Burning Both Candles At The End With A Stick!

"And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much"  (James 5:16-17)

Some of you are aware that I was out of town a few weeks ago. I was privileged to be a part of a ministry launching in Paducah, Kentucky. A very dear friend of mine was kicking off her first gathering for her women's ministry called, Willow Tree. I was on program to dance and to speak prophetically over the ministry. The spiritual warfare was quite intense, but the Lord was with me through it all...victorious!

It was a great time, but the wear and tear that it does to my body is unreal. I'm usually pushing long days, up early and to bed late. This would be no big deal back in the day, in my young twenties. However, I am NOT twenty anymore and my body and mind (can't say my spirit ~ it's always up), has it's own time to completely shut down. And if you have ever roomed with me then you know that to be true (lol). If I sit or lay down after a long day....it's over. You can talk and I may be listening and might even respond, but I can't promise you that what comes out of my mouth will make any sense whatsoever(lol).

One of the nights that we were there my girlfriend came into the room where I was staying and was sitting on the couch across from me talking and sharing (don't ask me what it was about because I couldn't tell you). I was trying to listen intently, but I could feel my brain shutting down. I was trying hard not to fall asleep....next thing I knew I awoke to my name being called. We both laughed and my girlfriend said, "You need to go on to bed." And I replied to her, "Yeah, I do and you too." Then I said to her (as if to reprimanding her), "You can't be burning both candles at the end with a stick!" Of course, she looked at me and we both laughed again. And I said, "You know what I mean." The next day my girlfriend told me that she couldn't go sleep from laughing at what I had said. She has a contagious type of laugh....once she starts it's hard for her to stop. She ended up being awake another twenty-thirty minutes laughing. When she told me about it the next day we laughed again, reiterating the fact that I lack of ability to be cognizant when I'm sleepy (LOL).

That was last week. Hadn't thought about that until this morning. When I awoke I could hear myself saying, "....burning both candles at the end with a stick." I was still half asleep and had to really control myself to keep from busting out laughing. My husband would have surely confirmed his suspicions that his wife is a tad bit crazy (LOL). For some reason I couldn't seem to shake the thought and could feel myself losing control so I quietly got out of the bed to go and just get it out. And let me say this, our heavenly Father has a wonderful sense of humor. After I calmed down a bit, I said to the Lord, "What's that all about?!" I just knew that it was not coincidental that I awoke thinking about that....I was right.The Holy Spirit  was waiting patiently to speak to my heart.

Life can be so busy at times and it can feel like you are burning candles at both ends. Full of demands, most of which, in the long run is not really that important when compared to the larger scheme of things. I'm learning that we often times stress ourselves over things that we usually can't change and many times those things are linked to one of three things: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, if we're honest (I John 2:16). Yet, mixed in the middle of all of that are a few things that are actually for the kingdom and our heavenly Father. I have been challenged by the Holy Spirit more than once to evaluate and reevaluate the things that are important. Often times having to make choice between doing what the Holy Spirit desires and what I feel that I need to get done on the to-do list. Of course, He wins every time and I love that.

We must remember to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in the midst of our candle burning. Many times I have changed and adjusted my schedule to make time to pray for family and friends about financial, physical, and family issues: Believing the Father for breakthrough every time. There are many, including myself, who are facing tremendous and difficult situations that require the hand of God to move, and quickly. The Holy Spirit reminds  me often that taking a minute to pray might just be the answer to someone's breakthrough. Praise God! This is, or should be, the template life for all Spirit-Led believer. After all, our life is not our own and because of who we are and whose we are, we are sometimes positioned, shifted, and adjusted in our every day schedule to meet the needs of others.....even when we may have needs ourselves. It's in those times that you can TRUST that the Father is taking care of all that concerns you, while you're are taking care of all that concerns Him....His people.

I don't advocate burning candles (sometimes we just end up there)....I understand that. I am definitely in need of and asking the Holy Spirit to help me with having healthy boundaries. However, I am praying that, if you and I are burning both candles at the end with a stick, that it's for His glory and not our own. Praying that you experience His love today. Praying that you allow for divine interruptions and that you allow the Holy Spirit to work through YOU!

My Love Song to HIM! Dorothy C.