If you’re a mom, or really, if you’ve ever been around small children for a given amount of time, you have probably come across this phenomenon. Speaking from experience, I can tell ya, I can only take so many calls for “Mom!” Or “Mama!” before my eye starts to twitch.. You know the insistent calling I’m talking about where they call for you and you respond with a calm “yes, baby?”, to which…they say it again. Another reply of “yes, honey?”. Annnnnd again, “Mama!”. At this point the response becomes a polite but annoyed, “Yes…?”. And this can go on indefinitely. Honestly after 3 rounds I usually lose my cool and raise my voice with an impatient, “Baby, Mommy has answered you three times already! What do you need?!”.

I hate to admit it, but lets be honest, most of us have lived this. It can be SO frustrating when our kiddos are literally begging for our attention and we give it to them only to find they aren’t even paying attention!

Leave it to me to see such parallels in the Bible. After all, God gave us lessons for ALL of life if we look in His word.. So, what is today’s lesson, you may ask? Well, it’s this: Sometimes we beg God for something without ever actually giving Him our attention! Just like the kids calling your name over and over… needing something from you while simultaneously being so wrapped up in their own things that they aren’t giving you their own attention in return! Allow me to read the brief excerpt from the Bible that teaches this valuable lesson.

Acts 3:1-10 TPT

This account is so short and sweet. I actually love this translation of the story because of the wording. The two things that jumped out to me were this: the man begged them for something…and then, OUT OF EXPECTATION, he GAVE THEM HIS ATTENTION. Why is this important, you may ask? I feel like this crippled man is modeling to us an important aspect of prayer life. It is not enough to simply ask God for something. And I’m sure we are all guilty of it from time to time. Life is busy. We have needs. We quickly toss up an ask to our Heavenly Father and resume life. Consumed with the goings on. So wrapped up in our lives and circumstances, we aren’t actually living in expectation that God will answer! Nor are we giving him our due attention!

If you think of it like that, its a wonder God ever answers us at all! BUT. He is a good Father. And just like good parent when asked over and over…perhaps even in an impolite fashion, and without due attention… we answer. We still meet the need. Thank Goodness for the love of a Father for His children.

Today is in no way an admonishment. It is, however, a challenge to reflect how you are approaching our Father in prayer. Are we giving Him our attention? Are we even coming to Him in expectation?! This passage in Acts shows us a man who did. He begged. But he did so with expectation and furthermore, with his full attention. He didn’t call over the disciples shoulder to the next passers-by. He didn’t avert his gaze back to his lifeless legs and wonder about who was going to carry him home that day. He gave his attention. And I believe that is a lesson we could all use. God just wants our attention. He loves us beyond measure… Maybe today, we could all use the reminder to give God our time and attention. Give Him our expectation as we come to Him undistracted by life. Even if just for a few precious minutes. I think we owe Him at least as much..

Today, I pray each of you listening are able to consecrate some time in the day..setting it aside, just for Him. Leaving life and all of its crippling demands at the door. Drop them. Walk, instead, into His waiting embrace. He longs to answer you, sweet friends. Call out to Him in expectation and give Him your attention today…

As older generations are graduating on to heaven, I find myself wondering if there are things they knew that we don’t! Things that may have been common knowledge to them but lost to those who are newer to the faith or simply belong to a younger generation.

As I’ve been working through some material by one of my favorite teachers, (Billye Brim), I realized she was covering this very thing. Her research was taking her back to the ‘old-timers’ and their firsthand testimonies in waging warfare against the enemy. While Billie ultimately began a deep dive studying the glory of God, she began to uncover, instead, revelation on something she hadn’t been looking for. It really all revolved around the verse I shared two episodes ago: Revelation 12:11..

This is the point I want to pick back up today. Remember, I covered the part about how powerful our testimonies are… and moreso the testimony of Jesus, and what He did for us all! Well theres ANOTHER part that’s an even more powerful weapon we can wield in the face of the evil one. Not only could we wield it but we SHOULD. This is the blood of the Lamb. We know that Jesus was the lamb slain and that it’s His blood referred to in Revelation. We also know there are types and forerunners of this all throughout the Bible. In old testament times, were the old laws. The temple sacrifices were pure, blemish free animals. The tithes were the first fruits of all that was produced. Each of these things points to Jesus.

The old testament also points to the use of the sacrificial blood to atone for sin and to protect against the evil one. For example, the blood on the doorposts of the Israelites in Egypt. The blood was a sign for the angel of death to pass over these homes and spare them the death that was coming.

Funny enough, I also just happened to cover the story of Rahab in the old testament. In this story, there is a crimson rope dangling from her window that signifies where her home is and all who should be spared from death as Jerico was laid siege. This is yet another foreshadowing of the blood!

The new testament marks the changing of an era. While Jesus was a Jew and practiced under Jewish law, His death altered the requirements for salvation. Indeed, His death and resurrection rendered the old testament laws to be unnecessary for salvation. His sacrifice brought victory over death and the grave. His blood became the atonement for all of humanity’s sins. This is the very blood mentioned in Revelation. The enemy was overcome by it. Since that is the case, we are ALSO able to overcome the enemy by pleading that very blood over us! As we have covered in past episodes, we know that we, as Christ followers, are co-heirs with Him. Meaning we can wield His name and His blood against the enemy.

Now listen, I know at this point you may think I’m talking crazy but bear with me here… have you ever heard anyone pray something “In the name of Jesus”? Well… it’s because we have no authority outside of Jesus. The Bible tells us in John 14:12-14

Just as we are able to operate in His name, we are also able to apply His blood over our lives, our loved ones, and even our property. How, you may ask? Well, let me go back to by material here and share some amazing testimonies!

(And by the way, I highly recommend that you each go out and buy a copy of this book for more encouragement and insight into this topic…its SO good!) The name of the book is The Blood And The Glory by Billye Brim. I found mine on amazon and no, this is not an ad haha! I was genuinely so excited to get such solid material that I had to pass on a few of these passages she includes in her book. They are faith boosters. And again, I feel deeply that if we do not start sharing these insights from the older generations, we run the risk of losing them. With that being said, here is an excerpt and testimony from Dr. Brim’s book, The Blood And The Glory.

Demi is a founder of The Tebow Group, a talent management firm, family office, and creative agency. As an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and advocate Demi-Leigh Tebow utilizes her platforms as Miss South Africa and Miss Universe to educate and inspire on a global scale. While traveling the world and representing South Africa on an international stage, she witnessed the universal need for every individual to be heard, loved, and valued.

Always a community-minded leader, Tebow aims to leverage her platform to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. After surviving an attempted carjacking, she founded the #Unbreakable Campaign to educate and empower women by equipping them with the skills and knowledge to be able to handle dangerous situations. Tebow shares her passion for living a values-driven life, her purpose inspired by her faith in God, and her insights about making an impact in sought-after keynotes and conversations.

Demi-Leigh lends her philanthropic vision to the Tim Tebow Foundation, raising awareness for the fight against human trafficking and supporting children with profound medical needs, among other impactful mission work. She is also an entrepreneur creating and representing products in the beauty, lifestyle, and wellness industry.

This year, Demi will release her debut book, A Crown That Lasts: You Are Not Your Label, coming August 13 via W Publishing Group. The book dives into her loss of identity after she gave back her Miss Universe Crown, and illustrates how the purpose of our lives is to love and serve others, finding the encouragement to focus not just on our own aspirations, but on our greater purpose and leaving behind a footprint of significance, not just success.

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