Finally!
Happy New year on the first of February!
Goodness gracious! I thank God for the people that pray for me each day and I cannot tell you enough that it is working! Proof is this blog here today!
Since this year started, there is a word that has been on everything I see. I turn right or left God, slaps with it on my face! Discipline.
I am going to share as I am learning because, if there is something that this God’s Delight knows and loves to do, is anything other than discipline. She adores spontaneity and that; blunts the lines of discipline.
2nd Timothy 1:7
For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Discipline as explained by many, is the force that pushes one to do what is required beyond what he or she feels. That’s the problem, we’ve been trained to do what feels good. Its only February, what happened to your new year resolution? Did you feel something else was better in a second than the goals you originally set at the start of the year? Myself I am no expert on this as mentioned earlier, but I have had some sought of foundation due to a passage that Holy Spirit keeps bringing to life, Genesis 41:17-24. I would advise you to read and hear what God tells you or and to better understand the read.
There are two images that keep playing in my mind. I have kept things under two categories. There are things when the image comes, my mind reads, seven years of famine. And there are other things that when the image pops up, my mind has recorded under seven years of plenty. There are things in my life that I barely lifted a finger; I had it in my hands. Come today, it doesn’t matter the amount of sweat, I could sweat blood, nothing will happen and the vice versa!
Because this has been a repeated image, coupled with the instruction on discipline and the pain of the things that are scarce, I have had to wise up. Perhaps it true when Alicia Britt Chole says that deserts unclutter the soul and emptiness has a greater power to strengthen our souls.
Inasmuch as discipline is a foreign concept to me as might be hard for you (or a piece of cake), I am governed by these images. I see the past as was, the present as is and of course the future is a big dark cloud with an unlocking bridge called either discipline or indiscipline. Every one of my actions begin to weigh a ton. What I spend or not spend my time on begins to either haunt me or give me peace.
1st Corinthians 9:27
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified
The images are screaming; there are places you treaded recklessly before, but grace and mercy covered up for you. This year, as much as Am true to my word that I will never leave you nor forsake you, you cannot keep drinking baby milk forever. Discipline is a bridge that I have given you to have a taste of your choices, chew the bones.
Said anonymous, “You can be a Solomon in wisdom or David in praise, or Abraham in faith, or Joshua in war. But if you are not Joseph in discipline, you will end up like Samson in destruction.” Every anointing requires discipline. Every result is governed by discipline. Before the year started, we organized a collective prayer and fasting with a few people to hear from God about the new year. Finished the three days successfully. On that same day, I had joined a 21 day zoom meeting as everyone is getting to end the year and start the year with God. The Woman of God leading the prayers, not knowing what my fear is on every last day of my fast, instructed me to do another three days.
Let me explain, growing up we used to attend this church that was led by a powerful woman of God. To this day, I have not seen a church that the Holy Spirit Speaks in tongue and provide interpretation there and then. I have seen different languages, but not tongues. The Spirit of God in this woman would literally make the devil tremble as is supposed to do! Witches came to disrupt the atmosphere as they try to see if they’ll be recognized. You speak 3D and 6D, she refused to go to the marketplace (African marketplaces are very different from American stores) due to how sharp her spiritual eyes were. She would see evil deep! Her secret? The secret place. The ministry would finish a seven-day fasting and after she had a sip of hot porridge to break her fast, the Lord would instruct her to do another seven as my father, one of the servants then, would narrate! She is the woman who prayed over me in the womb after my mother kept losing kids and prayed for me after I was born as we attended each Monday-to-Monday service held.
I would often laugh with my dad about the story. If it was an extension He is asking for in my fasting period, I often lightly joked and prayed, in order not to set me up for failure, please speak through someone else. Now we understand why the woman came to me as a shock. Of course, I would have followed the instructions but my mind kept dilly-dallying. In the mix of that mental debate, the Holy Spirit softly said,” Lack of discipline invites the devil to make the decision for you.”
As I finish because I think that last line just took the ink out of this pen and drilled what needs to be drilled, I want to remind us of some last wisdom. From the story in Genesis, for those of us having a hard time staying disciplined, if you are in your time of plenty please save as much as you can. Plenty doesn’t have to be money, it could be opportunities, your health, your time in school etc. Have a mindset of this year as the last year of the years of plenty. You’ve been working out to lose weight, work out as if this is the year that shifts you from borderline diabetes. What side of the line will you fall on? If you are in the year of scarce, what lessons are you collecting to help with the next season? Don’t march in unprepared lest you want a repeat of scarce in plenty.
May God help us, and I wish you to overflow blessings for the new year in Jesus name!
