We are already prepared to close out the first quarter of the year. I can’t believe it, but I can believe it. I recently had a conversation with my family (my husband and our daughters). We were talking about all of the transitions we have made as a family in 2021.

So many times we have let the adversities of life speak louder than the reflection of our growing moments which allows us sometimes to stay stuck. Meaning, the greatest battles that we face in life are not won overnight, but I believe it is safe to say that your battles are won when we learn the value of raising our white flag aka surrendered, after so many spiritual failure moments that we face.

Let’s Talk about it….

I recently had a conversation with my family (my husband and our girls). We were talking about all of the transitions we have made as a family from 2019 until now. After the conversation with our girls, my husband and I had our private conversation about all of the spiritual failures that we have made over the years, but after we started the process of surrendering to God by waving our white flag during the process, we realized life started to get more clear for us as a family.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever been at a place where you felt like you have spiritually failed God, not people, but you are trying to learn and grow from that spiritual failure? Have you felt like you missed a moment that you believe God had designed just for you, but because of your obedience or because you did not move fast enough you did not have enough Faith to surrender totally to God. . Have you felt inadequate or unsure of your capacity to do something?

I am you and you are me….

I felt like I have missed a lot of God opportunities in my lifetime, but I found out recently as my husband and I were having these conversations about our spiritual failures as individuals and as a couple. We realized the reason we tend to lean that way is that we either compare ourselves to other people. We find ourselves looking at others’ success and, if they achieve more than we do, we feel like a total failure. Most of the time it is not because we are failing, it’s because we are learning how to trust God’s plan for us and when we learn God’s plan we can then walk in another kind of Faith that will unlock gates in our life. As I always state, I believe we are in a season where God is no longer opening doors, but he has gates open for his people to gain access to, we just need to understand that we have the keys, but sometimes we don’t know how to wave our white flag and surround ourselves totally to God.

I want to encourage you to read Hebrews 11 in its entirety. In Hebrews, the bible is reminding us of those that walk in faith. For example, in Hebrew 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. Just a few more …. Hebrews 11: 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau regarding their future.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

In other words, things happen in their favor because it was by their faith that they were able to walk into those gates of unknown, unfamiliar, and unforgettable blessings, that most preachers preach about today. The people listed in Hebrew all experienced failing moments, mistakes, people not understanding what they had to do.

For example:Hebrew 11:7, Noah did something that no one else had done before during that time, it was by his faith that he built an ark. He may have had faithless moments and moments that he wanted to quit, but his faith continued because he believed what God said about building an ark. Sidebar, you must take out the time to hear my husband’s new series “Like-minded Deficit. He explained how Noah not only had faith but was also favored by God. He deals with Noah before he built the ark and how God wanted to wipe out the entire earth because he was disappointed, but in Genesis 6:8 the bible says: But Noah, God found favor in him. The question that he asked and I may as well as you today is, are you a But Noah? Does the Lord find favor in you because of your faith? This series is a right Now word (click HERE to watch)

In closing, when we learn to surrender by waving our white flag and walking in faith, we can then access the things that God has in store for us. As my husband and I had that conversation, I can stand flat-footed and say it was by our faith that we are now living a life that is indescribable and unrecognizable because of us learning how to wave our white flags and surrender. Still waving our white flags in other areas of our life. My sister in Christ, I come on this March 1st celebrating your moments of you waving your white flag and believing you for your next in life.

You are designed for greater things and you have what it takes to leave a legacy that will empower, encourage, and equip people to continue their faith. I pray that you can have a BY FAITH experience in your life this year and you can share your testimony that will change someone’s life. There is NO LID to what God has in store for you my sister, you just need a little Faith to believe if God did it for all of these people in HEBREWS he can do it for you. Until next remember you are a product of God’s grace & his mercy when you learn to see yourself through God’s eyes and not people. Stay blessed in all that you do.

Your sister in Christ, Purpose & Prosperity,

Tonya Harden