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Back in February 2024, I was fasting and praying about a certain situation. As I pray big prayers, I like to use a method called Visual Prayer. Visual Prayer is an amazing tool that will help you stay focused as you pray. It also helps you document when you have prayed a specific prayer. You don't need to be creative to practice Visual Prayer. I go into detail about the different methods on my blog: HERE!
BUT Back to my story: On February 8, 2024, God dropped a name in my spirit, “The Village”. I didn’t know what it meant. Soooo…. I asked God for direction and prayed that He would guide me and give me wisdom and discernment on what this “title” was for….. Fast forward to August 2024… God lead me to a sweet group of woman - semi forced (LOL) together in a waiting room 2x per week. The first week there we had accidental church. Ha. God showed up right there with us and we were an emotional mess. It was amazing. Later, I felt the spirit prompt me to ask these ladies if they would like to do weekly devotionals together.... and to my surprise, they were open to it.... What I had prayed for back in February was starting to emerge.
A sweet woman in our group mentioned how she had been praying for a group of women that she could pour into and that could pour into her….. “A VILLAGE”, I felt the Holy Spirit stir in me when she spoke about it. I went to create the group chat, and I needed to name the chat and again, I felt a stir in my spirit, “THE VILLAGE”. So, I took that as confirmation that this is what The Lord was preparing back in February…. But AGAIN, I questioned it all and so I said a little prayer, “God give me some confirmation that this is it!” and almost immediately, a different sweet woman from our group commented in the chat and said, “Iron sharpens Iron Ladies” It took my breath away because on the top of this card, back in Feb 2024, I wrote that very verse…. “As Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17
THEN TODAY, I felt The Spirit nudge me to start sharing what I'm sharing in the group HERE.... not only does it give our group a resource, but it also gives us the ability to share with others what we are learning... so that GODS WORD REACHES EVEN FURTHER!
It got me thinking about what it means to have “A Village” …. What does that mean to you? To have a “Village”? And has it been hard for you to find yours in the past?
I think oftentimes we shy away from friends who call us out and challenge us because sometimes it hurts. But as IRON SHARPENS IRON, we should build up A VILLAGE that will push us to be better. Who will speak into our lives.
1 Thess. 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
We need Friends who will put some heat on us… because they know we can do better… TRUE FRIENDS SHOULD CHALLENGE EACH OTHER! It can be done in a kind, respectful way. It can be done in LOVE! BUT man, I Thank God for Godly friends (for the ROSES IN MY LIFE!). Take inventory of your circle, of your village!
When you are weak, they should be strong. And when you don’t have faith, they should have faith for you. And when you can’t pray, they should pray for you! Do they BELIEVE WHEN YOU DON’T BELIEVE!??
Let's read, LUKE 5:17-26
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”
The Pharisees were devoted, but they believed that God only loved those who strictly followed the law. They separated themselves. They worried about their reputation. They were critical…. (perfect example of friends we don’t want in our “village”, right?)
Because of the crowded room, the FRIENDS of the paralyzed man lowered him down through the roof….. THINK OF THE QUALITY OF FRIENDS WHO WOULD DO THIS….. They would need to be strong, because the burden is heavy. They need to be admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering, because the work would try their faith. They needed to be prayerful, otherwise they labor in vain. && They must believe, or they would be utterly useless.
Being the Village…. We GET TO encourage each other! So that when you feel like you want to quit, your village is there to build you up! Sometimes we need spirit-filled people to declare over us that we are NOT going down like this!
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
What strengths/gifts do you have that you can bring to your Village?
How can you be that type of friend, like the paralyzed man had, to the person next to you?
Thanks for reading, sweet friends!
<3 The Bohemian Homemaker - Michelle Warren
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