
This morning started like any other—until it didn’t…
I woke up, prayed, brushed my teeth, did my morning devotion, made my coffee, and sat on the couch to jot down some ideas that had come to me upon waking.
Then, I heard a noise…
Yes, the heat kicked on, but it was louder and seemed farther away. I walked back into my bedroom and noticed one of the two floor fans was running. I had turned off the one closest to the door earlier.
Confused, I walked back into the kitchen and saw that the microwave clock said 8:27—no flashing. But the clock on the stove was flashing 8:07.
So, did part of my power go out for 20 minutes and then come back on without me doing anything?
My initial reaction was fear, but in the next second, I thought, That’s GOD.
The coffee maker is next to the microwave, while the stove sits on the opposite wall. My bedroom is on the right side of my house, and I never noticed the power interruption until it had already been restored. And it wasn’t due to anything I did!
But GOD!
God is everywhere, always protecting us from both seen and unseen dangers.
As I sat down to write about the ideas that had come to me in my morning time with Him, I was reminded of a sermon by Sarah Jakes Roberts titled "Night Vision" (link in the comments). Several points came to mind, especially with the experience of the partial power outage.
1. It takes 20 minutes for our eyes to adjust to darkness. The fact that one clock read 8:07 and the other read 8:27 was no coincidence—it was God’s footsteps.
2. Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the full armor of God and just stand—because the battle is not ours, it’s the Lord’s. Sometimes, there is no immediate action required from me. This morning, I even wondered if I should start my retirement payments early in light of everything going on, but I quickly talked myself out of that.
Having retired 11 years before the minimum retirement age, I would face a 5% penalty for every year I withdrew early. In other words, the government would have kept 55% of my retirement pay as a penalty for leaving the party early!
I decided to wait until I’m 60 to start those payments, and that decision was based on logic, not fear. A fear-driven reaction would not serve me well in such a decision—it’s something I need to push through, not act upon.
3. While watching the sermon, I wrote down in my notes, “My strategy for the darkness is my praise and worship.” This is a true Habakkuk 2:2 moment. Even though I wasn’t aware there was partial darkness around me, I continued in praise.
For me, it’s about moving forward as I normally would—doing my work and trusting that God will take care of the rest. This isn’t the time to be reactive. It’s a time to stay the course and do the work.
I always talk about the importance of laying a solid foundation for your business, but today, let’s talk about the foundation of your life. I was raised on scripture, prayer, and trust in God. As I get older, whenever fear or anxiety tries to creep in, my go-to action is to recite a prayer from my home church (thank you, Pastor Curtis Asa Brown):
“If I live prayerfully, I will live carefully. If I live prayerlessly, I will live carelessly. I will not pray panic prayers. I will not allow anything or anybody at any time to make me act like I don’t know Jesus. Lord, only Your Will, only Your way, only on Your time, and only for Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
It is a conscious decision I make daily to walk in Philippians 4:6-7, and I invite you to choose a scripture that helps you experience peace that surpasses all understanding and circumstances.
Quick Question: Are you being reactive to distractions or walking in Philippians 4:6-7? If you're feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to pray and ask God to help you find the peace that surpasses all understanding and keep moving forward with clarity. 💬✨
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