A Simple February Testimony by Katherine Black

God recently visited me regarding this month’s parable on laying the proper foundation on Him, as the Rock.  He revealed to me that I needed an attitude adjustment; a big one.  My wrong attitude had plenty of time to seep into my mind.  I knew that my husband’s retirement would affect me greatly and it was a change that I looked forward to with joy but also with trepidation    I knew that my husband and I were exact opposites in the way we chose to do things. My husband’s motto is “make progress every day”, mine is "Life is Fragile, Handle with Prayer”.  I had always used a larger portion of the spare time in my day as times of prayer; intercession, and reflection. I knew this change would affect my spiritual work for God’s kingdom and the habit patterns I had built up over many years.  I was concerned about how much time I would be able to continue in the ministry of prayer and still enjoy the retirement my husband deserved.

The Lord showed me that actually the once a month prayer initiative of dedicating each month to Him at the New Moon was the pinnacle of my prayer career and he had given it to me as a reward for my years of service.  It was an honor that he could trust me with.   He showed me that I still had a lot of life left to live and that He had balanced my being home with my husband, and enjoying this time in my life, with a single focused prayer assignment each month that was actually very important to His kingdom plans.     It was an assignment that took both of us into consideration and fulfilled both of our requirements.

 He showed me that He had themes and messages he wanted me to write as I sat before Him each month.  There were points of repentance He wanted those joining with me at the dedication of the month to Him, at the time of the New Moon, to decree over our nation.  

The second part of my consternation was over how effective my prayer life had been because I couldn’t see a lot of results.  He then reminded me, ever so gently, that His Prophets and Leaders in the bible decreed or declared many things that did not come to pass in their own life times.  Yet, this did not stop them.  They were faithful to just hear God's will on a matter and then decree, declare and record it.  

I began to study this theme in the bible and was reminded that David in Psalm 22 never saw the Cross of Christ, neither did Isaiah.  Yet, Isaiah 53, a perfect description of what the Messiah would suffer, was written down and declared hundreds of years before Christ came. As was Isaiah’s prophesy of the Branch in Chapter Eleven.  Jeremiah did many prophetic acts and gave out many prophetic declarations that leaders in his day would not hear, but that did not stop him.  He was faithful to deliver what God wanted him to.  John, on the Island of Patmos, was given all of the book of Revelation and was faithful to write down what would be critical for the church in the centuries to come, yet again,  he was never able to see the importance of what he wrote. 

The Lord reminded me that we just have to hear and obey then decree or declare in prayer what He wants us to, and He, in His timing, will bring it to pass.  

It is my hope that this simple testimony will encourage and help you to remain faithful to just hear, obey and decree or declare in prayer and let God bring it to pass in His timing. 

Katherine Black 2/08