Am I the only one who gets SOOOO frustrated when Iām FaceTiming someone in the heart of a conversation and their signal goes out?! š
I mean, THE WHOLE point of FaceTime is to be able to see someone near or far and connect with them by being able to see them vs only hear them. I rarely EVER use the regular phone anymore when talking to friends and family because my iPhone gives me the opportunity to SEE visible reactions and share priceless moments with the people that I love!
I LIVE by FaceTime because Iām just simply grateful to be able to connect on deeper levelsā¦
But I tell youā¦ THE MOST aggravating thing to me when FaceTiming is when the person on the other end of the line either moves into an area that has a bad signal and the connection becomes sketchy OR they get another phone call and our call is completely lost.
š³
Hear me in the Spirit, y'all.
I was on FaceTime with a good friend the other day and they happened to be drivingā¦
(For all of my safety nerds: Donāt worry! Their phone was on a dashboard mount. They werenāt watching me vs the road. They were only speaking, but I was able to see them)
So, after many moments of conversation, I hit them with a HUGE statement. And right when I did, they mustāve hit a location that was heavily decorated with trees, because shortly after I said something so important, I was left to wonder if they had even heard me because there was dead silence and this exact message was on the screen:
āPoor Connection: The video will resume AUTOMATICALLY when the connection improves.ā
Y'all, this is preaching...
Alright, so letās talk.
Have you ever been wondering why you couldnāt hear from God or why it seems like youāve been STRAINING to get even a short answer out of Him?
You might have been desperately at the end of your rope and been just waiting for Godās responseā¦ or even facing an open door that you werenāt sure to walk throughā¦ or even just wanting to be clearer when it came time for spiritual gifts?
Maybe you heard a prophet speak the word of the Lord and got inspiredā¦ and though youāve operated in your own spiritual gifts from time to time, you long to be used in greater ways, but canāt seem to sense A THING. You claim you want more of God and youāve sang āI give myself away so You can use meā but feel like you havenāt heard God tell you anything to doā¦ so youāre just dry.
You DESPERATELY want to hear from God, but it seems like Heās not saying anythingā¦
Let me tell youā¦ I have been in EACH of these places and may I submit to you that He hasnāt stopped speaking, youāve started losing the ability to hearā¦ š
You have a poor connection.
You may have moved even the tiniest distance away and lost the signal.
For Example:
Have you ever seen that cable commercial where the father and his friends are trying to watch football, but they donāt have cable; So theyāre making their kid finagle rabbit ears so that they can have a clear signal?
Or have you ever been in the car and the radio was perfect; Then right in the middle of your favorite song, the sweet melody switched to nothing but static as you've drifted into no manās land?
Thatās how we get with God. He doesn't move. It's us... š
Yāall, I know. This thing messed me up because my connection was poor, too.
I would like to think that I hear from the Lord often. I sing the song of the Lord and have prophetic dreams every now and thenā¦ and all of that is wonderful, but God can allow us to operate in His grace for certain moments because He will use us for the sake of saving someone vs losing them just because of our disobedience. š¬
However, could you imagine how many MORE lives could be saved if our signal was ALWAYS on point? Could you imagine how much more harvesting we could get done in the earth if ALL believers were constantly hearing from God; If we payed absolutely NO attention to distractions (other phone calls coming in) and were always tuned in to His voice; If we drew closer to Him (the signal) even when we feel like weāve been āgoodā?
Just like my FaceTime story, the Lord is ALWAYS saying something importantā¦ but Heās not the one whoās lost the connection - itās us. Weāve either strayed a little too far or have just gotten distantly stagnant and stopped pursuingā¦ or worse, accepted another call coming in and got distracted. š¬
God speaks in so many waysā¦ sometimes in the thunder, other times in the still small voice.
Job 33:14-16 NLT says, āFor God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings.ā
But itās OUR DUTY TO BE IN POSITION to hear Him the first time because God is not obligated to speak twice.
He speaks to our Spirit, He speaks through His word, He speaks through people, objects, and even animals, etcā¦ His ways are never-ending.
But have we honestly been listening? Donāt we want to see what weāre praying for? How do we get the reward of souls saved and how do we maintain our personal lives without growing closer to Christ, ourselves?
I immediately think of the story in Mark 9:24-29 NKJV where the disciples couldnāt cast out the demon...
āSo He said to them, āThis kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.ā - Mark 9:29 NKJV
It wasnāt that the disciples hadnāt performed miracles before, they just hadnāt pursued greater. That particular assignment required greater faith...
When was the last time we fasted on our own other than the 21-day New Yearās fast with our churches?! š
When is the last time we've intentionally spent time reading the Bible?
How do we expect to hear from the Lord and grow in our faith if we don't spend time in His Presence and His Word?
I posted the poll on the home page of this blog site to see how to pray for us. On average, most of us are only reading the Bible a few times a week...
Fortunately, there are many ways to be able to hear from God.
The BOTTOM LINE is to stay in His Presence because the minute we move out of place, we start to lose the connection.
Hear me out, guys. It is NOT always easy. We HAVE to keep renewing our motivation. Constantly REMEMBER why we love God, why we love Jesus, why His Presence is our lifeline and why sensing the Holy Spirit is SO crucial.
My mentor, William McDowell, always says this phrase: āfor fish, God created the seaā¦ for birds, God created the airā¦ for His children, He created His Presence. Apart from It we can do nothing."
āYes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.ā - John 15:5 NLT
The moment we step out of the Presence of Godā¦ā¦..
Whew. Just trust me, you donāt want to do that. Youāll have more problems than just a poor connection.
Psalms 51:11-12 NLT says, āDo not banish Me from Your Presence, and donāt take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.ā
THAT is our prayer, guys. That we may never stray away from God's Presence and lose the signal and that He will remind us WHY we should even desire to be there in the first place. We abide in Him to maintain our personal relationship with Him and personal growth as well as to be ready when He wants to use us.
Live by this concept and allow the Holy Spirit to reconnect you.
Check out these amazing songs when you have a sec. Love y'all!
For Your Glory
Deeper Fellowship Church ft Trinity Anderson
Can't Live Without You
William McDowell ft Nicole Binion
Create In Me a Clean Heart
Donnie McClurkin
Closer (Live)
Covenant Worship ft Joshua Dufrene and Nicole Binion