Holy Boldness as Abigail

       Our timing has never been and never will be perfect as we desire(d). However, God created and controls time; He knows the exact moment when events will take place in your life. Many of those moments have always been there to make us stronger against the enemy. This is why we have to be careful to not misinterpret a specific season as a failure but instead as a process that will bring victory at the end. Waiting on God's command is the safest answer to what you are preparing for or going through. Know that what He speaks is true and backed up by all of Heaven. Abigail was a woman recorded in the Bible as being intelligent and beautiful. Even though she had these two attributes about her, she submitted to the authority of God right in the midst of great adversity. She operated in the holy boldness of God.

       Abigail endured through the issue of her husband's attitude. Nabal was not the greatest of husbands at all, yet he was earthly wealthy and carried pride on his shoulders like no other. His despising attitude towards her and others was enough to make some people want his very life taken away from him...as was almost the case with David [I Samuel 25]. After Nabal made David angry with his disrespectful attitude, David became like many of us have been: angry and ready to set it off. In short, David was on the way to kill Nabal and all of his household. This is the danger in moving before your appointed time because David was about to commit a senseless crime, and God would not have been supportive in this battle at all.

       However, Abigail's obedience to God and love for those in her household encouraged her to step out and help save the household before David reached it. Her act of faith and operation in the holy boldness of God is what made God pay attention to her. In return, this also caught David's attention and the household was saved from sure destruction as Abigail issued to David and his men what was kindly requested beforehand. God saw the commitment and obedience in Abigail's heart, and the fact that she would step out on faith made Him want to respond even the more.

       Many of us have gone through seasons in which others have treated us as if we were at the bottom of the barrel. Leaders, family, friends, co-workers, and others may have played a part in trying to destroy your character. Understand that God's timing to handle these issues will always be correct and in your favor. Just wait on Him and watch the turn-around.

READ I Samuel 25 for the full story of David, Abigail, and Nabal.

Wait For Your Season

       A dangerous move for anyone to make is one that is out of season. In ministry, particularly, people move too hastily as if they will miss out on the blessings of God if they do not take the "right now" opportunity. Similarly, people are promoted too soon to a position that they thought they were ready for but never consulted God on the matter. Even though their heart and work ethics were aimed towards doing a great job, their lack of communication with God caused them to rotate into a season not meant for them at the time. I can tell you from experience that moving without waiting on God will cause you to go through the full term of an unwanted season until He is finished teaching you.

       God's Word in Luke 14:7-11 explains the process of humbling yourself and why you should do so. Many times, people forego doing this because they love the attention and glorification that comes along with "being at the top" or "being in control". Stepping into a season too soon can cause you to have a great fall, especially when you allow pride to get in the way. You're already out of season, but adding pride along with the disorder is even more dangerous. I have witnessed people who tried to lead others in a beneficial way only to find out that they themselves needed to be under the teaching and leading of a God-sent person; how can you effectively lead others when you are still in great need of being taught how to lead a group of people? One thing for sure is that God loves us so much and understands our hearts and desires to please Him. Even in our misguided decisions, He shows us enough grace and mercy to finish up the season so that we can be humbled and get through it with a renewed understanding of Him and why we should always consult Him about our moves in life.

My Personal Testimony:
       I, myself, have stepped too soon into a position in life and tried to lead people in the past. The truth is that someone asked me to take on a position because I was next in line to do so, and instead of asking God what He wanted me to do, I told the person that I was willing and able to do so. I believe that the person did not consult with God as well, so this caused a domino effect. Now that I recall that conversation, I do remember feeling a nudge in my spirit as if I had moved too soon. At first, I thought that I was feeling a bit hesitant because of the fact that I had not been trained as much as I needed to. The truth of the matter is that I had a huge heart and was willing to serve. Even with my love for the position I had agreed to, I was still operating out of season. But I want to tell you about the grace and mercy of God that helped me to soon realize that what I had done was indeed out of season. God in His greatness still used me as a vessel, but I endured through a season in which He humbled me greatly in personal prayer at home. I prayed for one full year for God to release me from the burden of my hasty move. One day, after God had taught me what I needed to know and used me for His glory, He released me from that season. I was very happy...my goodness! Lol! Now that I am released by His Spirit, I am walking in a renewed mind, God is giving me visions and dreams about what He released me from to help others go through their season, and here I am testifying to you all of His grace and mercy towards me.

       Do not fret if you have found yourself in this situation, though. If you are here, use this time to humble yourself and ask God what His desires are for you. I do not care how great someone else thinks that you are for a position; communicate with God and wait for an answer BEFORE you move. There is a season for everything in life: everything. [Ecclesiastes 3]


Cited Works:
[Picture retrieved from http://nellypaekukui.com/for-everything-there-is-a-season-and-a-time-to-think-and-thank-and-treasure/.]

Openly Forgiving Another

       Forgiveness is a lifestyle that many run from because it can feel uncomfortable. It involves one person dropping a barrier to communication to take a chance at being freed from a spiritual prison. The issue that has to be dealt with is more along the lines of forgetting about who was right or wrong and learning to move to a place of peace in the mind. The need for this peace of mind is not always solely for the one or more people who were directly involved in the issue at hand, but sometimes for the bystanders who happened to see all of the foolishness that took place. In other words, a conversation (or an action) that you could have steered in a better direction was instead catapulted into an argument that ultimately left both parties with a severed relationship and bystanders wondering what in the world just happened. Yes, there are times when you may need to forgive another person in front of everybody else who was also around.

       The healing that can take place through forgiveness is universal: it's for everyone connected in any way to what you need to resolve with another. The truth is that people need to not only hear but see forgiveness in action. As one rotten apple in a bag of apples can spoil the rest, so can unforgiveness in the presence of others. If you have wronged someone, you need to forgive him or her as soon as possible before a spiritual cancer spreads. Do not let what good you have done be evil spoken of [Romans 14:16-19]. In addition, I really love the way that the Apostle Paul states how people should not fight about words as this is not profitable and leads to the ruin of the hearers [II Timothy 2:14].

       As you can see, it IS important that we learn to forgive in private as well as in the open when necessary because it is beneficial for both you and your hearers.

We All Need Each Other

       You never know what people are going through so you have to be careful with how you treat them. As children of God, we should NEVER intentionally hurt another person no matter what.

       Real ministry is learning to: love the unlovable, be kind to those who pay you with unkindness, and make yourself available to hear the hearts of those who seek help. When you push people away, you could very well be pushing away the "Joseph" who is to help you later in life during your dry season. In the Word of God, Joseph was despised and cast away by his own brothers. Later on, Joseph was the one who helped to provide for the land when a drought came, and guess who had to come to Joseph? That's right: his brothers. They did not recognize him at first because of the dramatic change God made in Joseph's life, but after a short while they began to see who he really was to them.

Be careful to not run God's children off. We ALL need each other.

Your Purpose In Life

       It is amazingly odd how this world system runs off of the idea that working to gain money 24/7, increase popularity, and own a fancy car amounts to the ultimate "purpose" in life. The saying that "the world will work you to death and keep it pushing to the next person" is very correct. At some point in life, we have to seriously pause and think about what and who is truly important to our daily lives, including what God has designed us to operate in.

       God's Son, Jesus, was sent to earth to teach and show us of a greater purpose in life. We should not be in a constant rat-race to the finish line on a daily basis with nothing to show forth. This wears a person down on all levels (i.e. physically, mentally, spiritually). Let's get down to business. Your purpose in life is the spiritual gift that God gives to you which brings glory to Him, and it is done with grace given by His Spirit. For example, I am a singer and have been anointed by God to do so. I am grateful for this gift and am very careful to use it for any other thing besides bringing Him glory. He uses me in a way like I could never imagine to help deliver people who are spiritually bound, including the ability to further encourage those who are on the right path in life. This is just one of the few gifts He has graced me with and I strive to walk daily in what He has called me to do.

       Your purpose in life can be revealed through prayer before the Lord. Ask God to show you what you're supposed to be operating in on this earth. When He shows you, (and He will when you faithfully ask and believe), step into action. In 1 Corintians 12, the Apostle Paul explains to the body of Christ that we all have a special gift from God to use for the benefit of all people. (Understand that God has freely given out these gifts, so it's very possible that you may be equipped with more than one, and that's perfectly fine). Not everyone can be a preacher, the president of a country, or an engineer. Similarily, not all are gifted with the ability to manage employees, skillfully minister on a musical instrument, or teach. What I want you to grasp is that even though you can learn to do all types of things in life, you have to seek God for what you have been ANOINTED to operate in. Your purpose is backed up by the anointing of God, and it will be fruitful...lacking nothing.

Victory Over Your Enemies

       Think about the amount of fear that the enemy causes to take place in people's lives daily. What about the unrelenting harassment that is placed upon those who have done absolutely nothing to deserve it? People have to deal with all types of hatred and dishonesty against their good name. One thing that I have personally seen in the lives of others is that God will allow them to go through the storm so that they can come out stronger and wiser than what the enemy would have ever expected. [Just so that we are clear in these posts about who the "real enemy" is, let me briefly explain. The real enemy is satan. Anyone who will allow satan to operate through them is allowing him to use them as a coverup for who he really is and his true plan].

       Satan wants nothing more than for your life to be in total disorder. If he can succeed in this, your focus will always be on "how hard life is" while he's steadily writing the order and delivery date for your spiritual and physical casket. Let me be real with you all: satan is not your friend, nor a partner who wants you to achieve in life. As I stated earlier, he'll use whatever or whomever he can get his hands on to destroy people.

       OK, I believe you were waiting for that silver lining in the clouds. Yes, there is ALWAYS a way to get through hardships in life while still being in one piece at the end. Take your prayers to God about your enemies. This is not the time to speak harshly to those who have allowed satan to use them. Try doing this: love your enemies. Treat kindly those whom persecute you. YES, IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY! I understand your concerns. However, many of us were once enemies of God. How do you think He reacted to us? He still loved us in spite of our mess.

       Think of your walk through the valley as: the time to strengthen your faith and trust in God, the way to get to the other side of your blessing, and finally the victory that you WILL see as long as you take every step as God has ordered. When you emerge on the other side of that valley, your enemies will wonder how in the world you made it there successfully, unharmed, and going stronger than before! I know it to be true because I have experienced it many times before. God will not allow you to sink. Just hold on, go through the process, and watch God take home the victory for you! In case you need a little something to help you believe that God is greater than your enemies, here ya' go: "He Turned It" - Tye Tribbett.

Everyday Life

       Tomorrow can seem so far away at times when life is kicking hard against you. It may appear as if your success rate in overcoming hardship is dwindling away. The issue with simply waiting for another day to come and go is that if you do not deal with the issues face-to-face, they will cycle around again...guaranteed. Sometimes it will take crying your eyes out for a brief moment; praying for a few minutes or hours; or sitting in total silence as you wait for God to speak to your heart.

       The key is to not run from the problem, but pray through it and believe that God will work it out. It does not always feel good, but once you have the answer to what God is speaking, you have to make the choice to be obedient to His Word or deny the right way.

       Many have found that when life seems to be crashing in on them, taking a rest to dive into God's Word (the Bible) allows them both peace of mind and a change for God to work things out on His own timetable. When God places His touch on anything, it has to get in line; it has to...period. Do not allow everyday living to drain the life out of you. Get connected to people who have that shining light as Christ does to help you through the process. Life is not more tough than God.