In this season, God is teaching people to take bold steps and to trust that He will lead them. Make plans and trust that God will order your steps! Be generous with what God has given you, and place your trust in Him above other forms of security. Pray in the Spirit, and trust that your prayers shift things. Forgive as you have been forgiven. In every detail, invite the Lord into your journey and your process.
Choose with God
"The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9 NASB1995)
I don't know about you, but I do not love decisions. Some people are great at them; I tend to stress out and overthink. Part of this—for me at least—comes from not wanting to make the wrong decision (fear!) and the desire to be perfectly in God's will at all times. This sounds spiritual but is also still fear based. You see, part of maturing is making wise decisions. As we grow in God, He trusts us to make decisions. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will clearly lead and direct, and sometimes He simply trusts us to choose.
Therefore, surrender your plans to God... but make plans! Submit your steps to Him, then STEP. If you're going in the wrong direction, you can trust Him to lead you and redirect your path. Invite God into your decision making, make your plans, and then take action. Hold your plans loosely in case He decides to redirect you, but step out! It can be easy to stay stuck in analysis paralysis when God has empowered you to make bold choices.
Have you ever heard the analogy about moving vehicles? It's nearly impossible to turn a vehicle while it's parked. It's only once the car is moving that you can direct it. Likewise, if you're staying passive and immobile, it's difficult for God to lead you. Even if you're unsure of your decisions, make them in confidence, and trust God to guide you. You have a green light until you have a red light!
This word is for people who are wanting direction, guidance, and trying to make plans for the future—people who want to partner with God in their decisions. You don't want to do it on your own, so invite God in, and choose from confidence and faith!
Generosity and Stewardship
"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability." (Matthew 25:14–15 ESV)
God has solutions to whatever you're facing when you partner with Him. God has solutions that aren't simply about your survival but also about your multiplication and increase. Years ago, God gave me (Anne) a strategy that enabled me to increase my income and buy a second house, which I put on Airbnb. Naturally, this didn't seem possible. But God led me down a path that helped me multiply what I had been given.
Multiplication and generosity are a part of stewardship, and it's part of walking with God. Everything in nature multiplies and reproduces. Likewise, we were created to multiply and to increase what we've been given. If you're feeling stuck or like it's impossible to step into increase, go to the Lord and ask Him how to steward what you've been given. This isn't simply about finances; it's about any resource you have. This could be about having knowledge or a skill that you share with others; you're spreading your knowledge. This could be about having the gift of hospitality and inviting others over for dinner. This could be about your creativity or administration gifts, and it could be about finances. (Photo via Unsplash)
The key is that you are surrendering your resources to the Lord and inviting Him to help you bring an increase. We were not made to stay stagnant but to grow and multiply. Generosity is part of the heart of God, and it's also pivotal to multiplication. The reason is that generosity takes us out of a selfish, self-focused perspective and puts our focus on giving to others and being of service.
So, ask God how to be a good steward of your time, talents, and resources. Give generously and multiply what you have. He's put this inside of you so you can do it. Be honest with yourself about how you've stewarded your life. Don't hide, but allow the Holy Spirit to bring illumination to your heart, mind, and ways. Keep your values in the forefront of your mind and your heart to be generous, to steward well, and to increase whatever you're given. Ask God to help you steward well, and take action as He leads you.
The Power of Prayer
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV)
Prayer changes things, like actually changes things. Sometimes, prayer feels pointless, especially when you've prayed and believed for certain things for years and they still haven't happened. But ultimately prayer is about connecting to the heart of God. Prayer is about cultivating a relationship—getting close to the Lord and discovering what's on His heart and mind. Ultimately, prayer is about bringing the will of God into existence, not just giving Him a list of what you think should happen.
That said, prayer is partnership with God. He has made it so that we have the ability to affect the world around us through prayer. Prayer changes things in the spirit realm which is unseen. This affects the natural realm which is seen. We often discount the power of prayer because we don't fully understand it. But the spirit realm is just as real as the natural realm. When we pray, we actually change things in the spirit. Prayer opens doors, creates pathways, and shifts things in the spirit.
There's power in partnering (aligning) with God in His will and power in partnering with others in that.
Following Jesus' Template
One of the most powerful prayers you can pray is this: "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done," especially when you don't know what to pray or how to pray. If you're feeling confused or uncertain, come back to the heart of praying how Jesus instructed us to in Scripture.
"Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:9–13 NIV)
If you're unsure how to pray, look at what Jesus communicated. He started by blessing the Lord: "Our Father, blessed be Your name." Praise Him for what He's done in the past as you move forward into the future.
This prayer is important because it highlights an order that is significant: you start by blessing God. This lines up with the psalm that states, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise" (Psalm 100:4 ESV). Praise opens up our hearts to hear from and receive from the Holy Spirit. Praise changes us.
After praise comes surrender. Submit your agenda to Him: "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done." Surrender allows us to be led by the Spirit of God. Surrender softens our hearts.
Then, ask Him for what you need: your daily bread. Share with Him the desires of your heart, the needs you have, and invite Him in to be your Provider. Take ownership of where you've fallen short, and invite His healing and forgiveness, then forgive those who've hurt you. And believe that your prayers make a difference, because they do. (Photo via Unsplash)
Forgive as You've Been Forgiven
"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mark 11:25 NIV)
Forgiveness is talked about a lot in the Church. But how do you forgive when you've been wronged, when someone has hurt you so deeply? Forgiveness isn't an excuse for wrong behavior, nor is it welcoming someone with open arms to come and harm you again. Forgiveness, rather, is taking the burden off your shoulders of seeing justice done. It's letting the consequences go and setting them, and yourself, free.
Ultimately, forgiveness is about setting your own heart free from the pain of hatred and the need to see vengeance done. God cares so much about forgiveness, because He knows that unforgiveness will literally harm the person holding onto resentment. Unforgiveness is like cancer, eating you up from the inside. Unforgiveness is linked to disease, mental health issues, and so many problems. Many have said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting it to harm someone else. Forgiveness is for your benefit. Forgiveness sets you free. Forgiveness isn't about brushing over pain.
Many years ago, I had an experience where I had tried and tried to forgive someone and the Lord said, "You've been using forgiveness as a mask. Allow Me into your pain, feel it, and then you will truly be able to forgive." I wept and acknowledged the wrong done to me, and then I set the other person (and myself) free.
If you have been wronged, and have experienced heartbreak or betrayal, bring your pain to the Lord and ask Him to lead you through the process of forgiveness. Let go of offense and surrender the situation to the Lord. Invite the Holy Spirit into your place of pain, and watch as He sets you free.
Declarations:
• I make plans and trust that God will lead me.
• Increase comes as I partner with God.
• My prayers are powerful and effective.
• I forgive as I have been forgiven.
• The Lord orders my steps.
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Katelyn Alexander
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:Â hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Katelyn Alexander is a masterful teacher and coach with a passion for seeing people walk in the wholeness of who God created them to be. An actor, writer, and storyteller, Katelyn blends creativity and charisma with a solid foundation on the Word of God. Katelyn first worked with Anne and The Crowning Jewels in 2015 and now blogs, writes, and teaches for TCJ.
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Anne Jackson
The Crowning Jewels
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email:hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Texas-born Anne Jackson worked as a nurse for seventeen years before fully embracing her creative nature. Having grown up believing that God only spoke through the Bible, her life was transformed with the personal knowledge that He still speaks today. As she experienced a revelation of God's love for her and the power of words to transform and heal, she began designing jewelry, partnering with the Holy Spirit to create a tangible way to bring Heaven to Earth. This is where her prophetic jewelry company, The Crowning Jewels, was birthed. Many people recognize her company as a business-ministry hybrid. She is known as a prophetic visionary with the drive to accomplish her dreams. Her mandate is to champion others as they discover their God given identity and fulfill their divine purpose. After living in Redding, CA for ten years, she recently moved back home and currently resides in Texas.
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