Obedience is Better than Sacrifice - How to Open Impossible Doors #InDueSeasonWeWillReap
Photo credits to my sister for capturing this amazing shot at the end of our cathartic activity.
During the last week of January, my church hosted its annual Winter Prayer Retreat. Boy, was it a good one. The theme this year was “Open Heavens". Although I was one of the planning committee members, blessings were abundant, and overflowing all around. I received a whole new perspective on that during the first evening, alone. Initially, when I thought of “open heavens", my mind immediate jumped to life after death. Since that particular evening, however, I started thinking about the way we open the heavens ourselves, in our day-to-day. In Matthew 3:16, we see the story about Jesus’ baptism by his cousin, John.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and [a]He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him (NKJV).
My co-coordinator for our ministry’s programs, and fellow WPR committee member, Gabe.
Jesus yearned for the experience of a baptism just like everyone else around him. In the moment at which He rose from the water - the heavens opened. The angels ascended, and the spirit of God descended. Open Heavens signifies that moment in which prayers went up, and blessings came down. I still remember what Brittany Carter-McKinnon said during our Singles' Conference, about how there’s a reason why we pray and worship with our hands up. We extend our hands to be open to receiving.
One of the guest ministers, Pastor Wale Akinsiku also spoke about a profound topic: the different doors in our life. Pastor Wale harped that there are times that doors are shut (by the devil), and there are times that our eyes are shut to the doors, ourselves. Often we think about doors as gateways to who we let in, and who we keep out. A new concept introduced that evening was that of impossible doors: doors that don’t have a key. People who open impossible doors are told to be those who are able to answer questions where there aren’t any answers. These doors can also be identified as doors that the enemy puts in place to prevent our destiny from coming to pass. After reading this, I’m sure you can identify those better now.
The theme for the church this year is, “Holy Spirit.” We were tasked to pray to the Holy Spirit to help us see. I pray, Lord, that you help guide us, and the Holy Spirit strengthens us to establish these doors. Lord, please, the doors that seem impossible, the doors that we can’t control, I pray for full harness of power to unlock those doors, to be the best version of ourselves. Lord, please, take us into a place of fulfilling our destiny, and living in our purpose. Amen.
During the second day of the Retreat, and the first full day of the agenda, we spoke on “the weight of waiting.” That patience is something that is a daily struggle. I have grown incredibly, admittedly, but it’s not easy. Between my dreams and my imagination, I can’t help but wonder in a state of, “What if I did this…”
The Bible reads:
Ecclesiastes 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit (ESV).
That’s something I need to remember. Patience is a true test to the final laugh. The end result is typically sweeter, and the rush doesn’t always make it better. Psychologically, when we teach a concept that we learned, and we implement that same concept, we are better, as humans, to grasp said concept. That’s how I feel with this website, and that’s how I felt that weekend. Aside from ministering two segments during my ministry’s sessions, I was blessed with the opportunity to minister to the young women of our teenage ministry. Speaking candidly, and walking them through concept of my matriculation as as Christian woman gave me that gentle reminder that no matter our age or stage in life - whether we’re entering high-school or entering a marriage - we, as women, as Christians, and evolving people - we have to constantly work to build ourselves.
Sometimes while we wait, the weight can feel like the weight of a boulder. During those times when we are growing impatient, it may feel as though God has forgotten about our prayers. That weekend, through hearing countless testimonies, it was so clear that God has never neglected us, for the patience He has is far greater than that we can ever fathom. Sometimes we believe that God answering our prayers will result in a “yes.” But, sometimes, his answer is really a revelation to course correct. That’s what differentiates the wise.
Proverbs 1:1-7 1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To [a]perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will [b]attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction (NKJV).
We need the wisdom and grace to not fall in love with the destination, but to fall in love with the journey. Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up (KJV)." Sometimes we are so focused on the testimony that we are eager to express, that we neglect to stop, and fully see the works of the wondrous Lord around us.
Since, I have returned from Nigeria, I feel as though peace and order have been restored in my kingdom. I continue to put God on the calendar first, and making those who are a priority feel like a priority is becoming a daily practice. I pray that for all of us, we can remain in constant prayer, as we continue on to the different moments of our journeys, and we can work to overcome and grow in spiritual gifts that we may lack.