God Still Speaks – Page 3 – The Faith Travels

HI Faith Travelers!

I’ve been looking forward to talking to you all this week! This was a week where I was eagerly anticipating Friday just to see what God wanted to say to you today because he of course didn’t give the title until the eleventh hour. I realized everything that He has me to write for you turns right back around and serves as a faith reminder and strengthener for me as well. This has really been a week, but for those of you who had a smooth sailing week, Praise God! For those of you who had a directionally challenged week like myself, meaning the week didn’t know whether it wanted to go good or bad…keep your head up, Thank Jesus and know that tomorrow is another chance to count it all joy (James 1:2-3)!

If you haven’t realized it yet, we are still touching on the topic of Obedience. At this point, I’m sure we recognize that this topic is important to God. This is why throughout the past few weeks of blogging, I’ve had the opportunity to self-reflect on my own acts of obedience to God and if I am being honest; those acts of obedience weren’t always pretty nor easy to walk through.

Obedience isn’t always just an act of kindness, a gesture or a matter of not doing something that sins against God. Obedience can look like taking a new opportunity that is difficult and stretches you to build character, it can be walking with God on a healing journey to uproot the symptoms of perfectionism and parental wounds, it can look like forgiving someone who has offended or hurt you badly or even praying for that person who recently betrayed you. This is why when you’re walking in obedience, it won’t be easy but it’s necessary.

“It won’t be easy but it’s necessary…” This was the very phrase that God whispered to me years ago during my time of sitting in His presence in prayer one day. It is a phrase that often echoes in my spirit whenever I realize that I have entered into a new season ( Ecclesiastes 3:1) that feels difficult or rather uncomfortable. I think about when I was at my last place of employment and I was being overworked with 3 jobs in 1, overlooked for promotion and treated in a manner that a lot would say was unfair. Even after an almost 10 year career there at the time, I wanted out immediately! I started updating my resume, refining my LinkedIn profile and applying for jobs wherever they were posted. All of that just for God to tell me “No, not yet”. I would respond, ” What Lord, what do you mean “No, no yet”…this entire situation at work is stressful, humiliating and frustrating and I know you can’t possibly want me to stay in this.” From that point on, I didn’t hear much from God on that specific matter until I would see a job posting that would peak my interest. In my excitement of seeing something I was interested in, I would eagerly go to apply and then hear God unexpectedly utter “No, not yet”, yet again. This went on for months, and I had already applied for positions including those I was over-qualified for. Again, I was desperate to get out. Well the funny thing (funny now but not back then) is that I was denied from every single job I applied for. Every. Single. One. This definitely hurt but then I realized there must be a reason God is literally not allowing me to move on from this job.

I sought the Lord specifically on this matter and He shared with me that even though He didn’t intend for me to be go through what I was going through the way I was going through it; in the midst of it all He was with me (Deuteronomy 31:8, Matthew 28:20) and would work it out for my good (Romans 8:28). The devil was using (Ephesians 6:12) specific people to taunt me and make me prematurely leave a place where God was still growing me up to prepare me for the places He was calling me to in the future. Not to mention, I was on assignment at work outside of my actual job, God had me to minister to specific people including maintenance contractors, janitors, the cleaning ladies I loved talking to and those that would come by to put a request in my prayer box on my desk.

Fast forward to 3 years later, after being at that employer for now 13 years, God opened a door to a new opportunity, a new industry and a new career path. A position I literally WAS NOT qualified for on paper…But God! This was true evidence to me that God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Though I didn’t see it at the time, God was building my character at my old job to prepare me for my new job and other future opportunities. He was strengthening my trust in walking with Him and His plan for my life, and positioning me for His perfect timing. It wasn’t easy but it was necessary.

I can recall one thing that God said to me in a different situation that is very much so applicable to this one, He said to me, ” Just because it’s not happening the way you expected it to, doesn’t mean you’re being punished…you’re being positioned.”

” Just because it’s not happening the way you expected it to doesn’t mean you’re being punished…you’re being positioned.”
-God

If you happen to find yourself in a place where you feel like things aren’t happening for you the way that you think they should and you are running into wall after wall, Look to God. If you have a feeling that there is more for you but you don’t see the path, Look to God. If you have a desire to live and walk out a purpose driven life, Look to God. The focus should always be Jesus(God) yet the path will be one intricately designed to take you from the test to the testimony and pit to the palace. It won’t be easy but it will always be necessary.

Until the next faith story…

Happy Friday Faith Travelers!

So I have to be honest with you. I definitely thought I would be starting a new topic this week. I started writing it out earlier in the week and God even gave me a story to go along with it, so I thought I would be finishing it up early and scheduling my post for Friday. Well as of 10:37pm on this good Thursday night, God has decided to give me something else to write about on the same topic of Obedience. I expect nothing less, because preparing a Holy Spirit led blog post on a weekly basis with a demanding work schedule, business, husband and daily life happenings, is a faith walk and act of obedience in itself. But I think of it like this, how can I minister to you on certain topics, unless I have experienced it myself.

I honestly believe God has me staying on this topic of Obedience for a very good reason. There are some of you out there who have yet to do the last thing God has asked you to do. How do I know…because this blog was one of the last things God asked me to do and He started asking me in 2016. But don’t waste time or follow my disobedience. Do it the first time God asks! Be that as it may, I will say if your disobedience clock is already ticking like mine was, it’s not too late for you to pick up where you left off and do the thing that God has asked of you. You have to always remember, it’s not about you and it’s bigger than you. Take my day for example, my work day was extremely rough and exhausting today but right before writing, I read one of my devotionals, and God gave me a sweet reminder through His word in Philippians 4:13.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

This literally gave me the encouragement that I needed to keep going because it reminded me that I am not doing this in my own strength but in God given strength to fulfill my God given assignment for whomever God wills it to be for. I echo what I said earlier for myself, it’s not about me and it’s bigger than me.

Obedience, in its simpler biblical definition, means “to hear” and “to listen”. This ultimately means to be informed and to take heed. So in order to be obedient or take heed to God’s instructions, you have to first be able to hear God’s instructions. This comes through spending time with God, through reading His word (II Timothy 3: 16-17), worship (John 4:24) and prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17). The more you learn the character of God (I John 4:8,16) through intimate time with Him, the more you will recognize when He is speaking to you (Joshua 1:8). This doesn’t mean that you will hear an audible voice like you are talking to a friend sitting next to you. I, myself, have only heard an audible voice twice in my life. Once while falling asleep behind the wheel right before heading straight into the guardrails on the highway (A story for another day). The other time is explained in my 3rd Blog post right before I received healing in my body. Both times were early in my faith walk, not that that makes a difference, but now I personally believe I don’t have to depend on hearing His voice audibly. That’s because I know His voice ( John 10:27) from spending time with Him so when I hear that still small voice ( I Kings 19:11-12) inwardly in my spirit, I don’t doubt that I am hearing God speak.

It wasn’t easy for me to fine tune to God’s voice. Early in my faith walk when I was bound home due to illness, I begged God to speak to me and give me instruction. I prayed, fasted and kept a journal of the prayers I wrote to Jesus. Then one day I heard that still small voice that said, ” I was always talking, you just needed to listen.” From then on, I kept a journal of when God spoke to me so that I could reference back when I had doubt it was Him speaking to me. Each time I had a doubt, I was able to go back to what God said and confirmed that it was definitely not just my thoughts. There were times when what God was saying to me was straight out of His word, yet it was a scripture that I hadn’t read before, so when I stumbled across it in the Bible, I would be reminded that I was hearing God clearly.

Soon God began to give me mini assignments when He spoke to me. He would have me relay messages of encouragement to people, give small donations or even give them a hug. The part that wowed me was the confirmation from those same people that said “that was exactly what I needed to hear”, “that was the exact amount I needed to pay a bill” and “I needed that hug because of how down I was feeling today”. All of this was helping increase my faith that I was hearing God clearly.

One day God took the obedience assignment to another level. He told me to go to the store and get a loaf of bread and go to Anders Blvd. I went to the store and grabbed the bread. Then I thought to myself, “Anders Blvd…I’ve never even heard of that street before, I must not be hearing right.” I put the name of the street in my iPhone GPS and come to find out, that street was literally less than 5 min down the street from my apartment. I was actually shocked! I grabbed the bread, jumped in the car and headed down the street. As I was driving down Anders Blvd, I was waiting for additional instructions on where to stop but I heard nothing. I saw houses with confederate flags and big angry dogs in their yard and was praying to God for those not to be the houses He wanted me to go to. Though, if it was those houses I know God would have me covered. I got to the end of the dead end road and got sad and frustrated because I didn’t know what to do next. I parked and called a friend of mine and told her what was going on and since I knew she had been walking with God a lot longer than I had, just maybe she would be able to hear from God on what I wasn’t hearing. She prayed for and encouraged me and got off the phone. Seconds later, she sends a text that said, ” Sorry Boo, God said this is between you and Him.

Following the Voice of God to Anders Blvd in Jacksonville, FL

I sighed and asked God to tell me what to do. As I looked up while still sitting in my car, I saw a taxi van and heard God say follow that van. I followed the taxi through the complex and parked a few vehicles down. I watched a guy wearing a fast food restaurant uniform get out and go into one of the apartments. I hesitated, took a deep breath and got out of the car; heading towards the same front door of where the guy entered. I knocked and then I heard a deep angry sounding voice say, “Who is it ?!!”. I replied, Umm my name is Sheena. He opens the door and says, “Can I help you” in a nicer voice. I replied with the only thing, I could think to say, ” I know this may sound crazy but God told me to get some bread and bring it here, by any chance do you need some bread?” He said ” Yeah, yeah we do need some bread. Thank you so much!” He opens the door and introduces me to his girlfriend. They both shake my hand, thank me and I head back to my car. Tearing up from the relief of completing the assignment, I drive off and start to have a flood of thoughts, thinking maybe I should have done more like pray for them or invite them to church but then I realized if God wanted me to do that, He would’ve said that. Once I got home and prayed about my encounter, God revealed to me, “it didn’t matter what house or apartment you stopped at, no matter where you ended I would’ve made sure it was well. All I needed was your trust and obedience.”

I share all of this to let you know if there are some things that you believe God is leading you to do but you don’t have all the details, follow the last set of instructions He gave and trust that once you are obedient to that portion, He will give you the next. Trust God and be obedient in following His voice/ instructions because at the end of the day…It’s not about you and it’s bigger than you.

Until the next Faith story…