together.

Matthew 26:36-40 (NIV)

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

To be completely honest with you, I don’t think I truly worked this scripture out on my own before. I remember some teachings on this particular story of Jesus’s life and have always thought that it meant; ‘I’ needed to keep watch and pray so that ‘I’ would not fall into temptation.  Then I suddenly saw something different threaded within these words. In my mind a different viewpoint came into focus. At first it was real hazy and almost lost, but I pushed in to see if it could become clear. This is what I came up with:

We know that Jesus gave up HIS divinity and took the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:7). We also read in the above scripture that HIS soul (mind, will, and emotions) was overwhelmed. Jesus even cried out to the Father (as a human) ‘if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.’

Could it be that Jesus was asking the disciples not to overlook (become sleepy, lazy) with the assignment to intercede (pray in agreement). Jesus spirit was willing however HE needed supernatural strength to endure the will of God.  The prayers of the disciples were to help war in the spiritual what was going to happen in the physical.

I hope you are understanding what I am trying to say. Could it be that the guilt that I felt once hearing about my friends battle was lost, was something God wanted me to feel? Guilt is not comfortable and in that discomfort, I was trying to push it away, thinking it came from the enemy.

Side note: Guilt is defined; a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense.

Suddenly in my new understanding the tears flowed again down my cheeks.

“Lord God, forgive me for not taking my job as an intercessor more seriously,” I prayed.

I am not saying that because I (and I alone) did not war in prayer for my friend as I should have, she lost the battle.  But what I am saying is; just because it is God’s will for things to ‘be’ doesn’t mean that the flesh is going to be strong enough to carry it out. I don’t care if it is fighting for life or walking in a ministry that God is calling you to. We need to be covered in prayer if we are going to walk the will of God out in our lives.

Is my friend with Papa God? Yes!

Is Father God pleased with her? Yes!

Is she in a better place? Yes!

I cannot imagine the battle my friend had to endure. Victory in the flesh would have given her more authority than she possessed before. The anointing on her to pray for those who have cancer would have been powerful. Do you think the enemy wanted that to happen? NO.

The spiritual battle that she went through affected her physically. I do not blame her, or God that her strength became weak. Bottom line; she had a choice to stay here on earth and fight, or, to be with Our Father, she chose to go home.  I know that my friend touched many lives for the Glory of God. The world is a better place because of her, and she will be truly missed.

Christ(ian)s cannot afford to believe that we aren’t world changers. Yes, world changers! Not by huge discoveries in science that changes lives (though this is true). But by shifting the direction of our world by just knowing we carry HIS power to transformation situations.

How might we do this you ask? Well, by looking to see, and hearing to understand; perspective. For instance, when you hear a siren in the distance or even see some sort of emergence vehicle what do you notice? What is your reaction? Most times (not all times) I will stop and pray for whatever is going on. It isn’t any of my concern to figure out what is going on, because God knows. I just quickly pray that the heavens become unlocked over the individuals and the situation that is happening that moment.

Seeing everything around us through this different standpoint we have opportunities to be ‘world changers’ all the time. How amazing is that?! Please think about this for just a moment. If when we pray we unlock heaven, asking God to intervene in different situation, things have got to have a different outcome.

What an incredible privilege we have! We can walk our lives out in a God ordained confidence that Christ in us and the “helper” (the Holy Spirit) enables us to shift outcomes.

I truly believe this thought is vital to our lives today. Seriously we have become too relaxed in how we look at the world around us. We have this, ‘oh well that’s just the way it is’ outlook. NO its not, it is just the way we have “allowed” the world to be around us.
Scripture says that we can trust that he hears our prayers.

1 John 5:14 ESV and this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Proverbs 15:29 says that he hears the prayers of the righteous, and we are made righteous because of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Though, please understand my heart of where I stand. We are to pray blessings not curses, love and not hate, over those things we are aware of. Remember God cannot come in agreement with something that goes against His word. Also, God knows the motives of our hearts (He knows us better than we know ourselves) so you might better check what your motives are.

The enemy would nothing less than for us to see this as concept ridiculous and absurd. But too many things have happened in my life to think differently about this. By me humbling myself to ask God and all of heaven to come and transform the outcome of circumstances I have been in, I have seen the impossible become the possible.

So! My prayer is that you would be able to ‘see’ the next time the Lord shows you something, and that you take the opportunity to be a ‘World Changer.’

Malachi 3:16 Amplified Bible
Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.

This verse reminds me of a dream that I once had. I was talking to a group of people and I saw my words flow up to the heavens. In the heavens I saw a huge library lined with more books than I could even begin to count. These books were all shining almost glowing. Then I saw a book suspended in the air, and it was opened to a page that was being filled with a gold script. As I followed this gold ribbon with my eyes to find its source, I realized it was my very own spoken words. I was talking of God’s grace on my life and how He has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams.

SO, just think God is recording our spoken testimonies. I would hope and pray that we all have many books in HIS majestic library.

We all have ‘junk drawers’ in our homes, mine is in the kitchen. The other day I was digging in the drawer looking for tape. However, it took me a while to find it because I had to dig through too much stuff. I thought to myself; ‘How in the world did all this stuff find its way back into this drawer?’ You see, I had just cleaned that drawer out about 6 months ago. I found all kinds of crazy things. Tools that belong in the garage toolbox. Different colored ribbon of all lengths pretty much tangled together into one knot. Keys of all sized that unlocks who knows what. Little army men and random small toys, mind you my children are young adults.  Batteries that probably have been discarded because they had were no longer usable but we didn’t know how to ‘properly’ dispose of them. There were hook, nails, screws, tacks and other dangerous things that can bite your hand as you dig through the dreaded drawer.

Read more… “Cleaning out the junk drawer” →

I’ve said it before (many times) that God places people in our paths for a reason. I have to look at people that way, especially with the position that I have as front desk receptionist.  The majority of those individuals who cross my path daily are in pain. And if I don’t remind myself that these people have been directed my Papa God to cross my path, I can get in a “rut.” Just going through life as a routine, going through the motions without thought. And when I do get the attitude of; “this is just the same day over and over again.” I am not very friendly, and sometimes I don’t even really look at the person that I am talking to.

But last Friday I was reminded that I need to make each person that I come in contact with feel valued, even if it is for just a few moments.

As I was rushing around to get things done that I usually have 8 hours to complete a very tired looking man walking with a limp and a cane in his hand made his way to me. He gave me his usual smile and stated the doctor he was scheduled to see. In the past, I would usually make small talk with him but that day I was in a hurry, the office was to close early because of Good Friday and I still had lots to do.

As I rushed through the usual questions I didn’t glance up him, only looking straight ahead at my computer screen. I printed off his “Care Slip” and finally looked up as I asked him to sign his name. I then noticed that the smile that was on his face was no longer there. I thought to myself, did I make this man feel “not valued” or even as a “inconvenience”? In that moment I heard God say… “Slow down!”

I took back the care slip once he signed it and look directly in his eyes and asked him how he and his father was doing. In the past he had shared how he cared for his ailing father and the health struggles of his own. He told about me how he had met a very nice Coke Cola delivery man at the store last week and how he helped him get into his car after he had locked his keys inside. That his father health was the same and how much pain he himself has felt the past few days.

As I listened to him share a little of his life the smile returned to his face. I asked him if he had plans for Easter Sunday and he went on to tell me the celebration that he had planned with his family. Once we were done (maybe three minutes later) I told him that I would put him and his father on my prayer list. The man went on to say with tear in his eye, “isn’t that amazing how GOD places people in your path just at the right time when you need it, thank you for your prayers.”

To tell the truth I felt ashamed of myself, because before I asked him how he was doing I asked myself a selfish question; ‘do I really want to go there with him?’ was rolling around in my thoughts. I was in a hurry and really didn’t want to make the time. But it only took maybe 3 minutes longer to “check him in”. He left my desk with a smile and a warm feeling in his heart that God had placed me in his path at just the right moment to encouragement him. And in a small why he felt comfort to know that someone was actually going to pray for him.

What if I didn’t take those three extra minutes? What if I just kept looking at my computer and not asked him how he was doing? God knew what this man needed, I didn’t. And just think I almost was to self centered to let God use me for a brief moment in this mans life. What would this world look like if we all took 2-3 minutes to extend a kind smile, a word of encouragement or even just our ears ( for listening)? What if that person at the store, doctor’s office, work, gym, bus stop, school … has no one to value them? What if you are the only one in their lives gives them the time to share what is on their mind, or what is heavy on their heart?