I have known since I had the experience of the 2016 edition of the
Return of The Helper (ROTH) conference that I needed to share some of my key
takeaway’s with you. However, I have had to spend quite some time chewing on
them myself. It’s strong meat… I assure you! I honestly wish I could have had
every woman (and man, quite frankly) that I know in the conference arena that oh-so-significant
16th day of July 2016. Heaven came down and touched each of us in
that space, it surely did! God had already made clear to ROTH convener – my
sista, friend and accountability partner Bidemi Mark-Mordi (www.bidemimarkmordi.com) that He was
going to do an awesome work at ROTH this year. My own spirit was agitated for
weeks in an expectancy that belied any form of logic or reasoning. I have been
a part of ROTH for several years now, but somehow I just felt this one would be
explosive, and it sure was. From the depth of my heart, I urge you to reach out
to Bidemi (email bidemi@bidemimarkmordi.com)
and get a copy of the CD’s or DVD’s from ROTH. It would be very hard to
describe just how much of a blessing that conference was, but I know that
Heaven pushed back on my account at ROTH. I know that the atmosphere of my life
shifted. I know that something was birthed anew and afresh in me, and I am
walking in excitement at the manifestation that is certainly already unfolding.
This year’s ROTH was themed, ‘The
Birthing Stool’. The Spirit of God descended so heavily in word and deed
that you could see people in what looked like physical labor. Some of the
testimonies that have since abounded would almost be scary, if I wasn’t in the
room and if I wasn’t witness to what was an epic move of God. We had four
ministers whom only God Himself could have picked, and through whom He released
His word mightily. Ah yes, but my Father did an amazing work through Coach Anna
McCoy, Pst. Mayokun Oreofe, Dr. Linda Wallace and our very own Sister B (Bidemi
Mark-Mordi). I am only able to share a few of the several notes I , otherwise
this post will be over ten thousand words long. Plus, no matter how I tried, I
wouldn’t be able to do justice to the messages the Lord released through these
great ministers anyway. I will be sharing the nuggets as a series, just so you
can meditate on each post and allow the Lord unfold and minister it to you in
His own way. Stay with me okay. Today, I start with the session with my coach,
sister and friend, an amazing daughter of the Most High God, Coach Anna McCoy.
Birthing Stool’. The Spirit of God descended so heavily in word and deed
that you could see people in what looked like physical labor. Some of the
testimonies that have since abounded would almost be scary, if I wasn’t in the
room and if I wasn’t witness to what was an epic move of God. We had four
ministers whom only God Himself could have picked, and through whom He released
His word mightily. Ah yes, but my Father did an amazing work through Coach Anna
McCoy, Pst. Mayokun Oreofe, Dr. Linda Wallace and our very own Sister B (Bidemi
Mark-Mordi). I am only able to share a few of the several notes I , otherwise
this post will be over ten thousand words long. Plus, no matter how I tried, I
wouldn’t be able to do justice to the messages the Lord released through these
great ministers anyway. I will be sharing the nuggets as a series, just so you
can meditate on each post and allow the Lord unfold and minister it to you in
His own way. Stay with me okay. Today, I start with the session with my coach,
sister and friend, an amazing daughter of the Most High God, Coach Anna McCoy.
Coach asked a question which I believe is or should be on the heart of
every one of us. She asked, ‘What will
make the world a better place because you are in it?’ Have you ever taken
time out to think about this, sis? I have! And it is this question that brought
me in to a space where I purposed to die empty. I’m sure you know by now that
my personal mission is ‘To add value to
the lives of everyone I meet in a tangible and sustainable manner’. Dying
empty is for me an aspiration to deploy every gift/talent/ability the Lord has
put in me towards making the lives of His children richer and more fulfilling.
It’s a mandate for me not to go back to my Maker with anything He has seeded in
me and which He requires me to birth and nurture into maturity on this side of
eternity. I have understood that the entire world may never know me, but there
will and must be generations that will be blessed because I exist, and that
will call themselves blessed because they came across me physically or
otherwise. This is a tough call, sis. It’s tough because it makes no room for
complacency. The world the Lord has given you MUST be better because you are in
it. And yo know what the Holy Spirit just ministered to me? He said, ‘Better is not a destination. It is a
continuous journey of growth.’ Wow! That is so incredibly spot on, sis …for
if we ever assume we have arrived at ‘best’, we will settle ….and you can never
die empty if you settle, sis. You simply can’t!
every one of us. She asked, ‘What will
make the world a better place because you are in it?’ Have you ever taken
time out to think about this, sis? I have! And it is this question that brought
me in to a space where I purposed to die empty. I’m sure you know by now that
my personal mission is ‘To add value to
the lives of everyone I meet in a tangible and sustainable manner’. Dying
empty is for me an aspiration to deploy every gift/talent/ability the Lord has
put in me towards making the lives of His children richer and more fulfilling.
It’s a mandate for me not to go back to my Maker with anything He has seeded in
me and which He requires me to birth and nurture into maturity on this side of
eternity. I have understood that the entire world may never know me, but there
will and must be generations that will be blessed because I exist, and that
will call themselves blessed because they came across me physically or
otherwise. This is a tough call, sis. It’s tough because it makes no room for
complacency. The world the Lord has given you MUST be better because you are in
it. And yo know what the Holy Spirit just ministered to me? He said, ‘Better is not a destination. It is a
continuous journey of growth.’ Wow! That is so incredibly spot on, sis …for
if we ever assume we have arrived at ‘best’, we will settle ….and you can never
die empty if you settle, sis. You simply can’t!
Coach Anna ministered through three phases of the birthing process –
Labor, Active Labor, and Birthing. She reminded us that we each carry
something, that we are all pregnant with purpose and potential. She reminded us
that as we get closer to labor, the more the pressure increases. And she admonished
us, ‘Don’t ignore the pressure’. The
pressure is part of the process, sis. We need to stare it in the face and
embrace it as part of building the muscles we need to bring forth. Jesus told
us that we would go through trials and troubles, but He assured us that He
would be with us in the process. Look at the pressures in your life right now
with a fresh set of spiritual eyes, sis. Embrace them and then ask God to show
you that which He purposes to bring forth through whatever season of difficulty
you are in.
Labor, Active Labor, and Birthing. She reminded us that we each carry
something, that we are all pregnant with purpose and potential. She reminded us
that as we get closer to labor, the more the pressure increases. And she admonished
us, ‘Don’t ignore the pressure’. The
pressure is part of the process, sis. We need to stare it in the face and
embrace it as part of building the muscles we need to bring forth. Jesus told
us that we would go through trials and troubles, but He assured us that He
would be with us in the process. Look at the pressures in your life right now
with a fresh set of spiritual eyes, sis. Embrace them and then ask God to show
you that which He purposes to bring forth through whatever season of difficulty
you are in.
Coach Anna said, ‘God wants you to
stop pretending with Him!’ He is not
looking for the super spiritual, I’ve-got-it-all-covered Christian. No! He is
looking for those who will be real about their weaknesses, and in the place of
that weakness, submit to His strength. God cannot work with who you pretend to
be, sis. He can’t! You know, even for someone who does her best to be
authentic, someone who is not afraid to show her weaknesses, this was still a
challenging charge for me and I found myself on my knees asking God to show me
any areas where I have been a pretender with Him or with those whom He has put
around me, and to give me the grace and strength to come back to the place of
authentic me by His design. Can I encourage you to pray this same prayer, sis? You
can only bring forth in authenticity with God!
stop pretending with Him!’ He is not
looking for the super spiritual, I’ve-got-it-all-covered Christian. No! He is
looking for those who will be real about their weaknesses, and in the place of
that weakness, submit to His strength. God cannot work with who you pretend to
be, sis. He can’t! You know, even for someone who does her best to be
authentic, someone who is not afraid to show her weaknesses, this was still a
challenging charge for me and I found myself on my knees asking God to show me
any areas where I have been a pretender with Him or with those whom He has put
around me, and to give me the grace and strength to come back to the place of
authentic me by His design. Can I encourage you to pray this same prayer, sis? You
can only bring forth in authenticity with God!
Coach Anna reminded us that while you are in labor, it is important for
you to hydrate. And from a spiritual perspective, when the word of God speaks
of Water, it is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Sis, you and I need more of the
Holy Spirit! Indeed, we will need more of Him continually and in increasing
measure if we are to bring forth. I don’t know where your relationship with the
Person of the Holy Spirit is right now, but I can assure you that when you ask
for more of Him, He will come and He will fill you. If you would push back on
logic and reasoning, and allow Him full access, your spiritual life will never
again be the same and your physical life will manifest in greater measure,
downloads from Heaven that He will continue to flow in, through and out of you.
Make room for Him, sis! Position yourself to host the Holy Spirit. And don’t
worry, I can assure you from personal experience that even when we sometimes
fail and grieve Him, He is forever and always willing to forgive and continue
to indwell in us as long as we repent and turn back to Him. We are the ones who
push away from Him you know. He never moves! He is forever stoic and stable,
ever-loving, forgiving, freely dispensing of the goodness that is His innate
nature. Hydrate, sis! Hydrate!
you to hydrate. And from a spiritual perspective, when the word of God speaks
of Water, it is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Sis, you and I need more of the
Holy Spirit! Indeed, we will need more of Him continually and in increasing
measure if we are to bring forth. I don’t know where your relationship with the
Person of the Holy Spirit is right now, but I can assure you that when you ask
for more of Him, He will come and He will fill you. If you would push back on
logic and reasoning, and allow Him full access, your spiritual life will never
again be the same and your physical life will manifest in greater measure,
downloads from Heaven that He will continue to flow in, through and out of you.
Make room for Him, sis! Position yourself to host the Holy Spirit. And don’t
worry, I can assure you from personal experience that even when we sometimes
fail and grieve Him, He is forever and always willing to forgive and continue
to indwell in us as long as we repent and turn back to Him. We are the ones who
push away from Him you know. He never moves! He is forever stoic and stable,
ever-loving, forgiving, freely dispensing of the goodness that is His innate
nature. Hydrate, sis! Hydrate!
As Coach progressed into the phase of active
labor, she reminded us the invisible is at work at this stage. As you get
closer to birthing, internal changes begin to happen with intensity. There is
stretching, and there are things that need to move out of their original alignment
in order to make room for you to bring forth. She said that the active labor
phase is a time to surrender. It is a time when you come face to face with the
reality that the birthing process is a breaking process; a time when you yield
to every pain and discomfort with an understanding that ‘greater’ is going to
come forth at the end of it all. She reminded us that God – in the grandness of
His design, has made our bodies with the capacity to return YET AGAIN.
Therefore, we must stay calm during active labor and go with the ebbs and flows,
recognizing that many things must necessarily shift if we are to bring forth.
Coach Anna reminded us that delivery requires discipline; that even in
your worst pain you cannot afford to lose sight of the essence of the pain, and
of the anticipated end which is to hold your ‘baby, your purpose, the fruits of
your life’s assignments, in your hands. She said to us that on the journey of
purpose, we must remind ourselves through the pain that ‘It can only come through ME! No one else can take my place on the
delivery bed’. I thought that was pretty profound. You see sis, in the
journey of delivering on all God has put in you to bless the world, there are
no surrogates, and there are no adoptions. You must go through because just as He
created you ‘uniquely you’, so also is your purpose and process uniquely yours.
You will have midwives and destiny helper’s yes, but you must go through… so
embrace active labor. I speak over your life and declare that as you do, you
will surely bring forth in Jesus name.
your worst pain you cannot afford to lose sight of the essence of the pain, and
of the anticipated end which is to hold your ‘baby, your purpose, the fruits of
your life’s assignments, in your hands. She said to us that on the journey of
purpose, we must remind ourselves through the pain that ‘It can only come through ME! No one else can take my place on the
delivery bed’. I thought that was pretty profound. You see sis, in the
journey of delivering on all God has put in you to bless the world, there are
no surrogates, and there are no adoptions. You must go through because just as He
created you ‘uniquely you’, so also is your purpose and process uniquely yours.
You will have midwives and destiny helper’s yes, but you must go through… so
embrace active labor. I speak over your life and declare that as you do, you
will surely bring forth in Jesus name.
Lastly, Coach spoke about the birthing process.
This she said was a transition phase, a time when things are opening and collapsing
at the same time. And that can be very confusing, sis. It can! It is a time
when the pain is most intense, and yet it is the time that calls for the most
focus in the process of bringing forth. It is the time when that which is
within you begins to propel itself forward, to twist and turn in order to come
fully into alignment with its manifestation to the world. And this is a time
when you must be attentive to instructions more than ever before. This is a
time when you must realize that obedience is key in order not to truncate or
damage your purpose. She said, the
birthing process involves a crowning moment, and you must be attentive and
fully yielded to the instructions of those that God will have positioned to
help you bring forth safely.
Remember that when a baby’s head can be seen pushing against the opening
of the birth canal, the baby is said to have ‘crowned’. Well, Coach Anna
reminded us that each of us was crowned when we came into the world. She said
that at the transitional moment of bringing forth on the
gifts/talents/abilities God put in us, what is actually playing out is our crowning
victory – which is to give back to God what He already gave to us… GLORY! I
burst into tears when I heard this, sis. Don’t ask me why, but I just did. You
see, my hearts cry is for my life to bring glory to God always. More than
anything else, the idea that He is pleased with my every day is what keeps me
going from day to day. My last conscious thought at night, and one of my first
thoughts every morning is that I do not know if the day past/yet ahead will be
my last. And so, my constant prayer is that my life might be daily pleasing to
Him. Maybe that’s why I cried, sis… my silent prayer that my life might be a
testimonial of many crowning moments that deliver glory to a God I adore so
much. Can you relate? Hmm!
of the birth canal, the baby is said to have ‘crowned’. Well, Coach Anna
reminded us that each of us was crowned when we came into the world. She said
that at the transitional moment of bringing forth on the
gifts/talents/abilities God put in us, what is actually playing out is our crowning
victory – which is to give back to God what He already gave to us… GLORY! I
burst into tears when I heard this, sis. Don’t ask me why, but I just did. You
see, my hearts cry is for my life to bring glory to God always. More than
anything else, the idea that He is pleased with my every day is what keeps me
going from day to day. My last conscious thought at night, and one of my first
thoughts every morning is that I do not know if the day past/yet ahead will be
my last. And so, my constant prayer is that my life might be daily pleasing to
Him. Maybe that’s why I cried, sis… my silent prayer that my life might be a
testimonial of many crowning moments that deliver glory to a God I adore so
much. Can you relate? Hmm!
Coach Anna
then reminded us that a time will come when you are fully dilated, and
that this is a time of complete surrender; a time to drop your head, pull your
chin into your chest, and bear down. She said the dropping of the head, is a
process of allowing your head collapse in all your ‘knowing’, in all your
‘intelligence’. It is a time to surrender and allow God to crown you, a time to
listen to what the Spirit says. It is a time when everything in you will tell
you to push, but sis…. you cannot push unless God tells you to push. It is a time that you understand that ‘PUSH’
is in your DNA, but your DNA is under the authority of God and He alone knows
your best “when’. And when He gives you the word ‘NOW’, you will know to bear
down with all of your might, sis. You will know to ignore everything else
around you, and push with everything in you.
You are pregnant with purpose, sis. You are pregnant with destiny. You
are pregnant with blessings that are crying to break forth and manifest on the
earth. But you know this right? Yes, of course you do! That is why you are
always looking for that something else to fill that void you can’t pretend
doesn’t exist. That is why despite your busyness, your position, your resources,
your family, etc….your heart pines quietly for fulfillment, for completion. The
‘more’ in you is desperately trying to break forth, sis. So yes, pregnant you
certainly are!
are pregnant with blessings that are crying to break forth and manifest on the
earth. But you know this right? Yes, of course you do! That is why you are
always looking for that something else to fill that void you can’t pretend
doesn’t exist. That is why despite your busyness, your position, your resources,
your family, etc….your heart pines quietly for fulfillment, for completion. The
‘more’ in you is desperately trying to break forth, sis. So yes, pregnant you
certainly are!
My questions to you today however are, ‘Are you in labor, active labor, or in the birthing transition? Can you
allow the Holy Spirit interpret the things He ministered through Coach Anna
McCoy, which I barely scratched the surface of in this post, directly to you in
a way that is just right for your season?’ I don’t know at what pace you have
read through up to this point, but I implore you to stop, take a deep breath,
exhale slowly and then send up a word to our Father to explain this to you
again Himself and make this word flesh in your unique situation. Can you ask
Him to show you and teach you Himself? And when you are done praying, read
again slowly – pausing as you are led to allow the Holy Spirit speak to you
directly.
allow the Holy Spirit interpret the things He ministered through Coach Anna
McCoy, which I barely scratched the surface of in this post, directly to you in
a way that is just right for your season?’ I don’t know at what pace you have
read through up to this point, but I implore you to stop, take a deep breath,
exhale slowly and then send up a word to our Father to explain this to you
again Himself and make this word flesh in your unique situation. Can you ask
Him to show you and teach you Himself? And when you are done praying, read
again slowly – pausing as you are led to allow the Holy Spirit speak to you
directly.
I will leave you with this today sis, and I will be back shortly with
other nuggets from ROTH 2016. One thing I know, God is moving in the lives of
His daughters. However, only those who connect and remain attentive to His word
in this season will partake of that move. Please don’t be left out, sis.
Position yourself to bring forth, and trust the Lord with the process. I know
that more than anything else, He longs to be good to you continually and in
greater measure, as surely as He is always good to me. You will deliver glory
to our Father, sis… in Jesus mighty name, amen.
other nuggets from ROTH 2016. One thing I know, God is moving in the lives of
His daughters. However, only those who connect and remain attentive to His word
in this season will partake of that move. Please don’t be left out, sis.
Position yourself to bring forth, and trust the Lord with the process. I know
that more than anything else, He longs to be good to you continually and in
greater measure, as surely as He is always good to me. You will deliver glory
to our Father, sis… in Jesus mighty name, amen.
Be blessed sis…. For you surely are!
–
