Encouragement Ink

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Clarity, Information, and Instructions

Clarity, Information, and Instructions


Contemporary English Version

WHAT DID GOD SAY TO ME THIS MORNING

Has God ever told you to do something and you were like…that sounds crazy! Or maybe you didn’t even recognize it as God telling you, but you have been feeling this urge to go in a direction that just seems so odd or so counter productive to what you’ve been doing. What about when someone tells you something years ago and then you keep seeing it or hearing about it over and over and over and over and over and over (okay I think you get it)…and over (one more) again. LOL!

This morning I was beyond sleepy in the prayer closet y’all. I mean I just couldn’t seem to shake it! And no, I didn’t go to bed late last night either. I actually went to bed early!!! But I got up feeling super sleepy. I prayed and I dozed. I prayed some more and I dozed off. I was fighting the sleep with one eye open and then I lost to the sleep for like a second and then I said…get up and move around Fon. I did that! You can’t fall asleep when you’re pacing back and forth. HA! Take that enemy!

So while I don’t quite remember all that I prayed for, I do know that I prayed, slept, prayed in the Spirit, slept, prayed while pacing, and then I got my Bible. And you know getting your Bible out while you’re sleepy is a recipe for more sleep right? At least that’s what the enemy wants it to be. He doesn’t want you to read your Bible. He doesn’t want you to pray either. That’s why you feel so sleepy. But I encourage you today as I am being totally transparent here, to keep praying anyway. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be purposeful. I know God used me this morning periodt!

One of the things I heard the Holy Spirit say to me was…get over praying YOUR WAY Fon. At first, I didn’t quite get it. I was like…MY WAY? But then the Holy Spirit cleared it right on up. He said, don’t get caught up in a routine where you think it has to be this way or that way in order to be effective. You’re trying to control it when you do that. Just come in here and let me control it. Surrender every day. (Now that was a word for me y’all. The Holy Spirit is saying, don’t think you got this prayer thing so down, that you don’t have to come to me and surrender daily).

Y’all, I believe the enemy knew that the Holy Spirit was trying to use me in a different way and that’s why he wanted me to be too sleepy to get it, but praise be to God that I pushed through with my mouth and asked the Holy Spirit out loud to use me anyway. And then I rebuked the enemy and all his strategies. I don’t know about you, but every prayer should include a rebuke of the enemy in Jesus name. You can’t just pray that one time and think the enemy won’t try you anymore because you have now become consistent. On the contrary! I actually think that’s when the enemy really digs in and tries with distractions, have your mind wandering, sleepiness, time-watching, or whatever he can do to keep you from being in the presence of the Lord fully.

But as I have said before…let the devil know that he is STILL defeated and call on the name of Jesus to send him and the demonic spirits on the run AGAIN! When God has called you to do something…trust and believe, the enemy ain’t gonna stop trying to sabotage or disrupt it. I am thankful for the victory of the Lord, knowing that the battle is already won, and I don’t have a problem reminding the devil of that EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Okay, so what did else did I hear from the Holy Spirit this morning after I read the scriptural surprise in Matthew, chapter 1?

Confirmation will come from an angel.

As I was reading this chapter, which starts off detailing the ancestors of Jesus, I got to the end of the chapter and got a new revelation. I had heard the story about Joseph and Mary numerous times, but what the Holy Spirit showed me today was this. The Lord may call upon you to do something that may sound crazy and even scary. Joseph was engaged to Mary and she got pregnant and it wasn’t by him! So Joseph was just gonna break off the engagement privately so as not to disgrace Mary and move on. First of all, I commend Joseph for how he was gonna handle it. He was gonna do it quietly and not post it on Instagram or Facebook to embarrass Mary. I can appreciate that about Joseph. Mary was engaged to a good guy who wasn’t all about the drama. Hello somebody! LOL!

The Bible says as Joseph considered this. Okay, let’s stop right there. First of all, Joseph didn’t just run and break up with her when he first found out she was pregnant and it wasn’t by him. He paused. He slept on it. I don’t know who this is for, but you need to pause and sleep on it before you make a move on whatever it is you are about to run and go do without thinking it through.

Joseph went to sleep and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. First the angel said, don’t be afraid. As I was reading this, I realized that this isn’t the first time I have read those words…don’t be afraid. I just believe when it’s God, he will ease your fears immediately.

The angel said, don’t be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. Then the angel went on to EXPLAIN why he could go on ahead with the marriage to Mary. He said, for the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will have a son. You are to name him Jesus. He will save his people from their sins. And all of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet.

Now let me try to put a bow on this blog because I know it’s getting long, but stick with me here.

So in the dream, the angel came to give clarity, information, and instructions to what Joseph was considering, which was breaking off his engagement with Mary because she was pregnant (and again…not by him).

Clarity - Don’t be afraid to go ahead and marry Mary.

Information - Listen Joseph, she got pregnant by the Holy Spirit and will have a son. All of this is happening to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet.

Instructions - You are to name the baby Jesus.

When Joseph woke up from the dream where he got clarity, information, and instructions…the Bible says he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her son was born, and Joseph named the baby Jesus.

Marrying Mary who had gotten pregnant seemed crazy and Joseph was just gonna break off the engagement. When the angel of the Lord came in the dream, Joseph had to have been a little bit scared because the first thing the angel said was don’t be afraid.

Whatever God is telling you to do may sound crazy or be scary (to you), but when it’s from God, you can rest assured He will send an angel to say, don’t be afraid to go in the direction that I have called you to go in. If you’re in a place where you’re like…this doesn’t make any sense Lord; then you’re in a perfect position to pause, go to sleep, and wait for the angel of the Lord to give you clarity, information, and instructions. Joseph’s angel came in a dream. Your angel may come another way, but however the angel comes, just know your fears will be eased, you’ll get clarity, information, instructions, and it will all line up to fulfill the purpose God has for your life, the same way it did for the life of Jesus.

Be encouraged on this Wednesday!

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