Hey! I wanted to share something with you that my friend Precious shared on Instagram. Check out this video:
Wow. There are so many different layers of this testimony that I want to write about but the most special one is what she shared, showing others your wounds. This scripture is hard, but it's so important and so true:
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. - James 5:13-16
We live in a culture where "thoughts and prayers" have literally become an insult. How wild is it to think that being mindful of someone and praying for them would be insulting? The Bible is clear that prayer is not only suitable for every situation, good and bad, but it's also powerful and produces results.
Two things stick out to me in Precious' testimony. Her circumstances would not allow her situation to be covered and she was vulnerable enough to share her condition and receive the prayer.
How many times have we been going to through a terrible situation and tried to hide it or cover it up? How often do we try to dress up sadness and guilt or smile over shame? Have you ever tried to put a turtleneck over your fear or a long coat over your conviction? This passage is telling us that we don't have to hide, cover up or try to wash away our conditions. Contrary to our natural desire to cover, the Word tells us to "SAY IT OUT LOUD."
Thing getting tough? Say it to God. Things going well? Sing praises and somebody may hear about it! Are you sick? Call those who are in spiritual authority over you and tell them so that they can pray for you. Have you messed up? It's okay, tell someone so that you can pray for each other. You will be forgiven! Wow. SAY IT. Don't cover up, and don't hide! The Lord is always listening and even if you don't have the words, you can say it to someone else who will surely have the words for you.
Sometimes you don't have the option to try to hide. What if you end up in the hospital? What if your sin has consequences that debilitate your life? What if someone is able to discern spiritually that something is wrong?
Your willingness to participate in your deliverance is key. You have to be willing to be vulnerable enough to say, okay, this is what it is. This is what's going on. I'm hurting, I'm grieving, I'm afraid. Times are tough right now and I don't see a way out. I messed up, really bad.
Vulnerability is difficult. But once we let down our guard and let God in, He can fix what is broken. Sometimes His way of fixing what's broken includes the help of others right here with us.
I know that culture says to move in silence. But if we're choosing Kingdom, God's word tells us to move in connection with the Body of Christ, letting others we love and trust into the hard places, so that we can pray for each other, encourage and uplift each other.
I pray for you all often, but if there's ever anything specific we can pray about for you, please shoot me an email to realqueenbehavior@gmail.com and let me know. I would love to pray with you.
Check out everything Precious is doing at linktr.ee/psandersmakeup.
I love yall. Talk soon.
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