Perspective Change: Circumstances don't matter

While listening to Bishop Jakes preach his series about not settling, he made a point that stuck with me.  Whenever things stick with me, I know it won't be long before I begin to gain an understanding and clarity about what it means.

Bishop Jakes said:  Circumstances don't matter

Your Faith has made you well

I am reading the gospels for Lent and today I read the story about the woman with the flow of blood who touched the hem of his garment to be healed.

Mark 5:34

Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

I kept thinking about that point.  I knew it meant something, but I wasn't sure how it related to me.  Then all of a sudden I got it.  It wasn't THE ACT of touching his garment that made her well.  No, it was the BELIEF that if she did touch his garment, then she would be made well.  It was the RISK of touching Jesus, she rolled with that belief, and was healed.

It isn't about the circumstances

This got me thinking about all that I have experienced in these past few months:  A trip to the wilderness, putting prayers under the bed, asking God for confirmation for prayers, and wanting to break through.

 I realized that none of this was about circumstances magically changing.  It was about building my faith. I was starting to get antsy and frustrated because I was still stuck in the "God is the genie in the bottle and he needs to answer in the right way" mode.  If  I asked for this, then I better get that.  I asked for a husband and the way I was thinking he  was going to just appear and sweep me off of my feet.  PRAYERS ANSWERED.

It doesn't work like that.  If I'm asking in faith, then I know God's got the right answer and not necessarily the one I have concluded and decided that it should be.

The Prayers Under the Bed

I have a bunch of prayers under my bed that I said Nobody could answer but God.  They are specific prayers. I felt foolish doing it, but I took a risk and did it.  Honestly it felt good to take that risk because I haven't been doing that in my life.  What I've been doing is playing it safe and making sure there were ways out so I wouldn't be disappointed or trying to make it happen all on my own.

Let's say God doesn't answer those prayers in the way I thought they were going to be answered, will my faith be shattered?  No because I know however he chooses to answer them that he will answer them exceedingly and abundantly more than I can ask or think.  If you recall, I even said that when I first did it that if it doesn't pan out like I thought it would I worried my faith would be shattered.

I no longer think this way because I know that I know that I know that WHATEVER God has for me is going to be what I need.  I needed that faith exercise.  The circumstances and who it is doesn't matter.  My faith and belief that God is going to answer those prayers in his own way is what matters.

Conviction City:  Faith will overrule circumstances

I have to be honest with you: I'm in the midst of conviction city.  In my last blog post I talked about how I was going to apologize to the young man I was calling "Brother Bad News".  I now realize I really was out of line and definitely need to apologize to him.

I went to a workshop for my job and we talked about How to win friends and influence people.  We went over several points and I  immediately felt convicted about how I have been approaching this whole single thing.  One of the points was: Be genuinely interested in the other person

My behavior with Brother Bad News  that poor guy I attacked last year is a great example of this.  I wasn't the least bit interested in him as a person.  I was enamored with the way he looked and allowed my hormones to take over my brain.  There was also something about him that got me all stirred up and fired up, but rather than taking the time to find out what it was, I allowed my flesh to take over and I ended up making a mess out of things.

Now prior to all of this inner work I would have said "Well that was my last chance and I messed it all up.  I will never do anything right when it comes to this area and that's why I will be foreveralone"

Perspective Change:  Now I say, "Well that may not have been for me, but I have learned and grown from that experience.  I also want to apologize to McHotness because maybe I made him feel bad and bullied with the way I acted."

It isn't the doing...It's the Faith

My faith tells me I am on the verge of a major breakthrough.  It is almost tangible.  I believe that FAITH will overrule all of the circumstances.  It isn't the act of doing that is going to make the difference.  It is my BELIEF that by doing whatever God asks me to do that He will ultimately lead me to the right answer.  

I had it all wrong.  I thought it was the doing that was going to make the difference, but it isn't.  It's the belief that makes the difference.  I also thought it was the circumstances that was going to determine whether or not God answered my prayer.  I thought "Well if he makes it come true then I will have faith".  THat's wrong too.  God answers prayers the way HE wants to and it is all for my good.  

FAITH tells me that he doesn't have to answer those prayers under the bed exactly the way I asked...it was just the mere fact that I BELIEVED enough to ask Him for it that makes a difference.

If I were y'all, then I would stay tuned because methinks that things are going to get pretty exciting around these parts.

To God be the Glory!