Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Time to Reclaim My Inheritance

It seems the Body of Christ is in a very active season right now. There appears to be a push for growth amid a lot of sad and challenging happenings. The wheat is growing and "getting wheatier" (maturing) and the chaff is more and more showing itself for what it is. "Ye shall know them by their fruits..." .

As I spend time with the Lord, I am hearing that it's a time for many of us to prepare, and that if we don't, God won't be able to use us in some of the ways He desires. I have some gifts of the Spirit that need to come back to the forefront again, but I can't bring them forth on my own. I am praying for myself--to be stirred up in my spirit in these areas, and I'm beginning to ask others to pray for me.

Which brings me to an important point--if you have been gifted by God in areas you haven't operated in for years, that doesn't mean the gift is gone--it just needs to be stirred up again. If you don't want it to be stirred up, you may need emotional or physical healing, or both. God is calling us to be willing to come into His plans and purposes in this hour. How will we respond?

Part of what God wants to deal with is disappointment. The Bible tells us that hope deferred makes the heart sick. Many of us have sick hearts and don't want to move on with God because past prayers weren't answered the way we thought they would be or should be.

I'm thinking of a few past prayers of my own right now. I really wanted my son, Joseph Daniel to be healed, but six weeks after birth he went to heaven. I have been devastated about it for years, but in the last few months the Lord put on my heart that I could ask Him for vindication. The Bible says that when the enemy is found out, he must restore seven-fold, and that is what I'm now believing for. I don't fully know what that looks like in my life, but I'm seeing signs... . The same for the daughter I lost... . I also have seen more than enough church splits I prayed to avert that happened anyway. Now I'm in a very good church where I'm really growing....There are other things, as well, and I'm now revisiting them and asking the Lord for what He wants to teach me.

I know it is not God's will for me to have a sick heart because of prayers that seemed to go nowhere. That is the enemy's strategy to render me ineffective/unfruitful. My heavenly Father still has a plan, and He will perform it--with me or without me. But right now He's giving me opportunity to deal with the things that would hinder me. What about you???

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for such a thought-provoking post. :)

Unknown said...

Barb,

What a great post!! I believe God is definitely preparing His bride to arise and take her place in His plans and purposes. He is stirring so many of us to grow and stretch beyond the comfort zones we have all been clinging to.

Thanks!
Cheri

Anne said...

This is a really good post Barb. Very thoughtful and encouraging.