6 MP3 Teaching Download
By Jeremy Lopez and Deborah Jones
Price: $60.00
Oftentimes we find ourselves praying to the Lord repeatedly in a continuous request for breakthrough. We may feel as if our prayers aren't being answered and the time of seemingly unanswered prayers becomes prolonged.
Here's the question I want to ask you today, (in asking you, I'm asking myself as well). Is it possible or even highly likely that the Lord has been sending our answers to the prayers we've been praying but due to preconceived ideas of what those answers should look like, we haven't been receptive of His answers?
Earlier this year I decided I wanted to raise some chickens for the purpose of having my own organic eggs. So in the spring, I got my ten, sweet little freshly hatched chicks, on their very first day of life. That means, I became their momma. I named each one of them and they became as pets to me. I loved on these little chicks and cuddled them, and as they grew, I continued to do so. They're full grown now and blessing us with fresh, organic eggs every day. And, I still pick them up and cuddle them into me, and when we go outside into their area, they run to us with high expectations of our affections and of our treats. With the exception of one. She will come to me, and I can pick her up but she's very vocal for the first few minutes and when I begin to toss their scratch and treats out to them, they all run towards me because they know it's good and they want it, EXCEPT for the one, when the treats begin to be tossed out, she runs away from it.
God has been using this specific chicken to teach me. He highlighted her actions and began to talk to me about her in regard to how we, as the human race, run from His blessings rather than running to them. He's been speaking to me how, many will allow the ever so subtle and sometimes not so subtle, voice of the enemy to speak thoughts of fear to impose suspicion and cause people to run from the Salvation of Jesus Christ. Or, to run from the blessings of the Lord, or from the answers to our prayers when they arrive because they haven't come packaged quite as we presumed they would be.
You see, when I put together the afternoon treat for my chickens, the primary component of it is, the scratch (multiple grains), then I put a layer of grit and the very top layer, which then is the first of the treats to be tossed to them, and the treat that they are allowed to have the least amount of, but they love the most - the meal worms. So, when I begin to throw the afternoon treat out to them, the first layer contains the least amount in proportion to the rest, therefore it is also the layer that lasts the least amount of time upon the ground for consumption. The chicken that runs from this treat being tossed out to her is named, Miss Prissy. She was named early on, so she wasn’t named to fit her actions but rather, her actions seemed to have become fitted to her name. Miss Prissy misses out on the most sought-after portion of the treat because she’s always too busy trying to avoid it. Now, I love all of my chickens equally and I WANT Miss Prissy to get her fair portion of that first layer of the treat, so I will intentionally try to toss some in the way of her path, in hopes that her desire for the blessing will override the power of the deception which is robbing her of the best part.
First Fruits
Every day, while I’m watching this same scenario play out, I have been hearing in my spirit the words, “first fruits.” Now, I know that typically those words pertain to our offerings unto the Lord, but I haven’t been hearing it spoken to me in such a way that it’s referring to offerings. Rather, I’ve been hearing it in such a way that it’s referring to the best of the blessings being given to us by our Father in Heaven. That it’s the promises He’s so willing to give to us.
Those who are trusting of Him and not in what we see by our natural sight or trusting in our preconceived ideas of what His promises/answers to prayer should look like or how they should present themselves to us, will receive of those first fruit promises and blessings - from the time they are offered and placed before us.
The Hebrew word for first fruit is Bikkurim—literally translated to “promise to come.”
But those who allow the voice of the enemy to speak lies and cause fear and suspicion to override the receptiveness of the blessing will be robbed from receiving all that is offered by the Lord. That’s not to say, they won’t receive some, merely to say, they won’t be ready to receive the fullness of all.
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
About a week ago, on one particular day, while I was tossing out the treats for my chickens, Miss Prissy didn’t run away. Instead, she did just as the other’s did and quickly came to where it was being thrown to and gobbled it up along with the other chickens. I was so delighted because I thought she’s finally gotten her breakthrough and can now receive readily of the blessing I’ve so delighted in wanted to give to her. The following day, and since then, she’s been right back to running away again. This puzzled me so I took it to the Lord in prayer that He may teach me what the significance would be in this and what I was to glean from it. He contrasted it to me as those who taste of His salvation; word; blessing; answer to prayer, whatever it may be then go right back to their former mindset of bondage, which is keeping them from the fullness of His promises and blessings.
Matthew 13:11-12 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
Don’t Miss the Boat
Jesus came to earth just as the prophets proclaimed He would, but many did not recognize Him for Who He is because He did not come as the same type of kingly appearance as what they expected a King to come in. I doubt the cross looked much like the answer they were expecting to their prayers of freedom from bondage, as well.
The message I believe we’re to learn from the Lord highlighting my sweet Miss Prissy is this; the enemy, in all his craftiness has a way of robbing us from the blessings from the Lord by using suspicion, fear and preconceived ideas within our minds to convince us THAT’S not from the Lord. So, we wait, and we wait, and we wait for answers that have been being presented to us all along, but we cannot recognize them because of strongholds in our minds that we’re allowing to override the very things the Lord wants to bless us with. Frequently, that stronghold on our mind, is pride, by the way.
I’m reminded of the story about the man who rejected the boat over and over again because it didn’t look like what he thought God’s answer to his prayer should look like.
A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.
Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you.” The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me." So, the rowboat went on. Then a motorboat came by. The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So, the motorboat went on. Then, a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety." To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.
Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in You but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!" To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"
When we’re truly trusting in the Lord and not on our own understanding, we won’t miss the boat. (Or the best treats!)
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Abundant Blessings!
Taffie Beisecker
