God's Love at Work - Week of September 8
Affirmation
by Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of September 8, 2013
"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." -Hebrews 10:23
Recently, I had lunch with a dear friend I hadn’t seen in several months. From the moment we sat down in the restaurant booth, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit syncing us up in a profound, accelerated manner. In knew in my spirit that I was supposed to be there with her.
As my friend shared her stories and struggles, God instantly gave me His understanding of what was happening in her life. As I shared the words of knowledge He gave to me for her, I realized God was affirming to her what He had been showing her previously.
At the same time God expressed His affirmations to her through me, He expressed His affirmations to me through her regarding a particular area He had spoken to me about previously. He gave me a more detailed understanding through my friend’s words, even though she did not know I needed it and was not intentionally trying to help me. She just shared her testimony, and unbeknownst to my friend, He used the words she spoke to me to give me a very timely flash of understanding.
God is the ultimate multi-tasker, and He can do a quick intervention for more than one person at a time. What does God desire to do for you?
When God accelerates, He redeems time. He refines us quicker. He gets us up to speed pronto. And He is more concerned about us than about our tasks at hand. How we treat people in the tasks before us is more important than how we work the tasks He assigns to us.
I believe the sole purpose for this luncheon with my friend was for God to affirm His words to us through each other, to clarify and grow our relationship, to set a few things straight.
According to Dictionary.com, affirmation means “The assertion that something exists or is true; a statement or proposition that is declared to be true; confirmation or ratification of the truth or validity of a prior judgment.”
Romans 8:16 reveals to us that to affirm means to bear witness or to testify with our spirit.
God was validating what He had spoken to us individually through each other. What an awesome connection!
God speaks to us in many ways. Affirmations come through His written (logos) word and His revealed (rhema) word.
My friend shared that she had a recent dream about a particular incident. It was a nightmare. She knew the dream was from the Lord, revealing to her the truth of what was happening in a particular area of her life involving a particular relationship. When she shared it, God enabled me to affirm the dream by giving me the understanding. This affirmation did not come as a shock to her, it confirmed what she was already seeing, believing, sensing and hearing from the Lord.
When God reveals something to us in two forms, it’s because “the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon” (Genesis 41:32).
My friend now realizes she is in a new season.
One of the lessons we all have to learn is how to let people and things go to God in each season of life. As we grow we go. Everything is temporal except God. God’s affirmations let us know we’re, indeed, moving in the right direction, we’re on track. He knows we need encouragement. He knows there are many influences. He knows when our hearts are submitted to Him and when we need to hear from Him.
God wants us growing and moving forward, overcoming, and taking dominion for Him. He wants to perfectly position us, and He uses affirmations to encourage us along.
It is important for us to remember that Jesus is our manifest affirmation, our assurance that we have eternal life with Him and Father God in heaven. We can walk in this affirmation daily, His blood covering, assured that He is for us, not against us. Father God isn’t trying to keep people out of heaven; He’s trying to get them in.
Have you received Jesus into your heart? If so, you are affirmed in heaven. If not, you can pray this prayer: Dear Lord, I want to be affirmed, assured by you. I repent of my sins, and I ask you to come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. I choose to walk with You and serve You all the days of my life. Help me to be like You: to have the heart and mind of Jesus. Let me be Your hands and feet in the world. I surrender my life to You this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
