Hideaway Home 2: This is how I fight my battle!

Background Music – Madelyn Berry – Surrounded/No Weapon

One of the lessons I have learned from the bible and experience is that life happens and it involves battles, problems, and trials. Jesus emphasized and personalized it when he said: In this world, YOU will have troubles! You’ve either escaped, going through, coming out, or about to face one.   Of course, there are triumphs else life would be unbalanced. That’s the good news Jesus concluded with– I have overcome the world (the breeding ground of troubles). This means you too are an overcomer and have what it takes to overcome the trigger or source of your challenges!

Let me share about a challenge I overcame some years ago. I became homeless due to sheer lack of responsibility – one affliction that will not arise a second time! This is the period my mind was opened to understand the Scripture:

… “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Luke 9:58 

Nowhere
My ‘Nowhere’ season involved quite a bit of wandering and meandering, and I quickly realized how much I took God’s provisions for granted. I have since learned to be thankful for a roof over my head and the most basic of utilities, like hot water.

During this time, I mastered different unspoken rules and expectations, learned to tread carefully, and honed the art of tiptoeing; besides, I did not feel comfortable inconveniencing people and invading their privacy, so that meant I had:

• Restricted movement: I couldn’t go and come as I pleased, being a lodger.
• Regulated timetable: I had to engage in my hosts’ or other activities until they were home or ready to call it a day.
• Rationed servings: This meant no ‘Oliver Twist’ no matter how much I craved even when I was told to ‘be at home’.
• Reversed allocation: Beggars can’t be choosers so I was grateful for any available place, floor, living room, and shared bed-space or taking turns to use the kitchen or bathroom facilities.
• Roamer syndrome: The London buses were my part-time home particularly N87 to Kingston and N9 to Heathrow – long distance journeys that would ensure I had a considerable nap before alighting. No doubt I had a mark of protection.

Onward to Canaan
Eventually, I overstayed my welcome at a place and had to move on – this is ok because the wilderness was not meant to be a dwelling place. I lost some personal belongings in the process – items I left with friends and neighbours for safe-keeping that were never returned. The most painful being my keyboard and its stand, and a TV with in-built VHS – you can imagine how long ago this was!

I think it is useful to mention I couldn’t have gone through this process without the support of my family, friends, and church brethren, but ultimately there is no place like home. I also learned there is a huge difference between anywhere, everywhere and somewhere – a little semantics but I am sure you understand.

For a while, I couldn’t live down the stigma and embarrassment of being a statistic- unemployed homeless female young-adult. That’s unheard of considering my pedigree and background – my Dad wasn’t very pleased on hearing about my living condition but thank God love prevailed.  Living off a suitcase was not easy and the frequent trips to the storage unit overtime got tedious. I suddenly became restless and began a quest to lay aside every weight and break off all yoke starting with ‘The Queen’s Payroll’ also known as The Dole or Job Seekers Allowance (JSA).

Stuck and surrounded
I mentioned weight and yoke because I felt submerged, stuck, and surrounded like that protégé who woke up one morning only to find out his city was besieged by armies. Have you ever felt confined, trapped, or hemmed in? It’s worth noting that the encircling didn’t happen instantly.

But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. Matthew 13:25

Maybe you have been issued a bad medical report or you are trying for a baby. Confined!  Perhaps you are looking for a job or have just become bankrupt and the bailiffs are after whatever assets remain. Trapped!! You probably have waited extensively for your immigration issues to be resolved.  Hemmed in!!! Could it be you’re saddened at the loss of a loved one, a break-up or discouraged that you’re seemingly the only one left in the threshing floor with no ‘redeemer’ or ‘maiden’ in view– whichever applies?  I heard a word:

… None will lack a mate.  Isaiah 34:16

This is a good place to #hollaapraise! You will not lack anything, period! Elisha’s servant lacked the right perspective about the chain of events and that’s the reason he was afraid. Fear and anxiety are common symptoms experienced by people who are overwhelmed and usually develops into full-blown depression when neglected. 

The servants in the Parable of the Weeds identified the weeds as an abnormality so did Elisha’s servant the unusual activity in his territory.  It is crucial you highlight your pain point. Concerning Rebekah, it is written:

She was going to have twins, and before they were born, they struggled against each other in her womb. She said, “Why should something like this happen to me?” So she went to ask the LORD for an answer. Genesis 25:22

Last week we looked at 3 lessons from David around:

–     Engaging the right people, principles, and processes
–    Shifting positions and gaining new perspectives – do or see something different.
–    Creating or finding a place of rest – your hideaway (rock), primarily God for believers

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young– a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King, and my God.
Psalm 84:3 

Today, I will share 3 things I do when overwhelmed and surrounded – this is how I fight my battle:

1. Praise: Praise is eulogizing and serenading God. This is often followed by worship which is profound love and admiration founded on the worshipper’s reverence for God. God is neither schizophrenic nor egomaniac who needs people to keep reminding him of his worth. Far from it, He is self-existing and none of our praises can change him, rather it works to our advantage. Praise is beautiful, invokes God and rouses him to action.

But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3

If you would like God to show up in your space, praise him

• Read the Psalms and other portions of Scripture that describe His worth and might .e.g. Psalm 136.
• Sing or make melody (both in understanding and the language of the Spirit).
• Confess the scriptures.
• Play uplifting gospel music.
• Attend corporate worship services or Christian events.

2. Pray: Prayer is a dialogue with God. I often think of it as a child performing recitals of learned vocabulary to parents; like a student who reproduces taught materials during an examination; like a lawyer who comes before a judge with pieces of evidence to support their case. Prayer is making requests in line with God’s will and is more relational than transactional.

Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things which you still do not know about.’ Jeremiah 33:3

The answers to the questions and mysteries in your life is a call away, call on God in prayer!

• Read, study or wait on God for a word (can include relevant books or teaching messages) – that’s the weapon you wield.
• Play instrumental worship music in the background to create an atmosphere.
• Pray in the Spirit and understanding.
• Use sound prayer materials e.g. prints or audio
• Attend prayer meetings or connect with prayer warriors (intercessors).

3. Prophesy: Prophecy is God’s divine will for mankind and is usually futuristic hence differ from the word of knowledge which has to do with ongoing incidents in a person’s life. To prophesy is to foresee and foretell God’s mind on a matter. Throughout history, God has ordained and used spokesmen and mouthpieces known as prophets to declare special messages to people. However, sons and daughters can prophesy to a degree.

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. Ezekiel 37:7

Your next shift or miracle is in your mouth, open it and prophesy!

• Set the atmosphere with uplifting worship music such as the one playing in the background.
• Praise and pray in the Spirit and understanding.
• Listen out for the voice of the Spirit and echo what He is saying.
• Declare relevant scripture promises in faith e.g. Isaiah 54:17. God’s will is his word.
• Connect with sound and tested or budding prophets

Friend, It may look like you are surrounded by your enemies whereas it is God hovering over and covering you.

• Praise him advance for your victory.
• Pray for wisdom and grace to navigate the challenging times – it’s a season that’ll pass.
• Prophesy breath into the seemingly dead or dire situations and watch out for the noise, shaking, and assembling of the disjointed areas of your life.

I look forward to hearing your testimony.