United We Stand

     We moved to our current location a little over a year ago. At that time I had some challenges adjusting to our new home, new schedule and new church, new everything. I had just gone through a season of being in God's ICU and I had kind of grown accustomed to it and was comfortable there!
     In ICU God spoke to me gently, individually and often. I was at a stage in my walk where I needed that type of attention, thus the ICU! I was very fragile and very damaged and the attention I received restored my relationship in a quick amount of time to where God was drawing me. (I'm not saying that I am exactly where I need to be in growth, because "we always have room for growth", but I did gain a lot of ground in a short amount of time.)
     When we moved it was like I was moved out of ICU and placed in a ward where I was still receiving attention, but I was being weaned away for all of the "critical care" attention I had been receiving. For myself I wasn't sure what was causing this change and didn't really recognize it for what it was until this last weekend! I blamed everything around me(new location, new church, new church family, new praise type, etc.) for the changes, including myself! I thought maybe I had offended the Holy Spirit? Maybe our church didn't worship right? Maybe I needed to study differently, praise differently? All I knew was that things had changed, I wasn't receiving ICU attention and I wasn't sure why!
     Recently I had the chance to spend time with my dear sister-in-law Laura, younger than me in physical years, but light years ahead of me in spiritual growth, I shared my concerns with her about the changes in my walk with the Spirit. As we talked about it and I told her about the way things used to be, and that I was worried that I had offended the Holy Spirit she shared some teachings she had heard. I took all she said and filed it for later prayer and thought because Lane and I were on the beginning edge of a conference that was promising to be "very intense".
     During the "intense conference" titled Inside Out God was sending a wake up call to His children and even some who are not yet His children, but that is for yet another blog post. Anyways, as we were in the conference and having a time of powerful prayer and anointing, what I was led to understand for the change in how things had changed for me was because I had grown! The teaching my sister in law shared with me now "gelled" in the understanding I was receiving. She had told me that there are different seasons that the Spirit may minister to us in and when the season ends, it doesn't mean anything happened wrong, it was just time for that season to end. So I was shown that I no longer needed ICU, I was no longer in the fragile condition I had been in.
     I still have a close, intimate fellowship with my Lord at home in my private study, praise, worship and prayer time and walk in His guidance always, but now during the church prayer and praise time I have graduated to the adults section! Now I am part of the "Body" of Christ! Now I worship as part of a working unit, not just a single person out in the sanctuary doing their own thing. I pray as part of the unit and as the unit prays and praises together we are stronger!
     When God has given instructions for battles to be fought and won He has always had a "body" of people to work through. Yes there are a few prophets that are able to deliver messages alone, but those aren't battles like when the walls of Jericho fell! Can you imagine if the people following Joshua were all off on their own doing their own thing? Where would the power of the unity be? There is a strength that comes only from the unity that we as Christians are called to be part of.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.  Ephesians 4:4-6 The Message 

     I am thankful that I have been shown that I am in a new season, time to be a grown up Christian! Thank You Lord that You reach us where we are and bring us to where we need to be! I'm encouraging everyone to step up to their role in the body of Christ. There is much work to be done and we can manage it a lot better if we work together. United we stand, divided we fall.