Have you noticed that God created the earth to issue life according to seasons? Spring gives birth; summer, growth; autumn, harvest; and winter, blessed rest. The Bible confirms this perpetual cycle in Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”
We need to realize that just as there are seasons in the natural, there are seasons in our spiritual lives. Too often we look at our ministries and our gifts and anointings as if they were mechanical. We expect the flow of the Spirit through us to chug on endlessly with no variation.
When we don’t sense God’s touch to the same degree, we beat ourselves up and push on, whether the precious oil of the Holy Spirit is resting on us or not. We begin well, being led continually by the Spirit, but we end up dry and barren, in a desert of confusion and uncertainty because we have not understood or rightly discerned the season into which God has moved us.
But God’s Word says that “to everything there is a season, a time to every purpose under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). A faithful, wise Creator ordained times and seasons for all living things.
He did not make us machines that can run on endlessly until we break. We must be planted and given the opportunity to enjoy the excitement of new and varied beginnings. These beginnings lead to growth and harvest, and then death and rest precede life’s cycle once again.
If we understand our cycles of spiritual growth, we will be better able to follow the Spirit of God as He leads and guides us. If not, we risk getting into works of the flesh, fear and confusion, or worse—error. This is particularly true of intercessors.
God’s ways are certainly not our ways, but they are mysterious and wonderful. If we are going to walk with God as women of prayer, we must learn His ways—and learn to be Spirit-led with ever-increasing sensitivity (see Romans 8:14).
How do you know if your season of prayer is changing? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. True intercessory prayer cannot be accomplished without a complete reliance on the Holy Spirit.
When a season of spiritual warfare seems to end, don’t be concerned. Simply ask God for wisdom. The Bible promises that if you ask, He will gladly supply what is needed (see James 1:5).
Don’t seek to press into spiritual warfare if you don’t sense the Holy Spirit’s guidance. If He speaks to you about pressing in, He will be there to help you. Only the Holy Spirit knows God’s time and season for you.
Remember, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance … He has made everything beautiful in its appropriate time” (Eccl. 3:1-14, 11).
You will not miss your time or season of prayer if you seek God, stay close to Him and remain humble.
PRAYER POWER – Week of 4/23/17
Pray this week that God will give you discernment and understanding regarding the season you are in right now. Align yourself with the Word of God, stay close to the Holy Spirit and yield to His direction as you pray. Join us in praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. Pray that God will send out more workers into His harvest fields, remember those who rule over us and continue to pray for worldwide revival, beginning with our own nation (Rom. 8:14, 1 Thess. 5:17). {eoa}
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