Copyright Theresa Harvard Johnson
This has been a very interesting week for me. I wanted to drop in briefly just to share… and to REALLY THANK GOD for all that He has done to enable me to walk through it. We all have times when it seems like despite our best efforts to obey and follow God… we find ourselves hitting brick walls and facing obstacles on every turn.
But to GOD ALONE be the Glory…
In the midst of this, Father brought something powerful to my attention this morning as I reflected over everything that happened and how some things were worked out. I knew I had to share it with you today. He said this to me: “Beloved, look at how you walked through it. Look at your approach and response.”
Father showed me these things about myself:
- I prayed by Holy Spirit and kept stepping. Though I saw the obstacles, I moved and operated as if they were not there.
- I heard the negativity that was spoken, but chose to declare the GLORY of the Lord into those situations as they arose.
- I did all that was required of me in each situation — no matter how tired, frustrated or even angry I wanted to become. I put those things aside so quickly I didn’t have time to operate in them.
- When I was prompted to get alone with God to confess any sin revealed to me and cleanse my soul, I was quick to do it. Even going in to talk with my mentor and spiritual Father for help in pressing into that level.
Father showed me that I was walking in the fruit of patience, self control and humility this week in a way that I have DESIRED TO DO for a very long time. I had prayed for greater fruit in these areas, but DID NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE that increase had come until this morning… during my “Glory time” with the Lord. I was so thankful for Father’s encouragement in this area…. because truthfully, it wasn’t THERESA who walked through this on her own merit! Theresa was EXHAUSTED and TIRED and FRUSTRATED…but GOD WAS GREATER IN ME…
Immediately my spirit pointed me to Romans 8:24-31 CJB which says, “24 It was in this hope that we were saved. But if we see what we hope for, it isn’t hope – after all, who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we continue hoping for something we don’t see, then we still wait eagerly for it, with perseverance.
Father didn’t tell me to do a word study on this, but He began to speak to me about HOPE. Hope, in this instance, equaled my LEVEL OF BELIEF concerning my faith. I thought of Thomas and the need he had to SEE our Messiah’s wounds. Then the Lord had me substitute the word “belief” for the word hope in this scripture. It reads: “But if we see what we “BELIEVE” for, it isn’t “BELIEF”…. for who “BELIEVES” for what he already sees?
In other words, it is EASY TO BELIEVE what you can see. Our Faith… this walk in Christ … REQUIRES that we HOPE IN or BELIEVE IN what we cannot see. To tell you the truth, we have to BELIEVE that we actually exist IN HIM. Father was showing me in this that it’s NOT ENOUGH to pray that He moves in an impossible situation. It’s not enough that we DECLARE where we stand in a situation…. but what we need is to RESPOND TO THAT SITUATION according to how the word requires us to respond.
Instead of crawling in a hole in despair, I must CRY OUT for help! I must confess my weakness, if necessary, to another brother and sister who have the faith to walk with me. THIS IS WHERE confession and prayer comes forth! This is where STANDING and moving forward has its greatest victory! This is where GOD IS GLORIFIED in our weakness…
26 Similarly, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we don’t know how to pray the way we should. But the Spirit himself pleads on our behalf with groanings too deep for words; 27 and the one who searches hearts knows exactly what the Spirit is thinking, because his pleadings for God’s people accord with God’s will.
People of God, this is where we RELY ON HOLY SPIRIT to intercede for us. I tell you, MANY TIMES… this is the type of prayer we need to go forth on OUR BEHALF from our OWN TEMPLES. We know that God searches the heart… and we also know that HOLY SPIRIT IS HIS LIGHT! When WE ALLOW HOLY SPIRIT TO PRAY INSIDE OUR TEMPLES…. GOD WILL KNOW WHAT HOLY SPIRIT IS THINKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!! HOLY SPIRIT CAN CONVEY THINGS TO THE LORD ABOUT US… that this SOUL CANNOT PUT INTO WORDS! What is the Lord saying to us this morning: “Let HOLY SPIRIT” help us in our weakness! Let HOLY SPIRIT DO what Father has sent HOLY SPIRIT TO DO on the inside of us!”
When WE DO THIS… GOD WILL CAUSE all things to work together for our good. I experienced this…. THIS WEEK in an elevated way. Now understand, I’m not talking about in a way that “the world will see” but in a way that the eyes of my understanding to spiritual warfare were opened in a greater way. I walked into a new spiritual height and depth within THERESA today… where Father’s Word came alive on a new level FOR ME.
Not everything we experience is about show-and-tell. Some things are revealed SIMPLY TO HELP US WORK OUT AND WALK OUT OUR SOUL’S SALVATION!
28 Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose; 29 because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers;
I often declare and pray every morning that I will come in the name of the book written for me! Today, Father gave me further insight into this through this experience. BECAUSE Father knew me in advance of my release in the earth realm — he HAS DETERMINED that I, THERESA, would be conformed into the pattern of His Son. MY ACTIONS, MY CHOICES, THE WAY I DECIDED TO WALK THIS WEEK… gave this powerful prophetic word life…. and I saw my self walking in God’s vision for my ADVANCEMENT … in being conformed into the image of Christ. MY GOD! I pray that you hear what Father is saying here…
HOW YOU RESPOND in the midst of a crisis MATTERS more than you will ever know. It is easy to GIVE IN TO THE FLESH and say, “HEY, Whatever…. I ain’t doing nothing in the midst of this. I AM TIRED!” But the most difficult choice is this: “It’s hard, but I KNOW THIS IS WHAT GOD WANTS… so I’m going to do this TIRED OR NOT! I don’t care how much my soul is inconvenienced or this body fights against me. I am going to MOOOVE… in the midst of this.”
People of God, I KNOW that only the SPIRIT gave me strength in the midst of my weakness this week! I KNOW that it was the choice, the WILL TO FOLLOW CHRIST… that RELEASED HOLY SPIRIT to be my STRENGTH… and I SAW GOD MOOVE IN ME… I FELT HIM MOOOOVE IN ME…. HE DID SOME HOUSE CLEANING IN ME… and today, I AM NOT THE SAME…
That scripture that says I can do all things in Christ has a NEW, DEEPER MEANING in my SOUL this morning…
30 and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified! 31 What, then, are we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up on behalf of us all – is it possible that, having given us his Son, he would not give us everything else too?
You know, Father glorified himself IN HIS SON JESUS! He can do the same in me and the same in you… when we just let go. Don’t let the cares of this world OVERTAKE YOU! Don’t place your expectations on PEOPLE in this hour to GET YOU THROUGH! Don’t stand at the door looking pitiful and hopeless…. lean on Ruach Hakodesh…. Holy Spirit…. and let him SPEAK on your behalf. Let Father continue to train us and teach us …. with the little things! You’d be surprised of the kind of strength to persevere that will rise from within you…
In retrospect, I realize now that MY RESPONSES to this situation kept me occupied and I didn’t even realize it. I was caught up in walking out the directives Holy Spirit gave me… that I didn’t have ANYTIME to really focus on the negative side of the situations that came forth. MY VICTORY was hidden in my RESPONSE…
I tell you what, I didn’t carry myself this week… and it’s only halfway over. God did….
