The transition part of birth is the last part of active labor. It is called the transition period because it MARKS the SHIFT to the second stage of labor. It is also the most INTENSE part of labor.
If a woman is laboring without an epidural, this is where she may begin to LOSE FAITH in her ABILITY to HANDLE the PAIN, so lots of EXTRA ENCOURAGEMENT and SUPPORT from those around her can help her cope, as well as CHANGING POSITION.
Transition can take all of the woman's CONCENTRATION, so she may want to ELIMINATE ALL DISTRACTION. She may want to FOCUS on the FACT that the HARD CONTRACTIONS are HELPING her baby (VISION / PROMISE) MAKE the JOURNEY OUT INTO THE WORLD.
The good news about the transition period is that the END IS NEAR!
*And here you were questioning what is going on. Nothing out of the ordinary. You are just TRANSITIONING into your ESTABLISHED PLACE, VISION, PROMISE! Keep pressing, stay focused, YOU are almost OUT!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Following PEACE
About five years ago, in prayer, I was communing with the Lord in regards to a crossroad. I had two very similar situations presenting themselves to me and knew that only one was the way to go.
To describe the two, one of the situations (let's call it situation A), in the natural, seemed to make more "sense" to continue in. The other situation (let's call it situation B), in the natural, seemed to make NO "sense" to continue in. However, I realize that this walk isn’t about what makes "sense". When dealing with the things of God you can’t come with your intellect or your religion. You must come open and learn to get HIS mind on your situation.
As I laid out both situations to God and explained why in the natural it made more sense to continue in situation A (as if He didn't know), the Lord's response to me was, "Daughter, Follow MY Peace." I stepped back, removed Rebekah from the situation and saw/found where His peace was. Surprisingly, His peace was in situation B. This moment taught me that whenever faced with a decision my pattern was to be to step back, be still and follow the peace of God. God's peace may not always lead you to the place you think you should be or even want to be, and it may not always lead you to the place others or religion think you should be but follow it anyway.
At the close of our communing the Lord brought me back and had me re-read the story of Kathryn Kuhlman. In one part, it speaks about her marriage and how she found no peace in her spirit concerning it. She was quoted saying, "I just couldn’t find the will of God in this matter". Although those around her tried to convince her to wait and follow the peace of God in the matter she wouldn’t listen. She moved forward, got married, and as a result her ministry disintegrated and she lost her church. It goes on that she spent the next eight years after being married in oblivion as far as major ministry was concerned. And if you keep reading, it wasn't until she separated and divorced that she got her ministry back. I mention this to show an example of the consequences that can take place when we don’t follow His peace. After all, our decisions / choices never effect only us.
We cannot trust our life decisions to our emotions because our emotions are ever changing nor can we move in haste to make a decision due to the pressure of others or even self. We must trust Whose we are and know that He sees the end from the beginning, He knows what we need to get done what He has called us to do. God is not an emotional God, therefore this walk can not be based off emotions. And this is not always easy but like anything the more you exercise it the more it becomes a part of your lifestyle. And once you receive God's peace concerning a situation you will never second guess that situation again.
I am stressing God's peace because there is a difference between God's peace and man's. Man's peace is something that is created to accomplish what needs to be done for the moment. However, since it is a peace that man creates it never lasts. God’s peace surpasses your carnal understanding. It is a peace that even if all Hell breaks loose around you it won’t affect you because you are in the peace of God. Picture yourself walking outside when all of a sudden a storm hits. Trees are knocking over, stuff is flying past you (people acting out of character,a bad Dr. report, betrayal, offense, pressing financial obligations, etc.) but you keep walking, you keep moving forward, not fazed but what is going on around you because you are fortified in God's peace.
Following God's peace can save time, it can give rest, confidence and faith, It can save us from making long term decisions in temporal situations. It won't just confirm you are exactly where He wants you to be but it will also confirm you are exactly where God doesn’t want you to be. So, the next time you find yourself face to face with a decision step back and out of your emotions and follow His peace. It will confirm itself in time.
To describe the two, one of the situations (let's call it situation A), in the natural, seemed to make more "sense" to continue in. The other situation (let's call it situation B), in the natural, seemed to make NO "sense" to continue in. However, I realize that this walk isn’t about what makes "sense". When dealing with the things of God you can’t come with your intellect or your religion. You must come open and learn to get HIS mind on your situation.
As I laid out both situations to God and explained why in the natural it made more sense to continue in situation A (as if He didn't know), the Lord's response to me was, "Daughter, Follow MY Peace." I stepped back, removed Rebekah from the situation and saw/found where His peace was. Surprisingly, His peace was in situation B. This moment taught me that whenever faced with a decision my pattern was to be to step back, be still and follow the peace of God. God's peace may not always lead you to the place you think you should be or even want to be, and it may not always lead you to the place others or religion think you should be but follow it anyway.
At the close of our communing the Lord brought me back and had me re-read the story of Kathryn Kuhlman. In one part, it speaks about her marriage and how she found no peace in her spirit concerning it. She was quoted saying, "I just couldn’t find the will of God in this matter". Although those around her tried to convince her to wait and follow the peace of God in the matter she wouldn’t listen. She moved forward, got married, and as a result her ministry disintegrated and she lost her church. It goes on that she spent the next eight years after being married in oblivion as far as major ministry was concerned. And if you keep reading, it wasn't until she separated and divorced that she got her ministry back. I mention this to show an example of the consequences that can take place when we don’t follow His peace. After all, our decisions / choices never effect only us.
We cannot trust our life decisions to our emotions because our emotions are ever changing nor can we move in haste to make a decision due to the pressure of others or even self. We must trust Whose we are and know that He sees the end from the beginning, He knows what we need to get done what He has called us to do. God is not an emotional God, therefore this walk can not be based off emotions. And this is not always easy but like anything the more you exercise it the more it becomes a part of your lifestyle. And once you receive God's peace concerning a situation you will never second guess that situation again.
I am stressing God's peace because there is a difference between God's peace and man's. Man's peace is something that is created to accomplish what needs to be done for the moment. However, since it is a peace that man creates it never lasts. God’s peace surpasses your carnal understanding. It is a peace that even if all Hell breaks loose around you it won’t affect you because you are in the peace of God. Picture yourself walking outside when all of a sudden a storm hits. Trees are knocking over, stuff is flying past you (people acting out of character,a bad Dr. report, betrayal, offense, pressing financial obligations, etc.) but you keep walking, you keep moving forward, not fazed but what is going on around you because you are fortified in God's peace.
Following God's peace can save time, it can give rest, confidence and faith, It can save us from making long term decisions in temporal situations. It won't just confirm you are exactly where He wants you to be but it will also confirm you are exactly where God doesn’t want you to be. So, the next time you find yourself face to face with a decision step back and out of your emotions and follow His peace. It will confirm itself in time.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Don't Allow your Past / Ishmael to Keep you from your Promise!
We are in such an explosive season, might I say an explosive year. I truly believe that the breakthrough that is going to occur / is occurring this year, is the breaking out of situations, mindsets and anything else that has hindered us, either because of our own doing or the doing of someone / something else, from moving forward in that which we were destined to be and do from the foundation of the world.
As I have been praying, sowing and consecrating in this area I have felt such an expectation in my Spirit. While 2011 is the year we breakthrough / out I sense that 2012 is going to be the year of the FULFILLMENT of the Promise. Yes, I am excited, and I don’t want anything or anyone, including myself, to mess this up. I want to enjoy the Promises that have been laid out for me wholeheartedly, in excellence and with liberty.
In desiring this I started to think about what could keep myself, or any individual from experiencing that which is on our horizon and the (2) areas that seemed to jump out, though I am sure there are more, are (1.) One’s Past and (2.) One’s Ishmael(s).
The residue of one’s past can be such a hindrance in moving forward, as I have mentioned before. None of us are perfect. We have all missed it now and again. But since we can’t go back to the past and change it (unless we have a time machine) let’s allow God to use our past to bring forth wisdom for our future. Let’s allow ourselves to be healed of our past, forgiven of our past, and delivered from our past so we can move forward into our promise without excess baggage weighing us down or anything else that may hinder us from fully enjoying our promise. The past is over, it’s done, get bored with it and release yourself from it. From the successes and the failures. If you have truly repented for the failures of your past then God has forgotten about them and is no longer talking about them to you or anyone else…so why are you?
The other area that seemed to jump out was that of one’s Ishmael(s). To me, Ishmael represents that which one creates during the “in between” of the beginning and the end of their faith, the time between expectation and experience. Maybe because they got impatient, were in disobedience or doubt, were pressured by others or even one’s own anxiety to move. Possibly making a permanent decision in a very temporary situation. Because it is something we create it can be seen as a prop, a copy, or counterfeit. And Ishmael(s) can be created in so many areas of our life, from business to ministry to finances and even relationships. They can also get tricky because sometimes the Ishmael(s) we create can look exactly like the promise we've seen and might even be believed to be the promise we've seen. That is until the promise makes its appearance. Once the promise makes its tangible appearance it will become clear which is which. The best way to explain an Ishmael is to compare it to the like of counterfeit money. Counterfeit money, if it is created good, will look, feel and possibly, for a moment, even spend like real money. However, when placed next to the real thing the difference will be made known. Now, with us, those of faith, we believe that all things work together for good so the Ishmael(s) we may create God can still use them and give them purpose. But, when the promise makes its tangible appearance don't allow the your Ishmael to keep you from experiencing the real thing, from experiencing the promise, from experiencing that which you knew could exist but never thought it could exist for you because the truth is…IT DOES EXIST…IT DOES EXIST FOR YOU...and YOU ARE TO BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE IT THIS YEAR!
As I have been praying, sowing and consecrating in this area I have felt such an expectation in my Spirit. While 2011 is the year we breakthrough / out I sense that 2012 is going to be the year of the FULFILLMENT of the Promise. Yes, I am excited, and I don’t want anything or anyone, including myself, to mess this up. I want to enjoy the Promises that have been laid out for me wholeheartedly, in excellence and with liberty.
In desiring this I started to think about what could keep myself, or any individual from experiencing that which is on our horizon and the (2) areas that seemed to jump out, though I am sure there are more, are (1.) One’s Past and (2.) One’s Ishmael(s).
The residue of one’s past can be such a hindrance in moving forward, as I have mentioned before. None of us are perfect. We have all missed it now and again. But since we can’t go back to the past and change it (unless we have a time machine) let’s allow God to use our past to bring forth wisdom for our future. Let’s allow ourselves to be healed of our past, forgiven of our past, and delivered from our past so we can move forward into our promise without excess baggage weighing us down or anything else that may hinder us from fully enjoying our promise. The past is over, it’s done, get bored with it and release yourself from it. From the successes and the failures. If you have truly repented for the failures of your past then God has forgotten about them and is no longer talking about them to you or anyone else…so why are you?
The other area that seemed to jump out was that of one’s Ishmael(s). To me, Ishmael represents that which one creates during the “in between” of the beginning and the end of their faith, the time between expectation and experience. Maybe because they got impatient, were in disobedience or doubt, were pressured by others or even one’s own anxiety to move. Possibly making a permanent decision in a very temporary situation. Because it is something we create it can be seen as a prop, a copy, or counterfeit. And Ishmael(s) can be created in so many areas of our life, from business to ministry to finances and even relationships. They can also get tricky because sometimes the Ishmael(s) we create can look exactly like the promise we've seen and might even be believed to be the promise we've seen. That is until the promise makes its appearance. Once the promise makes its tangible appearance it will become clear which is which. The best way to explain an Ishmael is to compare it to the like of counterfeit money. Counterfeit money, if it is created good, will look, feel and possibly, for a moment, even spend like real money. However, when placed next to the real thing the difference will be made known. Now, with us, those of faith, we believe that all things work together for good so the Ishmael(s) we may create God can still use them and give them purpose. But, when the promise makes its tangible appearance don't allow the your Ishmael to keep you from experiencing the real thing, from experiencing the promise, from experiencing that which you knew could exist but never thought it could exist for you because the truth is…IT DOES EXIST…IT DOES EXIST FOR YOU...and YOU ARE TO BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE IT THIS YEAR!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The CrossRoad of Faith
So many of us say, and probably think we are believing and trusting God when it comes to the vision for or certain situations in our lives but are we truly believing and trusting Him?
I thought I was because I was standing on the Word the Lord gave to me for the vision of my life. I believed that I received and continued to remind Him of what He promised. I was sowing my seed in two worlds. I was using the Word as a net to filter out doubt, negativity, and any thought that would come to mind that contradicted what I knew.
This week I have been in a posture of consecration. During worship the Lord said to me, “You need to crossover". As I started asking questions back it was revealed that I wasn’t fully believing and trusting Him as it pertains to the vision for my life. I was just going through the faith motions. Though my Spirit had fully grasped it there were some parts of Rebekah that were teetering. I had one foot in faith and one foot out. You know, just-in-case, in case I was wrong, wasn’t hearing correctly, missed it, or for some reason it didn’t come to pass. And I get why I was teetering. Teetering meant I couldn’t get hurt or disappointed because I could run the other way if I had to. If I wasn’t fully in belief or trust I couldn’t get fully hurt or disappointed. My teetering was protecting me. There was still a bit of fear operating and battling with my faith. There was still a bit of denial, and rightfully so. For some of us, the vision given is not a desirous one. Yes, we are passionate about it, and it is who we are, but, because we feel the weight of it, because we know the responsibility that comes with it, the discipline, the ridicule, the attack, the crucifixion, we attempt to do whatever else we can, except what we are supposed to do. Cute, I know. Because, while there is a "cost" attached to some visions, this "cost" will be far greater if the vision is ignored.
Here I was at a crossroad. And I am sure there are many others at the crossroad of their faith. Whether it be exercising faith in their business, career, finances, ministry, relationships, health, deliverance, etc. That crossroad where we decide to either let go completely or continue to hold on to some sort of safety, comfort, or familiarity. I knew, at that moment, that if I crossed over in my faith there was no turning back. My life, myself, was fully with Him. My hands would be completely off of it and I would no longer have my hands on it. Whatever was to happen would happen. I would no longer be teetering on the seesaw of faith able to control and protect myself from hurt or disappointment, from the weight or the responsibility,or from all that is connected to who I am to be and where I am headed. This was it.
So, in the words of Elphaba from Wicked, with a twist, I said to Him, “It’s too late for second-guessing. Too late to go back to sleep (after all, I had already told Him 'Yes'). It's time to trust my Spirit. Close my eyes and leap!” And that is exactly what I did. I leaped and crossed over in my faith, completely and wholeheartedly. As it is a NEW place for me I surprisingly feel more charged than I do scared. And now, here I am, completely surrendered, and completely ready!
I thought I was because I was standing on the Word the Lord gave to me for the vision of my life. I believed that I received and continued to remind Him of what He promised. I was sowing my seed in two worlds. I was using the Word as a net to filter out doubt, negativity, and any thought that would come to mind that contradicted what I knew.
This week I have been in a posture of consecration. During worship the Lord said to me, “You need to crossover". As I started asking questions back it was revealed that I wasn’t fully believing and trusting Him as it pertains to the vision for my life. I was just going through the faith motions. Though my Spirit had fully grasped it there were some parts of Rebekah that were teetering. I had one foot in faith and one foot out. You know, just-in-case, in case I was wrong, wasn’t hearing correctly, missed it, or for some reason it didn’t come to pass. And I get why I was teetering. Teetering meant I couldn’t get hurt or disappointed because I could run the other way if I had to. If I wasn’t fully in belief or trust I couldn’t get fully hurt or disappointed. My teetering was protecting me. There was still a bit of fear operating and battling with my faith. There was still a bit of denial, and rightfully so. For some of us, the vision given is not a desirous one. Yes, we are passionate about it, and it is who we are, but, because we feel the weight of it, because we know the responsibility that comes with it, the discipline, the ridicule, the attack, the crucifixion, we attempt to do whatever else we can, except what we are supposed to do. Cute, I know. Because, while there is a "cost" attached to some visions, this "cost" will be far greater if the vision is ignored.
Here I was at a crossroad. And I am sure there are many others at the crossroad of their faith. Whether it be exercising faith in their business, career, finances, ministry, relationships, health, deliverance, etc. That crossroad where we decide to either let go completely or continue to hold on to some sort of safety, comfort, or familiarity. I knew, at that moment, that if I crossed over in my faith there was no turning back. My life, myself, was fully with Him. My hands would be completely off of it and I would no longer have my hands on it. Whatever was to happen would happen. I would no longer be teetering on the seesaw of faith able to control and protect myself from hurt or disappointment, from the weight or the responsibility,or from all that is connected to who I am to be and where I am headed. This was it.
So, in the words of Elphaba from Wicked, with a twist, I said to Him, “It’s too late for second-guessing. Too late to go back to sleep (after all, I had already told Him 'Yes'). It's time to trust my Spirit. Close my eyes and leap!” And that is exactly what I did. I leaped and crossed over in my faith, completely and wholeheartedly. As it is a NEW place for me I surprisingly feel more charged than I do scared. And now, here I am, completely surrendered, and completely ready!
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