The Power of Community in Life's Difficult SeasonsSample

You Need People

The answer to your prayers does not solely depend on God; it also depends on you. What we need is sometimes within our reach, but often they are hidden in relationships and the community around us.  

Nehemiah was favored by King Artaxerxes to receive building supplies and return to Judah, nevertheless, it still took a community of people to rebuild Jerusalem's wall. Sometimes, the only thing wrong with your God-given dreams, visions, and convictions is that you are trying to do it alone. 

Prophet Elisha played his part by giving a prophetic instruction to the widow to go borrow empty Vessels (2 Kings 4: 1-6). In this instance, the quantity of the widows' blessing was limited to the numbers of Vessels she could borrow. The real blessing was not the 'Oil', it was the number of empty vessels she could get.

The oil stopped flowing when there were no more empty Vessels. Each empty Vessels represent people and community God uses in life trying times. How many "empty jars" do you have access to? Don't limit the flow, the supply, and the provisions of God for your life because you aren't willing to reach out.

When Peter was in prison, the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, the 'Supernatural' happened; Acts 12:7, "Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists." Peter's chain fell off because God intervened; God intervened because the church (a community of people) had earnestly been praying for Peter's release.  

When Peter was too weak to pray, the church was praying. When Peter was too frail to sing, the church was singing. You can never outgrow the need of a community that prays for you. 

No matter the height of your accomplishment, you don't graduate from your prayer circle. Peter was the 'rock' on which the early church was built, but when he was arrested, the church stood in the gap. You don't become too spiritually sound to not need prayers. 

No matter how spiritually strong or vibrant we are, we will always need a community that will continually stand with us spiritually.

Moses was an amazing leader, filled with the Spirit of God, and performed many miracles. Nevertheless, the sustenance and continuity of Moses' leadership largely depended on his willingness to empower others to share the responsibilities with him. 'That you are called a foreman doesn't mean you should do the work of four men'. The anointing of God is not against reasoning. God asked Moses to select seventy elders that will help him carry out some of his leadership responsibilities. We all need people to help ease our load when life gets tough.

Life is spiritual, but you have to be relational to access all of God's blessings for your life. A healthy Christian life is not that which is continually spent in isolation, binding and loosing demons, no, the devil is a defeated foe, and we already have victory through the finished work of Christ. Your next generational blessings might only start by saying "hi."