Category: Encouragement

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Journeying through the Wilderness

“Because I did not know our purpose for being THERE, my expectations were wrong and, I unknowingly frustrated God’s purpose for our lives.”

These words can be found penned at the top of one of the pages of my journals. It was written at the turn of a new year some 4 years after we had been in the USA. My family had migrated to the USA in 2013 as the result of a prophetic word spoken about 10 years earlier. We came to the USA for ministry and with the expectation that ministry would birth forth and blossom quickly. We never bargained for a wilderness.

The journey through the wilderness lasted a few years, during which time I battled with and often found myself under the influence of spirits of discontent, dissatisfaction, and discouragement. My attitude and outlook during those years left much to be desired.

You see, the problem for me was that the Lord had directed us to another ministry during this wilderness time, until He would separate us for the work that He had sent us here to do, like He did with Saul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3 ). However, I found myself like the children of Israel, lusting after what WAS (our ministry back home, PFEM). I kept comparing what WAS with what “IS” and kept looking back.

What I did not realize at the time was that whereas PFEM was my place of growth in salvation and training for ministry, this new place was my place of testing, my wilderness. This was where God would humble me and prove me to know what was in my heart. This would be the place that God would use to stir and challenge our faith, teaching us how to survive in what might seem as uninhabited and barren places.

I really felt like I was in a bad place. I felt that somehow we had missed God, but as the Holy Spirit ministered to me, He showed me that it was not a bad place and we had not missed Him. He brought me to study the following two verses.

Exodus 13:17-18 (KJV) – 17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (KJV) – 2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

And this is what He shared with me.
1. The wilderness is not a bad thing or a bad place. The wilderness represents God’s love for and mercy towards us.
2. The wilderness is our place of transition before we enter and posses the Promised Land.
3. The wilderness is the place where God will develop our faith to be able to take possession of that Promised Land.
4. There is no need to be discouraged because the wilderness is not our destination, rather a part of the journey, a part of the process to get us to the Promised Land.

Friends, when we left Antigua, we felt like we were ready to possess the Promise. But God said, if we went directly the wars we would see/encounter would discourage us and cause us to repent (change our minds) from the “Yes” that we had said to this assignment. So, instead, He provided for us an alternate route that would take us through the wilderness, spending time THERE. How much more I could have learned? How much further we could have been? If I had only understood our purpose for being THERE.

I share this experience with you all today because I don’t want you to frustrate the purposes of God as a result of the navigational route that He has chosen for your journey. I don’t want You to waste Your time looking back at what was and miss what God has prepared for you now. Please remember that He is faithful and will perform what He has promised, but He may need to take you on a journey through the wilderness so that you can be sufficiently prepared for what He has promised.

Dear Holy Spirit, please help me not to resist Your wisdom in taking me through the wilderness. Help me not to resist Your training in developing my faith. May I rise in my faith believing truly that You are not a Man that You should lie, nor a son of man, that You should repent or change Your mind. May I be fully persuaded that if You said it, You will do it and if You spoke it, You will make it good. Father, I cast off the weight of every spirit of discontent and discouragement right now and receive the oil of joy and garment of praise. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

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What If God Said “No”?

We often sing the song, “when the devil says “No”, God says, “Yes”. But what about when God says, “No”? What if God says, “No!”?

I can recall 4 characters in the Bible (of course there are more) from whom we can glean what our response should be when God says “No” to us. They are David, Moses, Amaziah, and Paul.

DAVID – 1 Samuel 30:1-8
David goes to God in prayer asking for a confirmation or negation on a question that he was pondering. “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” David went to God in prayer not with an answer already that he wanted to hear. He went to God because it was his habit not to lean not on his own understanding; but instead, in all his ways to acknowledge God, so that God could direct his paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Note: It was within David’s skill, his expertise, to pursue and overtake the troop, but he wanted to know God’s mind concerning it. He knew that by putting the question to God, he was opening himself to the possibility of hearing a “No”. However, if he was going to know God’s mind so as to be in God’s will, he had to ask. Fortunately for David, the answer was “Yes”.

2 Samuel 12: 13-23
However, years later, David is in another situation and again he goes before God in prayer, this time accompanied by fasting for 7 days. David was hoping and praying for a “Yes”, but this time got a “No”. What was David’s response to God’s “No”? David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped (vs. 20 – NKJV). He changed his attitude from grief and petition to worship.

MOSES -Deuteronomy 3: 23-28; 31: 1-2, 7-8; 34:1-2
Moses, in a moment of anger, disobeyed an instruction given to him by God. His punishment for that act of disobedience was that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land with the people. Moses, in a moment of regret pleaded with the Lord to change His mind about Moses crossing over into the Promised Land. Here is the account given in Deuteronomy 3:

23 “Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying: 24 ‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your [e]mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? 25 I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’ 26 “But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. 28 But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.’

Sometimes God tells us “No” and requires us to keep on working; keep on encouraging others. What was Moses’ response to God’s “No”? Moses’ attitude was one of acceptance and obedience, as he prepared Joshua to be the next leader.

AMAZIAH – 2 Chronicles 25
What if God says “No” after you’ve invested monies and energies into a project? Would you be able to trust Him to provide and make the way?
Amaziah was a king of Judah who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. As such, he put an army together without consulting God. He hired 100,00 mighty men of valor out of Israel for a sum of 100 talents of silver (~$600, 000 today). Let’s read the account in 2 Chronicles 25:7-10.

7 But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.” 9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”

What was Amaziah’s response to God’s “No”? – He trusted the word of the Lord, through His prophet, and obeyed. 10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home.

PAUL – Acts 16: 1-10
Sometimes God doesn’t stop us initially but on the way. What do we do when He says “No” then? Paul can testify to the fact that God doesn’t always intervene at the beginning of our ventures, but He signals a halt while we’re on the way.

Paul and his team started out doing a good thing but did not consult God while on the way. Acts 16: 6-8 (NIV) states that 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. Paul was not offended every time God said “No, not there.” He did not get an attitude with God. Instead, he just changed the direction that he was heading every time until he eventually got it right. He was living by his mantra in Philippians 3:14 (NIV) – “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me….”

  1. What question have you been asking God with an answer that you have already determined you want to hear?
  2. What are you still sulking about or grieving over after God has already said “No”?
  3. Why have you stopped working and being faithful to God because He told you “No”?
  4. What won’t you let go or give up after God has already told you, “That’s a NO”?
  5. Has God told you “Yes” or given you permission to head down that path, that direction, or on that journey?

Can you accept “NO”?

WHAT IF GOD SAID, “NO!’?

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Don’t Waste Your Time!

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: – Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. – Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)

The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all. – Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NKJV)

  1. Everything has a season.
  2. Every purpose has a time; and every time has its purpose.
  3. God makes everything (every purpose) beautiful in its time.
  4. There is no negative (bad) or positive (good) time. All times are set or ordained by God.
  5. Ask God to reveal to you the beauty of your current time, whether you perceive that time as bad or good.
  6. Don’t let your talent, strength, wisdom, intellect, or skills or lack thereof determine what you do with the time given. These are not the deciding factor in your results; time and chance are.
  7. Could it be that the time for x has expired and we are still doing x’s work in y’s time?
  8. Could it be that you are out of your current time?
  9. Embrace the beauty of the present! Embrace the beauty of your current time!
  10. Don’t waste your time and chance given today!

Thank you Lord for the time that You have given me today. Please help me Lord not to be constantly looking back desiring to return to things of the past. Help me to remember that everything has a season and every purpose has a time. Help me Lord to endeavor to focus on the current purpose and the current season so that I won’t waste my current time. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

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A Tribute to My Father

Today is the last day of October. October was the birth month of my father, Conroy Chiddick, who passed away two years ago. This morning, I paused a little longer than usual remembering him, and I decided to dedicate this month’s post to him, in honor of his memory.

A father’s love ….
As I observe the interactions between children and parents, most of the time it seems as if the mothers’ expression of their love to and for their children is more easily discernible than that of the fathers’. The fathers’ expression of love is usually evident in their determination to provide clothing, food, shelter, protection, etc for those entrusted to their care.

For me, this was the case in my home. My father was a provider. Growing up, I cannot recall a time when I was “in need” and, I know this was primarily because of the hard work of my father. He went out and labored, brought the money home, and gave it to Mummy to meet our needs.

I recall my father, though known as a quiet, serious man during my childhood years, never hid his love for me. He showed his love for me by always seeking me out and finding ways to spend time with me.

One of the activities we shared together, even into my adulthood, was our love for martial arts movies. I can recall him asking in his quiet, humorous way if I wanted to watch a movie. We would select one of the “old ones” and then sit to watch. He would sit their quietly watching while I did a running commentary, commenting on the techniques, the characters, and anything that got my interest. You could hear me shouting, “Whoa! Daddy did you see that move?” He would smile or chuckle and go back to enjoying the movie. At the end, he would say, “That was a good one!” signaling that our time together was over; another time of reinforcement of our love for each other and joy being in each other’s presence.

I remember on the night when I received the phone call to tell me that he had transitioned from this life to the next, I felt numb. In an effort to sort through my feelings, I took out my journal and wrote: My father was the first man who ever loved me. His love was not because of anything I had done or anything that I had achieved. From the start, he loved me because I was his.

With tears in my eyes, I remembered that even when I disappointed him and broke his heart severely because of a choice I made in my late teen years, it didn’t change his love for me. Although, in his hurt and pain, he turned away for a while, that love drew his heart back to mine. I remembered how he wept at my wedding because he felt like he was losing me to another, not realizing that no one can take the place of a father’s love.

As I reminisced about my father’s love for me, I realized that his love for me was similar to that of our Heavenly Father.
– Our Heavenly Father is the One whom we can trust to provide, clothe, shelter, and protect us; the One who meets our every need.
– Our Heavenly Father always seeks us out, enjoying just spending time with us. He is pleased just to have us near, sitting with him, finding joy in His presence.
– Our Heavenly Father was the first to ever love us, not because of anything that we had done or anything we had achieved, but just because we are His.

Thank you Daddy for introducing me to a father’s love; for setting the foundation for me to be able to recognize and trust the love of our Heavenly Father. Because of you, I know what it is to just sit in God’s presence and enjoy being loved and loving Him in return. I know what it is to give Him a running commentary of my life and look to hear His answer, as He smiles at/with me and then returns to sharing the moment with me. Because of you, I have the spiritual legacy of a Heavenly Father. Thank you for loving me just for me. I miss you and your love but know that we will soon be reunited, as we both bask in the presence of our Father’s love.

DIG DEEPER:
PRAYER ROOM: A Prayer for Fathers

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You are NOT Too Late! It’s Not Over!

It is Thursday night and, as is our custom, we have gathered for prayer. John, my 12-year old son, lifts his voice as he makes his approach to the Throne of Grace. His sister Grace, sitting beside him, also lifts her voice in support of him, as he carries our requests to the Father.

I am not exactly sure of what he said that caught my attention, but something did. I opened my eyes and saw them both, heads bowed, eyes closed, their countenance portraying the fervor of their hearts’ convictions. As I looked at them, I was no longer in my bedroom in South Carolina in 2020, but I was in another bedroom, in another country, over a decade ago.

I traveled through the years, visiting a number of bedrooms, seeing mirror images of the same scene – my son and daughter at various ages with heads bowed, petitioning the Father. A strong feeling of gratitude washed over me, as my mind returned to the present, and I whispered ever so softly, “Thank you, Jesus.”

Those images and that feeling of gratitude stayed with me long after we were finished praying. Later that night, I approached the Father alone and asked that He would preserve that which was implanted in them from early childhood. As I talked to the Father, I was reminded of Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” I thanked the Father for working in me BOTH to have the desire AND follow through in regards to being that mother who would teach her children to trust, and therefore, call on God.

As I continued communing with the Father about Grace and John, I remembered my eldest child – Persephanie (Sephie). She was the product of a teenage pregnancy. She was the child I almost aborted; the child I chose to keep, but was never really a mother to. As I thought of Sephie, I heard a voice say to me, “What were you doing with Sephie when she was 12 and 14 years old, the ages that John and Grace are now? You did not do for her, when she was in her early childhood, what you did for them? You gave her what money could buy, showered her with gifts but failed to instill a love for and trust in God the Father. You gave her things but gave them God. You are to be blamed for how she turned out. You were not a good mother!”

A wave of guilt and regret washed over me, just as gratitude did just a few hours earlier. Again, I whispered ever so softly, “Lord, I am sorry. Please forgive me.” This has been a cry of my heart, most times when I think of my eldest daughter. I often have to remind myself that God has already forgiven me and I need to embrace that forgiveness and forgive myself. It is a battle I face from time to time, a battle with guilt and regret.

Nevertheless, true to His character, the Lord God did not condemn me, but immediately reminded me of the truth. Once again, my mind traveled back in time, walking through the years from the time I knew of her conception up to when she left home for college. I was reminded that back then it was all about me – my hurt, my pain, my abandonment, my needs. On the outside, Sephie was a well-cared for child, all of her physical needs were met, but there was no emotional connection that would serve as a bridge for impartation. I was too busy searching for my needs to be filled.

Not so now! I have lived long enough to learn through experience that my life is NOT about me nor for me. My life is for and about my assignment, my purpose; for the saving, nurturing, and preserving of those whom God has entrusted to me. The Lord God reminded me that learning and embracing that truth has made me free and now I am free to address the consequences of my past missteps.

The Lord God reminded me, “IT’S NOT OVER YET! “

The Lord God reminded me, “IT’S NOT TOO LATE!“

Sephie is my seed and she too is blessed. He promised in Isaiah 49:24-25, “… For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.” He also promised in Jeremiah 31:16-17 that He will reward the work of my hand and cause my children to return from the land of the enemy.

My dear sisters, the adversary of my soul wanted me to be weighed down by shame, guilt, and regrets so that, once again, it would be about me and not about my purpose of preserving lives, my child’s life. But thanks be to God, who causes us to triumph through Christ Jesus, I was able to hear a word from the Lord God, YOU ARE NOT TOO LATE….IT’S NOT OVER!!

As women, this is another common battle that we have to learn to face and conquer: forgiving ourselves for the things we regret doing/not doing and gaining strength to face the consequences of those decisions. If you are wrestling against the spirits of shame, guilt, and/or regrets, know that God is not holding your past against you. He is waiting for you to come and reason with Him so that He can direct your path in pursuing, overtaking, and recovering all.

I left my conversation with the Lord, having an assurance that although my daughter – my firstborn – is currently being held captive in the camp of the enemy, God is with me to go get her, overtake the head start of the enemy, and RECOVER ALL!

Dear Father, Please grant me the faith, courage, and endurance to keep on pursuing the adversary who took my daughter, until I have overtaken him and recovered all, IN JESUS’NAME, Amen!

DIG DEEPER:

  1. Devotional: It’s Not Too Late! PURSUE ….
  2. Prayer Room: Warfare for My Children

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Two Mothers

My focus of study for this month was the Old Testament book of Leviticus. As I neared its end and read the story of Shelomith, I began to think of the many women in the Bible who had to live through the consequences of unwise decisions of their loved ones. We were not given the details of how they were affected, but we know that they were affected nonetheless.

Here is a poem that I came across a few years ago which forced me to think of my sisters from Biblical days in a new light, Two Mothers.

TWO MOTHERS

Long time ago, so I have been told,
Two angels once met on streets paved with gold.
“By the stars in your crown,” said the one to the other
“I see that on earth, you too, were a mother.

And by, the blue-tinted halo you wear
“You, too, have known sorrow and deepest despair…”
“Ah yes,” she replied, “I once had a son,
A sweet little lad, full of laughter and fun.”

“But tell of your child.” “Oh, I knew I was blessed
From the moment I first held him close to my breast,
And my heart almost burst with the joy of that day.”
“Ah, yes,” said the other, “I felt the same way.”

The former continued: “The first steps he took-
So eager and breathless; the sweet startled look
Which came over his face – he trusted me so.”
“Ah, yes,” said the other, “How well do I know”

“But soon he had grown to a tall handsome boy,
So stalwart and kind – and it gave me so much joy
To have him just walk down the street by my side”
“Ah yes, “said the other mother,
“I felt the same pride.”

“How often I shielded and spared him from pain
And when he for others was so cruelly slain.
When they crucified him – and they spat in his face
How gladly would I have hung there in his place!”

A moment of silence – “Oh then you are she –
The mother of Christ”; and she fell on one knee.
But the Blessed one raised her up, drawing her near,
And kissed from the cheek of the woman, a tear.

“Tell me the name of the son you love so,
That I may share with your grief and your woe.”
She lifted her eyes, looking straight at the other,
“He was Judas Iscariot: I am his mother.”

Author Unknown

As ezerwatchers, we are connected so strongly to those to whom we have been assigned to “help” that there are times when their decisions and actions pierce us in ways which seems so hard to bear. What do we do then? From where can we find help? To whom do we go for comfort and relief from the pain?

Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV) states “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

This is how The Message Bible paraphrases these verses: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

My dear sisters, today I agree with you in prayer that your faith will not fail.

I declare that you will not drown under the heaviness of sorrows brought on by loss.

You will not be overcome by any evil, but you will walk as you are – more than a conqueror through Him that loves you.

Receive the strength of God this day!

Receive grace for the journey!

Know that you are NOT alone!

You are making it and will make it to the end!

DIG DEEPER:
1. Devotional – Shelomith

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Who Are You?

Excerpt from the Prayer Room’s I KNOW WHO I AM – (A PRAYER OF DECLARATION):

  1. I AM AN AGENT OF CHANGE on assignment from heaven to bring change to my world.
  2. I AM AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, so I HAVE AUTHORITY to command and affect change on earth.
  3. I AM EQUIPPED with power, gifts, and abilities to be successful in my assignment.
  4. I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM.

But who are you really?

Most humans are born with their senses intact and functioning. They can receive and respond to stimuli in their environment. However, not all humans’ senses function to the same degree. For some, specific senses and/or sensory organs are more heightened than for others.

This is because every human is a carrier. We are carriers of the blueprints or instructions needed for the development, sustenance, and reproduction of that which God wants to see manifested upon Earth. We transport God’s ideas and inventions into this earth realm. The Lord God has encoded within us that which is needed for our assignment and for the war.

If we just paused for a moment and reflect on what makes me different from the others who came out of the same womb, we would be surprised at the glimpse into the revelation of who we are.

After spending some time looking at my life, analyzing the ways in which I was different, my strengths and weaknesses, patterns, cycles, attacks from the enemy, and my preferred mode of response, I discovered some things about myself. I came to understand that, although the following is true of all humans, and in particular, the children of God, for me they are especially true. I arrived at the following answers to the question of, “Who are you?”

  • I was built and designed – A Student of THE WORD – hence my attraction to books, study, teaching, and teachers of the word.
  • My greatest strength is WORDS.  I have been given the ability to see a word and uncover things in it that are (otherwise) hidden from the eyes of mortals.
  • I have been given the ability to hear words on frequencies….
  • I have been given the ability to use words to shape the minds of others; to build ministries; to build relationships; to call things into existence.
  • My greatest weaknesses/attacks therefore are linked to words. The words I hear have the ability to break my spirit and wound me terribly. So do the words I see (read) and the words I say. Hence the struggles with my speech.
  • The gift of WORDS is not only evident in my ability to see and hear the “veiled” things, but it is also connected to my ability to write – hence my obsession with writing.

What about you? Do you know who you really are? Are you able to identify what makes you different, at the core?

Such knowledge is needed to effectively wield your power, gifts, and abilities to be successful in your assignment.

Such knowledge is needed to affect lasting change in your world.

Such knowledge is needed to realize victory in your spheres: internal life, marriage, family, work, community, and church.

I submit that many of the struggles that we have in our relationships and assignments as women may be linked to a lack of knowledge of who we are. Would you make a commitment today to go beyond who you were told you are and discover who you really are?

PRAYER: Lord, I hear you. Please give me a revelation of the true me. Open my eyes that I might see beyond what others see in me. May your Holy Spirit reveal what flesh and blood cannot reveal. As you reveal, help my whole being – body, soul, and spirit – to come into alignment with who I really am; with who you designed me to be. Lord, I know that you not only sent me, but you are with me, and I shall ….”

DIG DEEPER:
1. Devotional – What Did He Call Me?

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I HAVE an ‘ezer!

The month of June 2020 is a momentous month for me. It is a month in which I celebrate two anniversaries: my 7th year anniversary of migrating to the USA and my 1-year anniversary of the launching of ‘ezerwatchers. Celebrating any kind of anniversary causes one to reflect; to look back at where you came from and where you are currently. Consequently, upon reflecting on both, I could only come to one conclusion: Through it all, I had and still have an ‘ezer. This fact is especially significant to me today because of what I am about to face.

In my first blog post for 2020 – New Year, New Training – I wrote, “For me, this new year – this start of a new decade – is another opportunity to become more skillful in warfare; the kind of warfare which, at its roots, is about listening to and obeying God’s commands. With this year comes new training for battles for which I lack experience.”

In that post, I also asked the questions, “What battle experience(s) am I lacking? What has God allowed to remain in my life from the previous year(s) that would give me the necessary training and experience so that I can become more fit for and skilled in warfare?What “enemy” has been left in my life for testing and proving; to know whether I would listen and obey the commands of the Lord?”

I concluded that, although I may have entered a new year, there will still be some old, remaining, or leftover things that I will have to deal with for my betterment. The Holy Spirit was impressing upon me to be careful not to offer wasted prayers, rebuking and cancelling the very things that the Lord has ordained for my growth and development.

At the time that I penned those words, I had no idea that six months later, in June, I would be taking a surgery for a health condition that I had been battling for some time. As I woke this morning and thought… six days away, I heard, this is an opportunity to not only SEE God as my ‘ezer, but EXPERIENCE Him as the true epitome, true prototype, of who and what an ‘ezer ought to be.

I was reminded of Genesis 2:18. Adam was alone. It was not good for him to be alone so, God made a help suitable for him. God made him an ‘ezer. As much as my husband, my children, and my mother are walking through this battle with me, I need an ‘ezer: one who can HELP in ways that they cannot. Just as Adam could not find a suitable helper (‘ezer) and God made him one, even so God is my ‘ezer in this season of warfare.

Motivated by this thought, I reached for my study tools at my bedside and began to dig deeper into this concept of ‘ezer. I was reminded that ‘ezer ( a noun) was derived from the verb ‘azar which means to surround, that is to protect or aid. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon states of ‘azar – The primary idea lies in girding, surrounding, hence defending. It is used of an ally in war (1 Kings 20:16) and means to be helped (Psalms 28:7), especially by God (2 Chronicles 26:15; 1Chronicles 5:20) “and they were helped against them,” i.e. God gave them the victory.

When I think of undergoing general anesthesia and the whole surgical procedure, I embrace this idea of girding and surrounding. According to Israelbiblicalstudies.com, “to gird does not mean just to fasten, but to encircle and make safe. It comes from the root word that means to lock up, as in a city that is encircled by a wall.”  I find comfort in knowing that even though I will be under anesthesia, in a medically-induced coma, I have an ‘ezer who will encircle me and keep me safe. Although I will be unconscious, hence unaware of and unable to participate in this battle for my life, while I am asleep, there is one who will shield me and fight for me.

2 Chronicles 32:8 says, “With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help [‘azar] us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.”  In this battle, I am growing in the strategy of warfare called Resting in God’s words.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee [‘azar]; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

I go into this surgery knowing, believing, that God is my ‘ezer and that God will ‘azar me. He is my helper, my ally in this battle for my health. He will surround me; be all around me, enclose me on all sides. He will lock me in and keep me safe as a walled city. The end result is that God will cause me to conquer this enemy because, I have an ‘ezer.

I do not know what battle you may be facing today; what obstacle you are finding difficult to surmount. What I do know is that you have an ‘ezer. You do not have to face this battle alone. God is your help and, if you can just rest in His words, you will see the deliverance from the sword of your adversary.

Pray with me: My Father and My God, please help me to rest in your words so that I can experience you in a personal way during this time of difficulty. Cause me to lean on you as my ‘ezer, my present help and comforter. May I find in you the support I need to carry me through and over this ordeal. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

DIG DEEPER:
Prayer Room: From one ‘ezer to another

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LOOK UP!

Excerpt from my prayer journal on 3/18/2020
I awoke this morning and laid in bed thinking about my day ahead. Today marks the first day that I will be teaching from home because of school closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak. School closures, social distancing, discretionary travel, cancellation of events, scarcity in the supermarkets, etc…. The list of the many things that are arresting our attention goes on and on, and we find ourselves distracted from our walk of faith.
As I lay in bed, several passages of scriptures came to mind. The first was Luke 21:26, 28 – Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:… And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

I thought about what Jesus said our response should be during times like these: LOOK UP and LIFT UP YOUR HEADS. So I hopped out of bed, grabbed my study gear and began to research what exactly was meant by those two phrases. I discovered that the former phrase (LOOK UP) refers to a change in attitude, while the latter ( LIFT UP YOUR HEAD) refers to a change in focus.
As I meditated on what I was discovering, I realized that the Spirit of God was counseling me so that I could experience victory during this season of pandemic. He was drawing my attention to the strategy Jesus had given almost two thousand years ago; a strategy that would not only ensure my survival but my victory.
Guard against distraction….DO NOT BE DISTRACTED!!

When men’s hearts’ begin to fail them for fear, that is a sign that we need to implement a new strategy.
CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE!
CHANGE YOUR FOCUS!
Your redemption is near!

Heavenly Father, please help me not to sorrow and wallow in Fear as the world is doing now. Help me not to allow Fear and all of the bad news to draw my attention away from what you expect of me. Teach me how to change my attitude and my focus and give me the strength to follow through on both, in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

DIG DEEPER:
1. Bible Study: Unbend
2. Prayer Room: Lord Guard My Focus (2)

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO REVISIT:
The Bible Study Series – Change of Focus, Change of Perspective
Blog Post – It Might Just Be an Illusion!
Bible Study – Maintaining Focus


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Bent Over!

I smile. I laugh. I do everything within my power to keep up appearances, because I do not want to rob my family of the wife and mother they deserve. But there are times when I am unable to be that ezerWatcher in their lives, because I am bent over.

In Luke 13:11-13, we are told of a woman who was bent over. We are told that the cause of her condition was the result of a spirit of infirmity that she had for 18 years. Was she bent over for those 18 years or did the permanency of the bent condition gradually set in? We were not told.

However, what we can surmise is that she was not in hiding. She was in public view; her plight was apparent to all. Yet only one, truly saw her need and responded to that needed. Her plight screamed so loudly (though she was silent), that it interrupted his activity.

We are told that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues. When he saw her, he stopped teaching and called her to him. He didn’t call her to draw attention to her plight; rather he called her to give her a release that was overdue. He spoke a word of deliverance over her, laid his hands on her, and watched as 18 years of infirmity fell off her back. Immediately she was straight, no longer bent over!

As women, sometimes we struggle with some types of infirmities that may not be visible to the naked eye. Our bodies go through stages and phases that oftentimes even we do not understand. There are times when these infirmities put us in positions where we, like this woman, are unable to lift ourselves. We continue attending church. We continue with our daily tasks, not realizing that every day the burden of the infirmity is causing us to bend a little lower than the day before.

Eventually, we awake to the fact that we are completely bent over. We can no longer lift ourselves, nor those around us. This very lack of strength or ability to lift ourselves then becomes an additional weight of worry and guilt, because we are not able to function as the ezer we know we were created to be. The weight of that knowledge causes us to be even more bent over. If left unnoticed or unaddressed, gradually we become so bent that we find ourselves in a prison of despair.

But thanks be to God! We have a Savior who can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). His ears are attuned to the silent screams of our hearts. He is never too busy to call us to himself, speak a word of deliverance over our lives, and lay his hands of healing upon us.

My sister, he is waiting for your response to his call today. Would you be made whole? Will you come to Jesus as he calls you today? Will you heed his invitation, come aside for a while, and allow him to cause all the weights you are carrying to fall off so that you can be straight again?

Every now and then we may find ourselves bending beneath the weight of life; the weight of being ezer. But we were not created to bear that weight alone. Jesus died so that we do not have to remain bent over!

DIG DEEPER:
1. Bible Study – The God Who Hears & Sees Me

***Infirmity – from the Greek word astheneia – means want of strength, weakness, infirmity
A. Of the body
– Its native weakness and frailty
– Feebleness of health or sickness

B. Of the soul – want of strength and capacity requisite
– To understand a thing
– To do things great and glorious
– To restrain corrupt desires
– To bear trials and troubles

***Bowed together – from the Greek word sygkypto – means bent completely forward, stooped together i.e. completely overcome by it.

***Lift up – from the Greek word anakyptoa – means to unbend (as in a reversal) i.e. to rise figuratively, be elated – look up.
– To raise or lift one’s self up (i) one’s body; (ii) one’s soul

*** Key Terms definitions are taken from Strong’s Concordance and Thayer’s Greek Lexicon.