Tag: #Spiritualsensitivity

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How to Overcome Blurred Vision

 “... I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, …. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:8, 13, NIV).

Melissa is on her way back to her hometown after having been away for 3 years. When she left home, she was full of joy for and anticipation of the great opportunity ahead. She was walking into her best life, or so she thought. However, the following 3 years were filled with shattered dreams and downtrodden expectations, unexpected suffering, and almost intolerable pain. Returning home was her only hope but the thought of all she had lost and what lay ahead filled her with inconsolable grief. She could not stop crying.

Having resolved to start the journey home, Melissa packed the U-Haul truck and drove off towards the north. But she could not stop crying. She navigated the route with tears rolling down her cheeks, until she heard these words: “If you don’t stop crying, you will not be able to see the road; you will not be able to see where you are going.”

As I reflected on 2023 and turned my gaze toward 2024, the memory of one of my co-workers testimony flooded my mind. Melissa shared with me how God’s leading and guidance brought her through one of the darkest times of her life and that guidance began with the words she heard in that U-Haul truck. Those words were life changing for her and, at the time that she told me her testimony, it was as if the Lord Himself was speaking those words to me.

So often, our forward movement is hindered not because of a lack of sight, but rather because of cloudy or blurred vision caused by tears. Tears of sorrow because of the pain of losses; tears resulting from having to let go. Tears of fear brought on by the unknown, not knowing what lies ahead. Tears that cause us to freeze in place, not able to move forward.

I listened and was pointed to Ecclesiastes 3:1 -11a (NIV). “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…. He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Every activity has a season assigned to it and accepting the end of seasons, though sometimes difficult, is essential to our ability to move into the next for our lives. Like Paul, we must master the art of “counting all this as loss…. forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:7, 13, NKJV).

The year 2023 has come to an end and we have just entered a new year. We are not sure where our path will take us this year. But one thing is certain: if we don’t stop crying, we won’t be able to clearly see the path ahead. My prayer for you this year is clarity of sight and that God would grant you the comfort, courage, and grace to stand despite sorrow so that you can “make your way prosperous and have good success” (Joshua 1:8, NKJV).

Friend, wipe away the tears. Position your eyes to see. Lift your eyes so you can see with clarity the length and breadth of that which the Lord God has in store for you and be able to safely navigate the path to get there. This year can be an amazing year if you reject blurred vision brought on by tears.

Let us pray: Our Heavenly Father, as I begin my journey into this new year, I pray that you would grant me grace to let go the things I need to and embrace the new things that you are sending into my life. May my life be characterized by joy and not sorrow, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below and share the post on your social media. Thank you for your support.

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Right thing, Wrong time

Grace and I were on our way to visit a church. I punched in the address in the GPS and we set off. According to the GPS, the journey should be about 26 minutes, that is, it should take us about 26 minutes to get to our destination. About 6 minutes into the journey, Grace asked, “Mummy, are you watching the map?” I then looked at the GPS, sighed and said, “I just added 3 minutes to our time.”

I missed a turn! I was distracted; I was engrossed in thought. I was not concentrating on or paying attention to the journey because my mind was preoccupied with what the Lord had revealed to me that morning during my time with Him. I was doing a good thing, a God-thing but at the wrong time. 

The consequence of my inattention was additional stops and ultimately delay. The initial route from the point where I veered off required 6 traffic lights stops but the route I ended up taking had over 15 traffic light stops. As I drove and waited at each traffic light, I fought the feelings of frustration that the wait invoked. I told myself there was nothing I could do, at this point, but stay the course and remain focused going forward so I can make it to my destination sooner than later.

As I talked myself into remaining calm, I pondered on how the delay meant that we would miss what was ministered to the congregation within the first 5 minutes of the 1-hour service as well as whatever else the Lord had prepared to release into our lives at that time. I saw how delay not only makes the heart sick but it robs us of some of what was rightfully prepared for us, while bringing into our lives unnecessary interruptions and the frustrations that accompany them.

I thought of my current journey and wondered:

  1. Could it be that the frustrations that I am experiencing is because of a delay?
  2. Could it be that I am doing the right thing but because of lack of focus I have fallen behind schedule and am no longer in sync with the timing of God?
  3. Could it be that the delay or setbacks I am blaming the adversary for are a result of my failure to be intentional or give keen attention to my journey?
  4. Could it be that I am doing the right thing but at the wrong time?

I am reminded of the five foolish virgins in the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 25. The reason they did not experience their expected end (Jeremiah 29:11, KJV) was because they were doing the right thing at the wrong time.

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10, NIV). 

These virgins were doing the right thing: “going to those who sell oil and buying some for themselves” so that they could complete their assignment of lighting the path for the bridal procession. They ended up at the right destination: the wedding banquet but were denied access. Why? Although they were doing the right thing and were at the right place, they had missed the right time. Their lack of focus and attention during the journey opened the door to a delay that caused them to be out of time and to incur unnecessary sufferings.

Similarly, we are told in Luke 19:40-44 that Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they missed their time of visitation and the price they would pay was untold sufferings.

On the other hand, the Shunnamite woman understood that it was not enough to do the right thing; the right thing must be done at the right time. 2 Kings 8 1-4 (NIV) tells us , “Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years. At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land.”

She moved in the timing prescribed and “It so happened that as Gehazi was telling the king the story of the dead person brought back to life, the woman whose son was brought to life showed up asking for her home and farm” (2 Kings 8:5, MSG). The king ordered, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now” (2 Kings 8:6, NIV).

My dear friends, when we do the right things at the right time, we intercept the things that God has already prepared for us. But we must be mindful that it is possible to be following the leading of the Holy Spirit and still fall behind schedule. How? If we are not vigilant about distractions, especially those that stem from within – internal distractions- we can propagate a cycle of delay in our lives, limiting ourselves from being and doing ALL that the Lord God has fashioned us to be and do. In this year of recovery, let us be intentional about being on the lookout for distractions, staying focused, and endeavoring not only to obey but to be in time as well.

Let us pray: O Heavenly Father, please grant me the grace for discernment that you gave the sons of Issachar so I can understand not only what you want me to do but the right time at which it should be done. I break the cycle of delay over my life, in Jesus’ name, and receive strength to be vigilant as I follow the leading of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Because I know Him!

“… but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32b, KJV()

Yesterday my son John and I were in Walmart Supercenter when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID on my phone and saw that it was my husband, his father. Before answering the call, I said to John, “He is in the store and is calling to ask which aisle we are on.”

Then, I answered the phone and, sure enough, that was what he asked.

When I hung up the phone, John looked at me in wonder and asked, “How did you know?”

My response to him was, “Because I know Him.”

As I sat on my bed this morning, that exchange came back to my mind and the statement, “Because I know Him” hit my spirit followed by a strong desire to really know the Lord God. I thought, “O how I desire to get to that place in God where I can know Him like that; where

  1. I can predict life’s happenings, God’s movements, not because I am “a prophet” or am “prophetic” but Because I know Him.
  2. I can be convinced of the outcome, Because I know Him.
  3. I can truly rest and be at peace, Because I know Him.
  4. I can smile in the midst of the storm (not as a cliché saying or as a façade, but), Because I know Him.

I WANT TO KNOW HIM LIKE THAT! Don’t you?

Dear Holy Spirit, hear the cry of our hearts today and cause us to draw closer to You so we can grow in our relationship with You. May our hearts yearn to know You until we are moved to that place. In Jesus’ name, Amen

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REFLECTION & MEDITATION

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. – Psalms 143:5 (KJV)

I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. – Psalms 77:6 (KJV)

My dear sisters, here is another strategy for victory that the Holy Spirit has been teaching me. It is another weapon that the Father has given us to ensure our success in the battles we will encounter throughout this journey called life. This strategy provides us a source from which we can discover more of who we are and gain resources to fulfill our various assignments here on earth. It is the strategy of Reflection and Meditation.

Reflection = serious thought or consideration; a thought or writing about something, particularly in the past, or what one sees when looking into a mirror or body of water.

Meeting the Lord at my place of prayer and just thinking, seriously and carefully considering something in His Presence is an act of prayer.
– NOT asking or telling, but thinking.
– NOT fretting (being worried or anxious), but thinking.
– NOT complaining (expressing dissatisfaction or annoyance about something), but thinking.

Thinking = reasoning with God; making rational judgments; getting understanding; discerning; seeing God’s mind concerning a thing.

This is what I sometimes experience in my early morning times of communion with the Lord. As I reflect on activities, situations, and circumstances, He gives me discernment and understanding, causing me to make rational judgments about what my subsequent responses or actions should be.

This is not contrary to Scripture. In fact, David practiced this form of prayer. He gives us a glimpse of this in both Psalms 143:5 and Psalms 77:6. He tells us that [he] remembered the old days, went over all [the Lord has] done, pondered the ways [the Lord has] worked (Psalms 143:5 MSG). He shares in Psalms 77:6 (NET), I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang; I will think very carefully.” I tried to make sense of what was happening.

Meditation = to focus one’s thoughts (on one thing) for a period of time; dedicating a certain amount of time to be mindful about something.

When we talk about reflection, we should think about a mirror. Reflection is about my thoughts – letting them go and having them bounce back to me, giving me insight to my strengths and weaknesses. When I spend time in prayer reflecting, the Holy Spirit/the word, my mirror, reveals what I need to work on or change (what needs refinement in my life) AND what I need to reinforce or guard so as to preserve.

Meditation, on the other hand, allows me to see circumstances (others included) from God’s perspective, therefore informing my plans and decisions. Joshua 1:8 (MSG) says, “Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed.“

Dear friends, in your times of communion with the Father, allow for moments of reflection and meditation. I guarantee you that many of the answers that you have been looking for will be found in this position of prayer.

Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. – AMEN!

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Infected?

As we prayed this morning, I felt directed to pay attention to the state of the spiritual environment. I have learned that indulging in repeated acts (habits) draw or attract the spirits associated with that act. Additionally, things that appear in the physical realm are usually (1) a manifestation of what is occurring in the spiritual realm OR (2) an illusion that the adversary is propagating to deceive many.

In either case, what I see, hear, smell, feel – what I sense in the physical – is connected to an entity in the spiritual realm. So, although my household has been protected so far from the COVID-19 infection, it does not negate that the infection and all things resulting from its effect on the earth are manifesting and have manifested.

I need to look at this virus and its effects so as to trace the spirits that have been unleashed and are actively working in our world at this time:
– UNEMPLOYMENT = lack, poverty, hopelessness/despair, suicide, loss, homelessness;
– SHUT-DOWN = quarantine, shelter-in-place, isolation, separation, loneliness, fear, anxiety, abandonment;
– SICKNESS & DEATHS = sorrow, loss, grief, lostness, doubt, mistrust
– RACIAL PROTESTS = anger, violence, hatred, malice, murder, injustice

As I stop and look, really look, I see how I have taken the state of the spiritual environment for granted. My lack of attention to it has exposed my family and me to spiritual infection.

Masks are being required more and more as a defense against this virus. Countries are pushing for their people to wear masks as their personal protective equipment (PPE). But what spiritual PPE have we put on as a spiritual defense against those spirits that have accompanied the pandemic?

In my studies and subsequent teachings on “Overcoming Emotions”, I realized that our senses as well as our emotions were given to us as organs of perception that will help us navigate and survive in this world. Moreover, we saw that this perception is not just limited to the physical realm but is also connected to the spiritual realm. With the onslaught of issues arising from the effects of this pandemic, our emotions are functioning as God designed them, attempting to convey to us changes in our spiritual environment. They are doing so in an effort to help us navigate and survive this pandemic; to protect and preserve not just our physical lives but our spiritual lives as well.

With this in mind, I ask myself, “Could it be that what I have been feeling these past weeks was me actually sensing activities or pulses in the spiritual realm? Could it be that the symptoms of feeling mentally, emotionally and spiritually faint or tired/fatigued/exhausted are an indication that I have been spiritually exposed?”

If so, I need to QUARANTINE. I need to stay home and monitor my spiritual health. I need to spiritually distance myself from every evil spirit that is seeking to infect me with Lack, Loneliness, Despair, Anxiety, Fear, Anger, Doubt, and every other spirit that is actively working through this pandemic. I need to go to my place of refuge – God – and find shelter under His wings (Psalms 46:1; Psalms 91:1). I need to take the time that I need to be spiritually recovered and be back to full strength again.

Holy Spirit, You are ever-working, ever-active. You know just how to get our attention and how to lead and guide us into our truth, that is, the truth we need for today. You are my parakletos indeed – the One who walks alongside me as my Help. May I connect with you once more in the place of prayer and find strength for the battle. May Your all-sufficient grace be realized in me as I fight for my survival and that of my family. May I walk with the sight of the Spirit, knowing that my steps are ordered by You. – AMEN!

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Your Assignment

One of the goals of ezerwatchers.com is to help women learn how to effectively fulfill their various assignments in the kingdom of God. If you are one of the many women who are asking, “But how can I find my assignment?” this blog post uses the first two chapters of the book of Nehemiah to provide insight on how you can identify your assignment and how to prepare for the execution of the assignment.

  1. You don’t have to go looking for your assignment. Your assignment will find you. (Neh. 1:1-3)
  2. You will know it is your assignment because it will hit your spirit, affect your mind, and cause a burden to be conceived in your soul. (Neh. 1:4)
  3. That burden will then drive you to prayer, to seeking God (Neh. 1:5-11). Your prayer will not be about “they” and “them”, but “us”. You will find yourself owning the problem that your assignment is assigned to solve.
  4. God will begin to connect you with someone or people who have the necessary resources to fund the assignment. (Neh. 1:11, last clause)
  5. Timing is key. Be sensitive to God’s timing to know when to solicit help from that connection (Neh. 2:1, 3 months later)
  6. Research. Seek God beforehand to know the needs of the assignment. Be ready with a “business plan” or proposal for when that connection approaches you (Neh. 2:4).

In addition, here is a list of things that the assignment will require:

  1. Permission to go/do something specific. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” (Neh. 2:5 NKJV). After you have identified your assignment (that specific thing that you know God is asking you to do), you will still need to wait for authorization and a release from the Lord God.
  2. An allotted time frame. Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. (Neh. 2:6 NKJV) Seek Him not only to know the time to go but for the length of time that you should be on that assignment.
  3. A safe means to get you to the place of your assignment. Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah. (Neh. 2:7 NKJV)
  4. Materials/Resources to do the actual task and for your sustenance during the time you will be embarked on that assignment. And a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me. (Neh. 2:8 NKJV)
  5. Protection. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. (Neh. 2:8 NKJV) Remember, not because you are on an assignment from God, it means that you will not have opposition and adversaries. It is a guarantee that you will have both. So be sure to petition the King for protection; for the accompaniment of his army.

Dear Lord God, thank You for Your words of wisdom and instructions. Thank You for clarifying for me the way that I should go. Holy Spirit, please help me in my weakness. Grant me the stamina needed to stay before the Father in prayer until I receive the plan for my assignment. Lead me to that connection who You have blessed with the resources for this assignment. Lord, I ask for your intervention, in no other name than the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

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Allergens

…to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:14 KJV).

I have never been diagnosed with sinusitis nor a sinus infection but, I have had some serious allergy problems during certain seasons. A few years ago, I was out of school for a couple of days because of allergies. My allergic reaction was so bad that my usual dose of Zyrtec could not relieve the symptoms. I had to get a butt shot (OUCH!!) to be able to return to school.

During the spring and summer months, my immune system goes into major battle mode. For at least half of the year, my body wages war against allergens. An allergen is any substance that triggers the immune system, causing an allergic reaction. Some allergens include dust, mold, pollen, and pet dander. Although harmless, they are recognized by my immune system as harmful. Whenever they are present in my environment, my immune system overreacts producing antibodies to attack and destroy them, thus defending the body from this invasion.

The battle is evident by the symptoms manifesting in my body: sneezing, watery eyes, itching eyes, ears, roof of mouth, throat and nose, congestion, runny nose, and sometimes wheezing. The severity of the symptoms are determined by the type and amount of allergens encountered and by how my immune system decides to react to them. So now, I can tell when there is an allergen in my environment. I may not be able to identify its source or what exactly it is, but I know it is present. How do I know? The symptoms.

However, although these allergens are harmless, there are microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi that do pose a real threat to the body. The immune system is given to us to defend the body, by keeping these invaders out or by destroying infections caused by those invaders that successfully gain entrance.

As in the natural so it is in the spiritual. There are things in our spiritual environment that triggers our spiritual immune system to go into battle-mode. I want my spiritual system to be so sensitive that I can detect when the adversary or his agents are in my environment. I want to be acquainted with the symptoms that will inform my understanding that a battle is raging in my spiritual atmosphere. I want to be aware of when there is a need to launch an attack, neutralize the potency of every would-be invader, and stop their advancement, causing them to retreat. This sensitivity will guarantee maintenance of my spiritual health and wellbeing.

One of the ways that I can gain such sensitivity is by growing from being a babe in Christ that can only handle milk into the woman that God had designed and equipped me to be; that perfected woman – one who is of full age – skilful in the word of righteousness. This acquired skill develops by reason of use, that is by having my senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5: 13-14 KJV).

Heavenly Father, please help me to grow up. Help me in this discovery of who I am to find myself in Your word and be transformed. May I become able to handle the strong meat of Your word. Help me to practice living by Your word daily so that by reason of use, I can have my senses exercised to detect the invaders in my atmosphere and be successful as a warrior in Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

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SCENT MANAGEMENT

My second daughter turned 14 years old over this past weekend. As I watched her enjoy her birthday celebrations, I was reminded of her as a newborn infant, clutching to only me at first, rooting for my breast. Her actions were that of one who could detect the unique signature odor of her mother and rested in the comfort and trust which that scent represented.

I woke this morning being instructed by the Holy Spirit. As I slowly awoke, I heard the statements:
• “Sin multiplies.”
• “Sin carries a stench.”
• “Unclean spirits are attracted to that scent.”
• “Sin, when it is full blown, leads to death.”

I not only heard the statements but saw scripture references simultaneously: Genesis 6; Genesis 4; Romans 6; James 1. So I hopped out of bed, grabbed my study tools and, with the memory of my daughter as an infant and those 4 statements as my focal points, went to studying. I found out something very important: spirits are attracted by the spiritual odor I exude. My scent attracts and repels. Managing my spiritual scent then is another strategy of spiritual warfare.

In my research, I found out that each person has a distinct odor, a natural scent called their signature odor. For newborn infants, though they can’t recognize their mother by sight, their highly sensitive sense of smell causes them to recognize their mother by her natural scent, by her signature odor. I also discovered that my infant becomes so familiar with my scent that she can even detect the difference, in odor, between my breast milk and that of another mother’s. This is why mothers of newborn infants are often cautioned against wearing strong scents such as perfumes or fragrance skin products. The baby’s sense of smell is so sensitive that strong scents/odors can become overwhelming and interfere with their sense of taste.

Wanting to understand what the Spirit was teaching me, I delved further into my research on body odor. You see, I have learned from the word and from experience that the natural, physical world mirrors the spiritual world in some ways. If we exude scents/odors from our bodies from which others can detect and extract accurate information, then our spirits also exude scents/odors from which other spirits can detect and extract accurate information about our condition or state. Our body odor can inform a sensitive or highly trained individual of various body conditions (like problems with specific organs, hormonal changes, disorders), choices (like diet), emotional state, and life stages.

As I thought on this and its parallel in the spiritual realm, I was reminded of the fact that not only am I an ‘ezer, a watcher, but I am also being watched and being targeted. After all, I am in a war. Just as I am studying warfare, so that I would not be ignorant of my adversary’s devices, even so he is studying me as prey (1 Peter 5:8). The clues I give, through the scents my spirit exude, inform that predator of my state. Then he chooses whether to retreat or attack.

But this doesn’t only apply to me. It applies to everyone, even my children who may not be as skilled in the warfare as I am. I thought of my 14-year old daughter, her current stage in life and her hormonal shifts which will likely affect her emotional state. I thought of what “odor” she may be emitting spiritually that may get the attention and “favor” of unwanted spirits. I pictured them, just like the beast who crouched at Cain’s door, waiting for a foothold to enter in and master/overpower him (Genesis 4:5-7).

I thought, “For the sake of my children, I need to manage my spiritual scent so that my children’s spirit can always locate my unique, signature odor AND find that place of safety, comfort and rest.” I cannot afford for my scent to be masked by the cares and stresses of life, lest they would not be able to find their ezer warrior that God has assigned to them for their “help”. For their sake, I must manage my scent so that I do not attract unwanted attention and cause them to have to fight unnecessary battles.

This Mother’s Day 2020, I want to encourage you, as an ezer warrior for your family, to manage your scent. Don’t let your children or those entrusted in your care smell the stench of anxiety or fear exuding from you. Don’t let the cares of life so overwhelm and overcharge you that your environment becomes a beacon for unclean spirits. Fill your space with the aroma of sacrificial praise and sacrificial worship. Attract the presence and favor of God and repel the crouching and stalking of the adversary. This Mother’s Day reproduce for your children the first gift they got from you, after birth, the gift of your scent.

DIG DEEPER:
Bible Study: What’s that Smell?

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TIME MANAGEMENT: Warfare Against The PRESS

I awoke this morning remembering a vision that I awoke to about a year ago. It was a vision showing the state of spiritual activity on Earth. In the vision, I did not see fixed bodily forms but rather an understanding of concepts and truths revealed to us in scripture. In this “vision”, there were three layers of activity in the Earth.

  1. In the first and uppermost layer, there was Jesus seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come, with all things under His feet (Ephesians 1:20-22).
  2. In the second layer, the one far below Jesus Christ’s, there were these principalities, powers, mights, dominions, and all sorts of names actively moving around, influencing the activities of humans on Earth.
  3. The third layer, the lowest of the three, had at its top (just below the bottom of the second layer) the things that consume our daily living: jobs/careers, marriage/relationships, finances, children, desires, emotions, and the list went on and on. They circled and amassed as a crowd at the upper area of that third layer to the point where they became a barrier, a wall. I stood on the floor, at the bottom, of this third layer, with my hands outstretched and my eyes lifted in prayer. Though at my core I am a spirit, my physical body with its dependence on my physical senses to understand and navigate this physical world, kept me grounded, earth-bound, limited in my ability to pierce through the barriers of the second and third layers so as to partner with Jesus Christ in victory, through prayer.

Why did I get this vision? At the time, for about 3 weeks, I had been consistently spending quality time with the Lord, early in the morning, at the beginning of each day. This communion and fellowship with the Holy Spirit was so consistent that I would awake in the morning hearing words of advice, counsel, and admonition.

I experienced what the prophet Isaiah spoke about in Isaiah 50:4 – “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned.” I like how the NIV translation states it: The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.However, the week prior to my awakening with this vision, the constancy in my communion with the Holy Spirit was broken. The cause? Busyness. That week I was super busy. The busyness so drained me that I became tired and weary. I was so exhausted from the many obligations that I had to fulfill that I would awake late in the morning and not be able to have that quality time with the Holy Spirit. Getting the children to school on time and my arriving to work also on time became a great effort because of how worn out I felt.

Nonetheless, I awoke that morning with this picture in my mind and realized that the Holy Spirit was being my Help. He had penetrated the barrier of tiredness and exhaustion to reveal to me the attack and strategy of the enemy. I later called this strategy The PRESS. You see, the enemy had filled up my atmosphere with busyness so as to cause excessive exertion and lack of sleep. His purpose was to use the PRESS of my daily activities to block my access to the heavenlies. I learned in my Science classes that the atmosphere is very important to life on Earth and does many things to help protect life and help life to survive. The enemy’s agents in the second layer were influencing the timing of these activities to create a PRESS.

That morning the Holy Spirit taught me the importance of being aware of the condition of my atmosphere; the importance of being intentional in my warfare against the PRESS, which manifests as crowdedness. Crowdedness speaks of filling a space almost completely, leaving little or no room for movement.

The enemy’s desire is to keep us Earth-bound by keeping us crowded. When we are blocked in, our movements in the spiritual realm becomes restricted and we are unable to access our true position where we will experience victory. He works with TIME and uses time to frustrate our purposes so as to keep us locked in. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that the weapon of warfare needed to counteract this attack of the PRESS is the discipline of time management. Learning how to be and becoming disciplined as a manager of the time I am given will defeat CROWDEDNESS in my life.

Now why did I awake to this one-year old memory? Because promotion is fast approaching and I will be faced with some new obligations and new battles for which I lack experience. If I am to make my way prosperous and have good success at that new level, then I need to become more skillful in my warfare against the PRESS.

Could it be that the exhaustion and frustrations that you have been feeling lately are a result of the PRESS? Have you been crying to the Lord because you can’t seem to find TIME for Him as you would like? Join me as I continue to explore principles associated with this warfare gleaned from the lives of Zaccheus and Martha.

DIG DEEPER:

  1. Devotional: Isn’t There Anyone to Help Me?
  2. Bible Study: Surrounded? Run Before!