My great-grandson is an avid fan of Spiderman and many of the superheroes! In the event to inspire and help potty train, I said, "Spiderman doesn't wear a diaper or pull-ups! Spiderman goes potty on the potty chair. Would you like to do that? " "OK", and off he ran. I was surprised that my few words of encouragement worked so fast! He grabbed his toy Spiderman on his way and set SPIDERMAN on the potty chair! My words of inspiration taught Spiderman, but Elijah was taking longer to get the message!
How long does it take for us to learn? Jesus said, in Matthew 13:16, "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear". There is a blessing when we will see and hear what He wants us to be aware of! (Right now, put your hands on your eyes and ears and declare, "I have hearing ears and seeing eyes, Lord, what you want me to understand.")
The Hebrew letter associated with the month of Tevet we are in on the Jewish calendar is Ayin. The word picture Ayin gives is the "eye" representing revelation. It is said, "Let your good eye see"; and "when you see evil, stand against it with words of life". Choose to see the good yet be aware of evil. Agree with the good, say "No" to the evil, and be a faithful watchman. This is a month to see clearly as we press into the Lord and spend time with Him.
One of Spiderman's powers includes a precognitive "sixth sense" famously referred to as his "spider-sense" that alerts him to danger. How much more do we have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us see and hear with "Holy Spirit-sense"! As I train leaders, I am challenged to teach them how to see beyond the surface and hear beyond what is spoken!
An example of this is when someone is critical and controlling. Usually, they have a trust issue and many times are hurting inside. In trying to protect themselves they put the blame on others or try to control their surroundings so that they will not be hurt further. If we see with His eyes and listen with His ears, we can help them deal with their pain and be free.... thus freeing others!
There is such a need for trained Chaplains who can minister to the hurting with wisdom and their "Holy Spirit-sense"! It's important they don't just respond with a "textbook answer" but reach deep down into their well of understanding and minister to where the pain is. There also is a great need to learn to listen! In Chaplaincy, we teach the "ministry of presence" that brings comfort and healing where nothing is said. Your body language speaks, "You are not alone in this situation"! Listening with our spiritual ears will tell us what is needed in each circumstance.
There is a blessing for those who can see and hear. We have more than a "sixth sense", we have the "super-double-nine-sense" (I call it) that is mentioned in the Bible! We have the nine gifts of the Spirit (1Cor 12 and 14) and the nine fruit of the Spirit which are His attributes that live inside us! As we abide in Him and He abides in us our ears are sharpened to hear and we can see more clearly what is really happening!
Its greater than Spiderman and greater than any imaginary super-hero! It's God Himself who has chosen to live inside us as we yield to Him! Wow! It's super-powers beyond ourselves with wisdom to show us how to apply them! What an honor to be taught by Him daily as we train our senses to see and hear as He does!
He will even help us with "potty-training"!
February 15th is our annual "He's My Valentine" party for widows and single ladies in our region! It's for widows of all types (alone, due to death of spouse, divorce or by circumstance.) It is our opportunity to celebrate the Lord as our ultimate Valentine that fills every need and makes our lives complete! This year we will be honoring the "First Responders" in our community including our Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters, EMTs, Chaplains etc. We are looking for sponsors of the tables ($250 for 10 ladies to attend) and for First Responders to connect with. Please email us at info@annasgate,org or leave a message at our number to register for the event. To sponsor a table go to annasgate.org under donate and write "Sponsorship".
