Gifts of God: Petitioning God

My early life, as many of y’all are coming to know, was so devoid of close and sustaining relationships, within my immediate family.  I speak with such loving devotion of my Ma-Maw and Pa-Paw.  They truly kept such great care over me.  And Our Father secured my salvation at such a tender and early age, by calling me to Himself.  He poured such great gifts into my spirit and He kept me safe from harm.  He protected me with a hedge; literally surrounding me and keeping me safe from situations and experiences that could have been just devastating in my young life.

“From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.”

~~~Psalm 50:2~~~

A Life Verse for me since the Spring of 2007, this passage from The Psalms is deeply meaningful in my life!  Its’ resonance comes from the truth that Our Father desires each of us to have a close and sustaining relationship with Himself.

“From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.”

Y’all, it is because of His devotion to me that I can’t not be an encourager!  I can’t not be an exhorter!  I can’t not be a teacher of His Holy Word.  He has saved, protected, guided, redeemed, and blessed my life so greatly, I will join the Psalmist David, saying,

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life…”

~~~Psalm 138:7~~~

As in me, there are numerous gifts that Our Loving Father has poured into each of you.  Each and every single one of you!

In fact, when I’m so often asked about how it is that I am so very willing to always give credit to my sweet sisters, and do it so easily, I am positive that it is in this fact alone…this is why it is so easy and right and pure for me to constantly seek to give credit to others.  It is because He inspires me to do so, because I know, that I am nothing without Him…

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows.”

~~~James 1:17~~~

Additionally, I try to always reinforce this very truth, as I am teaching His Word:  there is well and truly no one reading my words or hearing my voice, that was or is a sinner in more desperate need of His Loving Redemption, than I have been.  I know this in my very core, and I am honored to be able to share it! 

It is my truth.  It is the truth.  It is as much of every message that I am ever blessed to share, as is the very truth of His Holy Word.

And, when a woman can say that, freely and with pure conviction, I believe that everyone reading or hearing her words can only then, truly exhale.  Because indeed, there is no perfect woman!  No perfect beauty!  No perfect intelligence!  No perfect work ethic!  No perfect creative mind!  No perfect faith!!!

There is His Truth…

~~~Psalm 50:2~~~

There, as in Zion, the City of David, Our Holy Father shines forth from within us, as we walk in the giftings that we have been blessed to receive from Him. 

To do any less, is truly to deny Him.

As an encourager and an exhorter in our faith, I’ve been blessed to serve Him and help other women move further along their paths.  Over time, He has taught me and now I can very often do this precious work in such a way that the person I’m ministering to, doesn’t truly realize that they’ve been instructed.  They just feel heard!  They feel that they aren’t alone!  Then, they feel helped!

How is this possible?  Let’s reflect on the areas of my specific giftings.  When I first took the ‘Spiritual Gift Assessments,’ I was not surprised to find key areas in which the Lord had gifted me.

However, I was deeply grieved to realize that I hadn’t been gifted in one are that I deemed of high importance.  Which area might I be referring to?  Quite plainly, the gifting in the area of spiritual discernment.

I was truly saddened, and I wept over this sense of lack that I found within myself. 

Then, I did what I always do when I have a need for help and understanding.  And y’all, this is the key!!!

I sought the Lord.  First in prayer and then in His Word.  Over and over and over again.

I learned the true power of petitioning Our Father.  The following powerful passage from The Book of Philippians became another set of Life Verses for me.  These are also verses that I have used many times, as I’ve sought to help other women feel Our Father’s Comfort and Protection, for He is always awaiting us in prayer.

It is in this letter to the Philippians, written by Paul, during his first Roman imprisonment, just after A.D. 60, that I find, and hope to also give, such depths of encouragement…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

~~~Philippians 4:6-7~~~

Once I began to understand the depth of power made available to me, as a Child of God, to ‘present my requests to Him,’ (Philippians 4:6), I sought to learn what was meant here in the New Testament Greek.

While ‘prayer’ refers to our very general prayers, the word ‘petition’ is much stronger and much more specific.  ‘Petition’ indicates, according to my NIV Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, a “particular need for which one prays.”

‘Petition’ indicates a need, a deep desire for something that one may feel “deprived” of.  With this knowledge, I began to passionately petition Our Father, asking Him for discernment.  I was unstoppable.  I could see the vulnerability in my life that existed, because of this lack.  I could see how it kept me from being as effective for Him, as I truly desired to become.

I sought Him constantly.  In fact, I was like Jacob, wrestling with Our Father at Peniel, as we learn about in The Book of Genesis 32:22-32.  And, just like Jacob, I now walk with a ‘limp’ and my life, too, ‘was spared’ (Genesis 32:30).  Significantly, Our Father heard my pleas and petitions and granted me the discernment that I asked of Him.

Now, I will say that I had always had a strong intuition…which was obviously The Holy Spirit within me, in that I came to a personal salvation with the Lord as a second-grader.  All the damage that came in my family, all of it that was directed at me, came after the blessing of my salvation. 

Now truly, in the home in which I grew-up, my strong sense of intuition was vital and protective in nature.  But I truly lacked discernment, which is quite different.  As a woman with the full gifting of discernment now, I can share that there is indeed a whole-hearted difference in the two.

As I grew in this spiritual gift, my life began to change.  It became deeper, richer and fuller.  Our Father has truly chosen to honor my pleas and bless me with what has grown into and become a profound source of knowing.

With that gifting, however, has come much heartsickness and sadness, at times.  For those who can discern, it is often lonely and troubling…because, we do in fact, know things.  We know them because of His Gifting, yet we know them, nonetheless.  So much of what we discern is quite often unsettling, especially in the area of women’s ministry, which can be very emotional and pain-filled work.

Through this gift, as a minister to women, I have been guided by the Holy Spirit and have helped women to remain on their path of faith.  When we women stray from His Path, it is my experience, that we do so out of either fear, desperation, or both.  Having a discerning spirit enables me to be able to step into a situation in a woman’s life, potentially before it becomes disastrous for her or those around her.

I’ve taken countless late-night phone calls and met for endless visits, coffees and meals, to try to help ‘keep steady’ a woman from my flock who is seemingly determined to flee the reach and knowledge of Our Father.  These calls are often from women who are overtaken with grief and despair.

And, countless other times, I’ve served in a counselors’ role, as I’ve sought to bring the truth of God’s Word to women whose lives have been ripped apart by the choices or actions of their loved ones, friends or family.  In many cases, I’m so thankful to share, Our Father has guided my actions and my words, and in my service, and I’ve seen countless marriages, family relationships and friendships go on to become restored!!!

At times, seeing a woman at her most vulnerable can be quite challenging to our relationship for a time; not at all for me, but for the woman to whom I am ministering.  There is often so much shame and guilt and sadness and grief in women’s ministry; and simply not understanding the powerful gifts of Our Father to help us by providing a friend, counselor or teacher, can often cause women to suffer alone.

However, once true connection begins, the hope then becomes that Our Father moves within each hurting woman, allowing her to recognize that her vulnerabilities don’t make her isolated.  Her vulnerabilities instead allow her to draw closer to others…others, like me, who stand ready, inside their giftings, to be of service, solace and help.

Ultimately, being an encourager and an exhorter, a teacher and one who can discern in order to more effectively minister, are all simple roles.  They each, because of their giftedness from Our Father, enable me, to continually point women back to Him.

This is the very essence of Psalm 50:2…

“From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.”

That is the work that I do!  Young and older, bitter or confused, angry or weary…many women fill a flock.  And, therefore, any effective minister of His Holy Word is constantly working to draw each member of the flock back home to Our Caring and Loving Father!

That is the work that I have been doing, all the way back to when I first began to study His Word.  It is the work that I am still called to do, to this very day!!!

You may think that you are seeing me…reading me…but, it is all HIM!!!