How to Stand in 3 Not So Easy Steps
"After You've Done all you Can, You just Stand."- Donnie McClurkin
In today's post I am going to discuss some points on just how to stand. One of my biggest questions to the Lord when I'm waiting for him after I've done everything I could is "Lord how do I prepare while I wait?" One too many times I've asked for a certain blessing and when the blessing came I wasn't in the position to receive anything. Nothing sucks more than praying and waiting for a blessing and then being denied access when it comes.
I honestly don't know what made me to hear this song STAND in my head. In fact my fondness of the song is not with great memory. I know it came out when I was a kid, my mothers peers ran the song through the hole as well as the radio, and by the time I was involved in liturgical dance and started going solo-guess what their main song request was?-You get what I'm saying! Honestly it's not that I hate the song, in fact I love the song;it's just that I had to be so old before I was able to really sit and listen to the song without someone trying to make me dance or get deep on me. I just wanted to enjoy the song for myself. I have other favorites by Donnie McClurkin like "I'll Trust you Lord" and "We Fall Down". I know you're probably wondering why I chose that second song as my favorite, right? Simply put the song actually has two parts. The first part is the song, and the second track which comes next is actually an altar call. PASTOR Donnie McClurkin is explaining the meaning from the song and the inspirational scripture "A just man falls 7 times." A few days ago I saw an episode of "Girlfriends" and Pastor Donnie and his choir were singing this song! Two of the characters forgave each other after several episodes where they weren't getting along-so props to that show!
PHEW!-Now back to what I was saying "How to Stand in Not So Easy Steps". Most bloggers would give you this bullet list of things to do in their HOW TO blogs for advice. The reason I said "not so easy steps" is because I wanted you to understand that Standing is not easy. When the chips are down and you've tried everything you can what is it that you can do except stand. What does Standing even look like???
1. Be Honest
I'm saying this because people don't quite get this concept of honesty with God. He is all knowing, and yet people have developed this mindset that admitting we doubt him can be hidden from him.
If you turn to Mark 9:24 you read about a father who's son was battling a demon he knew all too well. This Father had enough and he probably SCREAMED these words "LORD I BELIEVE;HELP THOU MINE UNBELIEF!"This thing had a hold of his son for so long that he probably just stopped believing he could ever get healed. I can see that dad now. If this demon made him have seizures like it says in some translations then I totally understand because I grew up with epilepsy. Nothing is more scary than the face of an epileptic. As a person adulting with epilepsy, and who has children with epilepsy-I can not explain to you the feeling of fear that comes over you.You are frozen in time, feeling helpless, just wishing it was over. You will lose faith if you don't stay prayed up constantly.
Somehow, people think they can pray generally and slide by without God noticing the intense emotion they are feeling? I have no idea why they do this but I'm a Job and David type of woman. If I feel intense emotion I'm praying intensely. While these two seemed pretty extreme about they way they were feeling you've got to have respect for them. Not one time have I read in the Bible that intense emotion was a sin. There is a line though where God understands that it can lead you to do some things that are horrible, so his only request is that you don't turn against him or sin against your fellow man in those feelings.
So my advice, when your SOUL is downcast, and you feel that heavy yet airy sensation in the middle of your chest, is that you are honest with the Holy Spirit. He's interceding on your behalf anyway, and your denial is making him have to do unnecessary digging. Imagine him as a lawyer, he can't fight your case unless you are completely honest-Not because he just doesn't know, but by telling him you are now giving him ACCESS to the problem so he can fix it. Our denial is set up like an electric fence of control, and the more we break that down and become honest, the more God can do on our behalf. I can say Transparency Honesty, Truthful all are synonymous, either way it's one of the keys that I've learned that Help Me to Stand.
2. Position Yourself To Hear Him
Now is where I draw the line with OVER emotionalism. If you're so busy being emotional then you won't make any room to hear from God. Either your lack of transparency can block you from hearing God or too much of your blabbing about your feelings can block you from hearing God. Why do you think God spoke to Job from a Twister (Job 38)? And if you read that chapter God is going off with a ton of clapbacks like "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" in other words he said "Who is talking all this mess!?!-Dang and they don't even know what they're saying they sound crazy (lack knowledge)." He even tells Job gird up his loins like a man! If you're not quite getting that it means Beast up man, you acting like a punk right now and I raised you betta' than that! I don't know about you but if God appeared to me by speaking through a whirlwind, and in that tone, I probably would've shut up too. Probably would've felt like a child with days of the week underwear. This guy was so absorbed in his situation that God had to REMIND him that he was still GOD.
Whether you are struggling to be honest or you're too honest and you blab about your feelings, it's all still drama. The point of being Honest is to get it all out and once you do you can Position Yourself to Hear from God and receive instructions. Find your quiet place, and make all the noise you can until you're done. It's making you crazy holding it in anyway. Go ahead, cry it out! Shout and Scream out things like "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!" Then after that, hush for a minute so you can listen, because he might just say something back. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I've been there before, and one time I screamed out "WELL WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT!!!?!" and he replied softly "I've been waiting for you to ask that." If you were there, you would've seen me with the jaw drop expression on my face. I suddenly started having all these flashbacks of how many things I asked for and missed because I didn't position myself to hear him, and missed his instructions. Not only did I miss his instructions, but I missed the opportunity to walk into the blessing I had been asking him for the entire time, which brings me to my next point.
3. Prepare Yourself For The Work
Imagine Walking Into a Greenhouse, and someone saying "I want to grow some food!" You're all fired up ready to get your hands dirty so you say,"Okay! Where are the seeds so we can start?" Turns out this person doesn't know whether they want to plant fruits or vegetables, and on top of this, they don't have any experience gardening. You sit and think to yourself, "Why would they have a Green house and not know what to do with it?"
First of all let me clarify that I DO NOT have experience gardening. I don't even have a green thumb. I quickly lose interest in plants, and I'm probably a lot worse off than the guy in the analogy above. I've done small projects with lima beans where I took care of 6 in different environments, and that's as far as I'm probably going to take it. I had to face facts! I was not blessed with my Great Grandmother, and mothers Green Thumb, and I'm doing the world of plants a multitude and a service by not even getting involved.
All this to say you can't expect a Harvest of Growth without sowing seed, and tilling the ground...etc. You have to work. People love getting excited about Harvest Time, but the laborers are always few (Luke 10:2). Funny how I'm getting back to this subject right before Thanksgiving... If you want to reap inevitably you need to sow. This is NOT a one stop shop!
My question at the beginning of my blog for how I need to prepare is a real one that I ask all the time. I seriously want to know how to Prepare for the real work. Yesterday I looked up different contracts for Freelance Designers, and then I wrote up my own. I went on Universal Class and I looked for "Business Law for Entrepreneurs", as well as Project Managment 101 so that I could increase my knowledge in my field. Even though I haven't started any lessons just yet, I joined the class because I want to learn, and be prepared for the things I keep praying for. What I'm envisioning is much bigger than what I've been acting out. I've been selling my things cheaply and protecting my intellectual property is important to me. I have Tons of Great Ideas but it doesn't mean I've shared them. It helps me keep my dreams alive. Knowing the ins and outs of the legal stuff, and constantly staying abreast of new happenings is helping me a ton. I'm always researching new ways to get along with what I have and sometimes without some of the things I'm used to, because I have a passion I'm serious about.
I went out on a limb and put a Quote by Rev. Jarris Shaw because his quote is a reminder of how we think in future tense too often when our blessing is a Now thing. In Hebrews 11:1 it says "NOW Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen." He didn't say "TOMORROW Faith..." He said NOW! It's funny how God will sometimes call you back home using a secular artist. Janet Jackson just came out with a song called "Made For Now" with Daddy Yankee and the lyrics go "Made for now, not tomorrow. Made for now, look around." I realized I was living for yesterday. I was living for tomorrow and it's concerns when I should have been living in the moment and celebrating the feeling like she was saying in the song. The thought of tomorrow scared me, The horrible past replayed in my mind with no breaks, and I was frozen in time letting the days slide by me instead of getting things done! I was literally wasting away, and then something snapped, and I've been on a mission to win ever since.
I'm going to leave you with this last scripture from James 2:17 just so you won't think I got too secular on you, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone". I don't know about you but I feel like James some days. What good is it to believe I can be anything I desire and then not put forth the work. So what I'm at a stand still for a moment? I've met tons of people at a stand still in their career and they still act in the profession. You can always tell when you run into a real drummer because they're going to carry around their bag of drum sticks with them wherever they go. You know why? They say they never know when they are going to have to play somewhere else, so they always come prepared. I come from a family of musicians so I know a few things, and I know that sometimes in order to move forward and level up constantly you have to prepare by getting equipped. Don't be scared to prepare, and don't let what's NOT happening discourage you from equipping yourself. God will make provision for His Vision for your life. If you want a baby buy a crib, and if you want a business start moving money from your savings into a business account. Either way follow the instructions God gives you after you position yourself to hear him.
Are you ready for the blessing that you are asking for? If so, and you want it badly the reality is that you can't get there without the work! It's important to find that secret place, be honest with yourself about your feelings, position yourself to hear from God and receive instruction, and finally prepare for the blessing you are asking for. These things are not easy to do which is why I named this post "How to Stand in 3 Not So Easy Steps".We serve a real God and he has a real enemy. This is Spiritual Warfare for real, and if anyone tells you otherwise that's a lie. Take it from me. I went through years of turmoil and just recently I discovered that I keep letting other peoples voices from the past determine my decisions. It's crazy how people can be long gone out of your life and you still hear them; that isn't always a good thing for me. I've had to dig past those voices in every hardship to hear Gods and finally, I said ENOUGH! I was tired of hearing God last-I longed to hear him FIRST like I did when I was a teenager, and I sought him once again like I used to. After so long of having Gods favor, and instant access to him, you get kind of used to it. So this time in my life has not been easy, but I trust it will get better for me just like I trust it will get better for you.
One last question before I close this blog. What are you waiting for?-No really. I asked a model friend this along with, What do YOU want to do? I'm not talking about issues with your husband or your kids, I'm talking about you...what do you want for real? I said in a previous post that sometimes you have to hit desperation before you are Honest and hit a pure point. She shared with me that she wants to do her thing in her career and OWN it! Believe it or not there are some moves you can make today to be where you want to be, that's why it's important to press past the emotional stuff to receive the instruction. I hope that wherever you are, God blesses you. That you have more access to his voice first my friend. I know how HARD it can be to STAND when you've tried all you can, or to WAIT for his answer for a specific situation. Sista' I feel ya', and if you can just grab my hand through this blog I'll agree with you. You are going to STAND through the storm, rain, hurt and pain. Not only that, but you WILL prosper after it's all over and you'll be ready for what comes next!
In today's post I am going to discuss some points on just how to stand. One of my biggest questions to the Lord when I'm waiting for him after I've done everything I could is "Lord how do I prepare while I wait?" One too many times I've asked for a certain blessing and when the blessing came I wasn't in the position to receive anything. Nothing sucks more than praying and waiting for a blessing and then being denied access when it comes.
I honestly don't know what made me to hear this song STAND in my head. In fact my fondness of the song is not with great memory. I know it came out when I was a kid, my mothers peers ran the song through the hole as well as the radio, and by the time I was involved in liturgical dance and started going solo-guess what their main song request was?-You get what I'm saying! Honestly it's not that I hate the song, in fact I love the song;it's just that I had to be so old before I was able to really sit and listen to the song without someone trying to make me dance or get deep on me. I just wanted to enjoy the song for myself. I have other favorites by Donnie McClurkin like "I'll Trust you Lord" and "We Fall Down". I know you're probably wondering why I chose that second song as my favorite, right? Simply put the song actually has two parts. The first part is the song, and the second track which comes next is actually an altar call. PASTOR Donnie McClurkin is explaining the meaning from the song and the inspirational scripture "A just man falls 7 times." A few days ago I saw an episode of "Girlfriends" and Pastor Donnie and his choir were singing this song! Two of the characters forgave each other after several episodes where they weren't getting along-so props to that show!
PHEW!-Now back to what I was saying "How to Stand in Not So Easy Steps". Most bloggers would give you this bullet list of things to do in their HOW TO blogs for advice. The reason I said "not so easy steps" is because I wanted you to understand that Standing is not easy. When the chips are down and you've tried everything you can what is it that you can do except stand. What does Standing even look like???
1. Be Honest
I'm saying this because people don't quite get this concept of honesty with God. He is all knowing, and yet people have developed this mindset that admitting we doubt him can be hidden from him.
If you turn to Mark 9:24 you read about a father who's son was battling a demon he knew all too well. This Father had enough and he probably SCREAMED these words "LORD I BELIEVE;HELP THOU MINE UNBELIEF!"This thing had a hold of his son for so long that he probably just stopped believing he could ever get healed. I can see that dad now. If this demon made him have seizures like it says in some translations then I totally understand because I grew up with epilepsy. Nothing is more scary than the face of an epileptic. As a person adulting with epilepsy, and who has children with epilepsy-I can not explain to you the feeling of fear that comes over you.You are frozen in time, feeling helpless, just wishing it was over. You will lose faith if you don't stay prayed up constantly.
Somehow, people think they can pray generally and slide by without God noticing the intense emotion they are feeling? I have no idea why they do this but I'm a Job and David type of woman. If I feel intense emotion I'm praying intensely. While these two seemed pretty extreme about they way they were feeling you've got to have respect for them. Not one time have I read in the Bible that intense emotion was a sin. There is a line though where God understands that it can lead you to do some things that are horrible, so his only request is that you don't turn against him or sin against your fellow man in those feelings.
So my advice, when your SOUL is downcast, and you feel that heavy yet airy sensation in the middle of your chest, is that you are honest with the Holy Spirit. He's interceding on your behalf anyway, and your denial is making him have to do unnecessary digging. Imagine him as a lawyer, he can't fight your case unless you are completely honest-Not because he just doesn't know, but by telling him you are now giving him ACCESS to the problem so he can fix it. Our denial is set up like an electric fence of control, and the more we break that down and become honest, the more God can do on our behalf. I can say Transparency Honesty, Truthful all are synonymous, either way it's one of the keys that I've learned that Help Me to Stand.
2. Position Yourself To Hear Him
Now is where I draw the line with OVER emotionalism. If you're so busy being emotional then you won't make any room to hear from God. Either your lack of transparency can block you from hearing God or too much of your blabbing about your feelings can block you from hearing God. Why do you think God spoke to Job from a Twister (Job 38)? And if you read that chapter God is going off with a ton of clapbacks like "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" in other words he said "Who is talking all this mess!?!-Dang and they don't even know what they're saying they sound crazy (lack knowledge)." He even tells Job gird up his loins like a man! If you're not quite getting that it means Beast up man, you acting like a punk right now and I raised you betta' than that! I don't know about you but if God appeared to me by speaking through a whirlwind, and in that tone, I probably would've shut up too. Probably would've felt like a child with days of the week underwear. This guy was so absorbed in his situation that God had to REMIND him that he was still GOD.
Whether you are struggling to be honest or you're too honest and you blab about your feelings, it's all still drama. The point of being Honest is to get it all out and once you do you can Position Yourself to Hear from God and receive instructions. Find your quiet place, and make all the noise you can until you're done. It's making you crazy holding it in anyway. Go ahead, cry it out! Shout and Scream out things like "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!" Then after that, hush for a minute so you can listen, because he might just say something back. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I've been there before, and one time I screamed out "WELL WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT!!!?!" and he replied softly "I've been waiting for you to ask that." If you were there, you would've seen me with the jaw drop expression on my face. I suddenly started having all these flashbacks of how many things I asked for and missed because I didn't position myself to hear him, and missed his instructions. Not only did I miss his instructions, but I missed the opportunity to walk into the blessing I had been asking him for the entire time, which brings me to my next point.
3. Prepare Yourself For The Work
 |
| Quote by Pastor Jarris Shaw |
First of all let me clarify that I DO NOT have experience gardening. I don't even have a green thumb. I quickly lose interest in plants, and I'm probably a lot worse off than the guy in the analogy above. I've done small projects with lima beans where I took care of 6 in different environments, and that's as far as I'm probably going to take it. I had to face facts! I was not blessed with my Great Grandmother, and mothers Green Thumb, and I'm doing the world of plants a multitude and a service by not even getting involved.
All this to say you can't expect a Harvest of Growth without sowing seed, and tilling the ground...etc. You have to work. People love getting excited about Harvest Time, but the laborers are always few (Luke 10:2). Funny how I'm getting back to this subject right before Thanksgiving... If you want to reap inevitably you need to sow. This is NOT a one stop shop!
My question at the beginning of my blog for how I need to prepare is a real one that I ask all the time. I seriously want to know how to Prepare for the real work. Yesterday I looked up different contracts for Freelance Designers, and then I wrote up my own. I went on Universal Class and I looked for "Business Law for Entrepreneurs", as well as Project Managment 101 so that I could increase my knowledge in my field. Even though I haven't started any lessons just yet, I joined the class because I want to learn, and be prepared for the things I keep praying for. What I'm envisioning is much bigger than what I've been acting out. I've been selling my things cheaply and protecting my intellectual property is important to me. I have Tons of Great Ideas but it doesn't mean I've shared them. It helps me keep my dreams alive. Knowing the ins and outs of the legal stuff, and constantly staying abreast of new happenings is helping me a ton. I'm always researching new ways to get along with what I have and sometimes without some of the things I'm used to, because I have a passion I'm serious about.
I went out on a limb and put a Quote by Rev. Jarris Shaw because his quote is a reminder of how we think in future tense too often when our blessing is a Now thing. In Hebrews 11:1 it says "NOW Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen." He didn't say "TOMORROW Faith..." He said NOW! It's funny how God will sometimes call you back home using a secular artist. Janet Jackson just came out with a song called "Made For Now" with Daddy Yankee and the lyrics go "Made for now, not tomorrow. Made for now, look around." I realized I was living for yesterday. I was living for tomorrow and it's concerns when I should have been living in the moment and celebrating the feeling like she was saying in the song. The thought of tomorrow scared me, The horrible past replayed in my mind with no breaks, and I was frozen in time letting the days slide by me instead of getting things done! I was literally wasting away, and then something snapped, and I've been on a mission to win ever since.
I'm going to leave you with this last scripture from James 2:17 just so you won't think I got too secular on you, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone". I don't know about you but I feel like James some days. What good is it to believe I can be anything I desire and then not put forth the work. So what I'm at a stand still for a moment? I've met tons of people at a stand still in their career and they still act in the profession. You can always tell when you run into a real drummer because they're going to carry around their bag of drum sticks with them wherever they go. You know why? They say they never know when they are going to have to play somewhere else, so they always come prepared. I come from a family of musicians so I know a few things, and I know that sometimes in order to move forward and level up constantly you have to prepare by getting equipped. Don't be scared to prepare, and don't let what's NOT happening discourage you from equipping yourself. God will make provision for His Vision for your life. If you want a baby buy a crib, and if you want a business start moving money from your savings into a business account. Either way follow the instructions God gives you after you position yourself to hear him.
Are you ready for the blessing that you are asking for? If so, and you want it badly the reality is that you can't get there without the work! It's important to find that secret place, be honest with yourself about your feelings, position yourself to hear from God and receive instruction, and finally prepare for the blessing you are asking for. These things are not easy to do which is why I named this post "How to Stand in 3 Not So Easy Steps".We serve a real God and he has a real enemy. This is Spiritual Warfare for real, and if anyone tells you otherwise that's a lie. Take it from me. I went through years of turmoil and just recently I discovered that I keep letting other peoples voices from the past determine my decisions. It's crazy how people can be long gone out of your life and you still hear them; that isn't always a good thing for me. I've had to dig past those voices in every hardship to hear Gods and finally, I said ENOUGH! I was tired of hearing God last-I longed to hear him FIRST like I did when I was a teenager, and I sought him once again like I used to. After so long of having Gods favor, and instant access to him, you get kind of used to it. So this time in my life has not been easy, but I trust it will get better for me just like I trust it will get better for you.
One last question before I close this blog. What are you waiting for?-No really. I asked a model friend this along with, What do YOU want to do? I'm not talking about issues with your husband or your kids, I'm talking about you...what do you want for real? I said in a previous post that sometimes you have to hit desperation before you are Honest and hit a pure point. She shared with me that she wants to do her thing in her career and OWN it! Believe it or not there are some moves you can make today to be where you want to be, that's why it's important to press past the emotional stuff to receive the instruction. I hope that wherever you are, God blesses you. That you have more access to his voice first my friend. I know how HARD it can be to STAND when you've tried all you can, or to WAIT for his answer for a specific situation. Sista' I feel ya', and if you can just grab my hand through this blog I'll agree with you. You are going to STAND through the storm, rain, hurt and pain. Not only that, but you WILL prosper after it's all over and you'll be ready for what comes next!
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