#ClassInSession: Give Us An Awakening
Ever since I was a kid 👧🏾, when I was at church my mom told me is was important to take notes 📝 and try to pick out pieces of the message that spoke to me.
So, for #ClassNSession 👨🏾🏫 I want to highlight what I learn in my Sunday morning classes. FYI, each week there may be a different teacher & it may not be from Sunday but I will point out what spoke to me in teaching, each class.
There are 4 questions I want to answer, these four questions will allow me highlight what I learned and hopefully encourage you to give the message a try.
Where Am I in this? 🤔
What points spoke the loudest? 🗣
What sparked your light bulb moment? 💡
If you met the speaker & could ask a question, what would you ask?⁉️
You ready? Let’s go…
Message: “Give Us An Awakening”
Teacher: Bishop T.D. Jakes
Class: Sunday, February 28,2021
Scripture: Acts 12:6-11, GNB
🤔Where Am I in this?
Right off the bat I knew the answer to this question. It was the teaching point on ISOLATION. Being asked to remain home in the middle of a global pandemic is definitely one type of isolation. I don’t want to down play the severity of that feeling along with how far reaching it’s implications are. But for me, the isolation paralleled in his discussion was the isolation that resulted from rejection and social anxiety. So when Bishop asked how many of the audience members had experienced isolation that was the thought I had in mind.
What is it like to be gifted, even talented, but stuck in isolation?
That question rang in my ears, as I thought about my life. But I had to be honest. Some of my isolation was my own doing. Life was hard therefore I decided it would be best to keep to myself. The lesson learned for me, whether isolated or surrounded by the world, life will always have it’s challenges. It’s much easier to experience those challenges with others than facing them by yourself. But life can still be isolating.
🗣What points spoke the loudest?
The honest discussion or at least point being made, that’s it’s easy to get stuck between belief and reality. The fact that they seem mutually opposed yet one can experience the depths of both at the time presents quite the quagmire. For instance, I’m believing God that my mother will be healed but the reality is she is still experiencing limitations from her life altering medical emergency. My reality says she is handicap, but my belief says she is healed. How do you manage the two when they feel like opposing boxers in a title fight, with reality having belief on the ropes?
Uncertainty…Bishop hit on so many key life challenges in this message. How do we know when to accept God’s will or when to fight the enemy? What I appreciated about this message was the fact that these questions weren’t answered. But they brought validity to the feelings,we believers have. I believe many of us have struggled to balance these two, many times feeling like it was a tug of war and that tug of war was wrong to have. Highlighting that one can experience, what appear to be opposing view points, as the same time, assures many of us that we are just being human, and that it’s normal.
The idea that we wake up in stages. As that comes to mind, I thought about the saying “hindsight is 20/20” and that’s so true. For me, I’ve had a number of situations where I was awake but not “fully” awake. Where the Lord didn’t let me process what was really transpiring. Looking back on it, I can’t help but think “man that was the right choice” because I would not have handled it well had I been “fully” awake. More than likely emotions would have taken over and let’s just say if I was Peter being lead by Angel out of incarceration, once we got to the iron gate I might have just given up & started crying or maybe I’d just have stubbed my toe on one of the sleeping soldiers. Either way, I would’ve missed the moment.
““Is this God’s will OR Is the enemy fighting?” This was the question Peter had to wrestle with when considering his fate, stuck between two Roman soldiers.”
💡What sparked your light bulb moment?
I hate to repeat something, but I have to be honest. The idea of waking up in stages sat with me some time. It’s been two weeks since this message was delivered and I still find myself thinking about it.
The idea that the Lord knows just how much to let you see, allow you to “awaken” to. I guess that’s why the word says “For we know in part...” I wouldn’t be typing this blog had the Lord “awakend” this to me ten years ago. Thankfully, He’s wise.
It’s important that we wake up but the stages part is up to the Lord, it’s our job to just follow the angel. Man that slaps!!! 👋🏾Just follow the angel, he will get you through the iron gates, and when the angel is gone, then you speak. Mind Blown!!!🤯 It spoke to clearly🤓 to my life.
The fact that Peter was literally between two 💂♀️💂soldiers & being guarded by FOURTEEN more and he was quiet😶 the whole time. I repeat THE WHOLE TIME! Let’s be real, what if one of the soldiers flinched, wouldn’t you have said to the angel to wait, be still. But Peter didn’t speak 🤐, he was awakened enough to know, it wasn’t the time for words. There is so much more to get out that, but I will stop there.
⁉️If I could ask Bishop Jakes one question about this message, what would it be?
I would ask, when dealing with the topic of uncertainty and belief -vs- reality, how does one know when to accept the situation as God’s will or when to stay focused in their faith against the attack of the enemy?
Well that’s it for me. I HOPE🤞🏾 you’ve found my notes 📝 helpful and if nothing else, you’ve decided to give this message a try for yourself. Here’s a link: Give Us An Awakening by Bishop TD Jakes 👩🏾🎓
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