I am going to be completely honest. This 40 day challenge was initially just planned for the members of Saved In Style. We were experiencing God like never before and we wanted to divulge ourselves in Him even more. The initial plan was to start the challenge on January 02, 2014 and we were prepared to do so. However, on January 01, 2014, God spoke to me in a dream and said we needed to pray about something else for 10 days. We are always completely obedient to God, so we changed our plans immediately. The key to being used by God powerfully, is to be obedient and flexible. For 10 days we prayed based on the topic of "Total Recovery." During those 10 days, God gave us the idea to open the 40 day prayer challenge to other women. God spoke and we obeyed. We began to "praystorm" and get "God"-ideas for the challenge. God gave us the concept, what to name it (#TagTeam Prayer Challenge) and He gave us strategy on how to implement it. There is no possible way we could have come up with this idea AND implement it in less than 2 weeks. It was literally ALL GOD! Without any form of publicity besides social media, so many women joined with us in less than 2 weeks. We have lost count!!! Each day, more women are joining and it is all because of one God-idea. As I fellowship and pray with SISters participating in the challenge from Africa, New York, Bahamas, California, Alabama, Michigan and others places across the world, I am so amazed. It reminds me of Batterson's statement, "One God-idea is worth more than a thousand good ideas." It's so true!!!!!
My favorite quote in the chapter is "Good ideas are good, but only God-ideas change the course of history." Many of us have goals for our lives and the desire to be great. God placed that desire in you because He wants you to be great as well. Sometimes, our problem is that we try to do things in our own strength. We try to create our own destiny, come up with own plans and follow our own lead. That is a huge mistake. The Word of God says in Jeremiah 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. God knows the plans He has for you. He has plans to prosper you, give you hope and a great future. When God created you, He created a blueprint for your life. He has a specific career field, husband, number of children etc. already laid out for you. Unfortunately, many people never seek Him to find out what His plans are for their lives. They try to create their own plans and then blame God when everything goes wrong. It's important to understand, God created you to be reliant on Him. He has a plan for Your life and He is the only one who can help you fulfill it. You cannot outthink God. I love God's answer to George Washington Carver's question about why He created the Earth. God answered, "Ask for something more in proportion to that little mind of yours." For whatever plans or ideas you conceive, I guarantee God has plans that are 1000 times greater. There are some who may say, "Well, I'm successful and I am accomplishing all the goals I set on my own." Yes, the world is filled with people who have created lives of wealth and fortune without seeking God. If they could do that in their own power, can you imagine what God has planned for them if they would only seek Him. It would be mind blowing!!!!
Batterson states,"God-ideas are only revealed in the presence of God." If we pray and seek after God, He will reveal God-ideas for our ministry, family and business. As long as you try to do it without God, you will never experience the life of greatness God has for you. If you don't seek God for every single decision you make in your life, you will make costly mistakes. It will make your life much easier and things happen much faster, when you seek God for His ideas and plans for your life. I encourage you to begin to ask God for direction in every area of your life. You should pray and wait for God's answer before making any major life decisions. If you do this, you give God access to bless You the way He wants to and lead you to opportunities you would have never thought of!!
Listen to the song below by my friend Jill Grandison. We must understand God is smarter than us.
Say this prayer:
Father,
I come before you today giving You the honor and praise You deserve. Lord, I ask for forgiveness if I have failed to seek You regarding the plans you have for my life. Lord, I understand that You gave me life and You have plans for my life. I want to know those plans and I want those plans fulfilled in my life. Lord, I need You and I don't want to live without You. I ask that You guide my thoughts and direct my steps. Lord, if I am currently going in the wrong direction in any area of my life, please reroute me. I pray that You would open my ears so that I may hear Your voice clearly. Lord, You are my Father and I am Your child and I know You want nothing but the best for me. I accept Your love and I am open to receive anything You want me to have. Lord, remove any thoughts or ideas I may have for my life that are not in alignment with Your plans. I want to be the woman You want me to be. I want to go into the career field You have for me. I want to be married at the age You feel I will be prepared to be a wife. I want to have the number of children You have set for me. I want to live in the state where You need me to be used. I want every aspect of my life to be completely lead by You. Lord, I am available to be used by You and I am willing to do whatever You tell me to do. Lord, help me to be obedient and flexible. I know You reward those who diligently seek You according to Your Word in Hebrews 11:6. Lord, as I seek You and the plans You have for my life, I thank You for assuring me that I will be rewarded. I love you. I trust You. I am excited about the future You have designed for me. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Post Written By: SIS De'Nisha Sh'Lene
Hear My Prayer Lord.
ReplyDeletehttps://soundcloud.com/tabitha-lewis-1/hear-my-prayer-house-revised