Living Matthew 18:20 (Pt. 2)
Walking
As I began to dive into the word of God, I mean really dive into the word, during this difficult time, I was directed to different scriptures and songs. You see, I am a worshipper, a believer…a leader in my church and community, and I was all those things prior to that life-changing event in my family. In all that turmoil, we still went to church, prayed, read the Bible and tried to activate our faith, but we had this stumbling block. I now know that the hindrance we encountered was our desire to keep our problems private; the isolation, the crazy notion of “keeping up appearances.” We were being inauthentic. And we all know, where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17) We were in bondage.
Through the struggle of my family, I was introduced to a world of friends. People that I knew, who I thought had it together, shared with me that they too had their own family issues. There were struggles in their private lives, but they never wanted others to know. Even my friends felt that it was better to keep their problems private. They didn’t want anyone to know their business. They feared judgment and the crazy looks that they may get when people found out they had issues. In my weakest time, I gained strength from all these ladies. The crazy thing was, we were all thinking the exact same things about each other! We all felt that individually we were struggling and all of the people around us had it made. I learned, in that moment, that we seriously were all living the same lives just in different homes. We all had kids that weren’t always well-behaved. We all had problems in our relationships, and we were all trying our best to keep those problems from everyone we encountered. How insane is that?!?
Trusting
Relationship is about give and take; honesty, authenticity and openness. Even though we know that’s what true relationship is, very few of us actually have those types of relationships. With technology and the convenience of texting, social media and all nuances of the world we live in now, it is easy to portray that everything is wonderful. Our relationships suffer because we walk around in an emotionless time where we send words, pictures or symbols to represent who we are instead of getting together and actually living life with each other. I truly believe that the enemy wants to do everything he can to hinder our relationships; with God and others. If he can get us to a place of isolation, taking on all of our problems ourselves without the help of God, family or friends, then he has us right where he wants us; depending on ourselves…being “strong”… When we need God. We need each other. Proverbs 3:5 says,
Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. NIV
Living Life Together Through Relationship
When we press upon ourselves that we can handle it on our own, when we feel like our prayers aren’t being heard and that we can’t reach out to our friends for support, we restrict our power in Christ. If we have an issue, we have to gather together with other believers, come into agreement with them and call on the name of God. When we do this, things have to change! Matthew 18:20 lets us know where two or three gather in His name, God is there in the midst. In some of our darkest hours, we often feel that God isn’t there. But He is always with us. We have only to open the eyes of our hearts to see Him there. When we activate Matthew 18:20, it allows us to find support in each other and comfort in knowing God is with us.
Don’t allow circumstances in life to keep you bound. Realize that, in life, we all go through highs and lows and we need each other to keep moving and making an impact in the Kingdom. None of us live perfect lives, no matter how hard we try. We all have struggles and despite what we believe, we all go through the same kinds of things. Even when life screams you need convenience and it is so much easier to send a text, or a post, don’t. Whenever you are in need, reach out to your friends, your family.
Cultivate your relationship with God and others so you can activate your faith in times of weakness. There is power in the name of Jesus and there is power that we activate when two or three of us come together in agreement on any one thing! We have been given authority and access to the throne and with that power we are made perfect. It was in my darkest hour that I learned the power of two or three people who gathered, touched and agreed on my circumstance. My faith was made stronger. I was able to walk in who God has called me to be, flawed and all, and still hold my head high. Through my relationship with Christ and those like minded women in my life, I now possess true independence, self-sufficiency, and I am made strong. Through my weakness, Christ’s power has made me perfect in Him. I am a living testimony of Matthew 18:20:
"For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.” NIV
And through those beautiful women who took the time to pray with and for me, when I didn’t have the words to pray for myself, I have seen God in the midst of it all. For that, I am forever grateful. Never underestimate the Power of Two. It will change your life.
If you want to catch Part 1 of this life lesson, click here: The Power of Two: Living Matthew 18:20 (Part One) I hope you enjoy!