Scripture: Mark 9:14-29 and Matthew 17:14-21
Spiritual B3
On July 7, 2020 I posted on Facebook that the Lord was showing me in dreams and revelations that I had to get back to teaching and preaching. Ultimately, I did not fully obey for a lot of reasons that I will not go into detail about right now, but suffice it say—most weren’t necessarily my fault, but they were my problem. I wasn’t necessarily intentionally disobeying God, but I allowed other factors like what I thought was “the right thing to do”, keep me from fully obeying what God was telling me to do.
What I learned is that there are times when the conventional right thing to do is the wrong thing if it places you outside of obedience to God. I 100% believe that my disobedience was the primary reason I contracted COVID-19, which was the capstone of what was one of the most difficult seasons in my life. Looking back, it was all a part of me failing my test. My disobedience led to God literally stopping me dead in my tracks and stripping me down to the point where I had nothing, and I do mean nothing but Him.
As I was in the midst of failing my own test like the disciples in our passage, I was challenged to take a fresh look at our passage. After re-studying these passages and the condition of the boy, I discovered not only was I like the failed disciples, but I was also the man’s son in the text. Out of this revelation I discovered three surefire signs of being in a “This Kind” of moment or situation. You are in a “this kind” of moment when we are: 1) having communication problems; 2) you feel seized by seemingly uncontrollable impulses; and 3) you notice self-destructive patterns or habits.
CPR Kit for the Soul:
- Centering Theme: The boy in the text could feel and see something was wrong, but Jesus commanded a deaf and mute spirit to come out of him, meaning that he was suffering but could not communicate his suffering. Center yourself to start working on how to communicate what is going on inside and around you. A “This Kind” of moment is when you can feel something is wrong but can not accurately communicate it.
- Prayer Topic: The father tells Jesus; the spirit would spontaneously “seize” the boy and throw him to the ground. Pray about what seizes you spontaneously and throws you around mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, often against your will: that’s a “This Kind” of moment, but Jesus gave the answer.
- Reflection Thought: The father also tells Jesus, that it often throws him into the fire and the water to destroy him. Reflect on how your “feelings” may throw you around and into self-destructive habits, behaviors, patterns, thoughts, and feelings: that’s a “This Kind” of moment.
T3 Prayer Booster:
- Dear Lord, I am praying that You cultivate my capacity and awareness to communicate to myself and others around me how I am feeling and why I am feeling this way . . .
- Lord, I ask that You through my prayer & fasting, meditation & reflection, help me to better control when my feelings, thoughts, and emotions try to seize me and take control— rather than me being in control of how I respond and react to people and circumstances in my life . . .
- Lord, please help me identify and stop the self-destructive patterns that often send me down self-destructive paths of poor eating and sleeping patterns, self-medication to numb the pain, and destroying the relationships and opportunities that You have blessed me with . . .
