It’s weird to me that I seem to make connections via songs, books, and TV. This post is no different. I was studying day 10 of “Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge” by Mark Batterson. Day 10 is “Crazy Faith.” That is my way of life and has been since October 2005. Asking God for something crazy and beyond my means; believing Him for it; and then it coming to fruition. He leaves me in awe once He delivers. I remember that date because I recorded that in my journal and I remember exactly where I was when I prayed, “Lord, I need you to do something radical in my life. I need some crazy faith.” I was driving down Albemarle Road in Charlotte and I was passing the State Employee Credit Union. Don’t ask me how or why I remember those specifics….I just do. I knew what I was asking and what He would do. When you ask God for something, sometimes you see instant results; sometimes you don’t. It was around that same time I asked God for the “Yellow Rose Promise,” which He delivered months later, like the birth of a baby. He planted the “seed” and I watched it grow. Be about it.
So, with that being said, I wasn’t just sitting there doing nothing when I asked God for something. Asking may have been activating my faith, but it wasn’t until I started doing that it was truly activated. If it was a job I was seeking, I sent out resumes. If it was something as simple as needing a new outfit and not wanting to pay a lot, I scoured the racks for a bargain and found one. If I sensed God relocating me, I opened myself up to where He wanted to send me by taking a chance and exploring those places via research. I ended up in Austin for 11 years and now He’s moved me to Tallahassee. I don’t know how long I will be here, but it will be as long as He wants me. Be about it.
Don’t just ask. DO! Do your part! Do the work! We want everything done for us, but will not and do not do anything to help ourselves. We must activate the very faith we’re asking for. The Word says that, “Faith without works is dead.”(James 2:14-26). I get so sick of people telling me what they want, but they do nothing to move in that direction. God is not going to do all the work for you! Get off your lazy behind and do something about YOUR life; YOUR dreams; YOUR desires; YOUR hopes! You must be faithful over a few things before you can be ruler over many things. (Matthew 25:21-23). Once upon a time I asked God, “How much of my destiny is up to me?” He said, “All of it! Sure I have it mapped out, but you decide the path based on free-will.” Riiiiiiiight. So it is for you, as it is for me. Be about it.
For some people, the concept of faith is very foreign. How do you get? How does it grow? How do you believe in something you don’t even have yet or can not see? All I can tell you is what I know and what works for me. Firstly, I spend time with God and in His word. I prefer to do it early in the morning before my day gets going. I don’t always succeed, but I strive for that time of day. Try to make it a point to get up early in the morning. I have found that is when God speaks, revealing bits and pieces of His plan for me, and when I hear Him the best. You will not mistake that the voice you heard for some other voice. So for you folks who like to talk non-stop, this means you will need to be quiet. In case you don’t understand, it means “SHUT. UP!” Sometimes, you just need to listen. Secondly, faith requires a little bit of crazy. I’ve got plenty for everyone, but only your crazy will work for you! That crazy is what propels me to seek the impossible; things I can’t possibly do myself. I figure I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So I put it out there before God. My methods are a little unorthodox with God, but they work for us. I’ve always been sassy and I’m the same way with God. That’s one thing I love about Him…He lets me be a daughter…a little girl who seeks her Father in all things and is not afraid to ask for anything. In any event, the last thing I encourage you to do is to go about your daily life, BUT as though you have already received what you’ve asked God for. Before I relocated, I sensed that was the direction God was moving, and I began packing, with certainty, that He would move me and move me to the destination of His choice. Be about it.
Be about it. Don’t just talk about it; do something! I don’t like to date guys who talk a lot! I mean, conversation is good, but if all you’re talking about is you and never listening, we have a problem. It’s not just the guys I’ve dated, it’s the people in my circle, too. One of my dear friends and I were having a discussion about faith and she said (paraphrased), “This comes very easy for you. You don’t realize that. Not everyone hears the voice of God so clearly and just does what He directs them to with such obedience and ease. You don’t hesitate. You don’t stumble. You just do.” That silenced me. Mainly because I had never thought about it and assumed everyone did the same thing. She assured me that is not the case. Regardless, try Him. All you need is faith the size of a mustard seed. God will work with that tiniest portion of faith, and then He will exceed your expectations above all that you asked or imagined. He will blow your mind. Just be about it.
Redbone and Rice 