In His Likeness w/ AntTBri

You cannot peruse Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok or any other social media platform without being inundated with footage or depictions of current “challenges”. It’s definitely become a thing. A lot of these “challenges”are presented like a (dare) or (what do you have to lose) ultimatum. And many of “us”buy into or rise to the occasion (if not in actuality, within our imaginations). Maybe this pandemic, process of time and circumstantial problem before us presents us with an opportunity to meet faith’s challenge. Possibly the things gleaned and gained during the twilight can help us with the work of our faith walk, our living and our loving while believing God for tomorrow.

Like the social media platforms, biblical Challenges seem to solicit and hold our attention, their implications stick with us and if they’re really good we find ourselves sharing it (in a you got to see this) or (did you see this) text or instant messenger outlet. I’m sure you’ve seen or received several posts of the current milk crate and scholarship challenge. Some of them are hilarious while others are quite concerning. Good or bad they often become conversation pieces. So what current challenge is the believing discussing? Conditions? Circumstances? Concerns? Casualties???

Most definitely this season has facets of all of thee above. More importantly however is the believing resilience during this in between time. Not quite midnight or morning time frame. How we proceed in the natural is just as important as what we perceive in the spirit. It requires purposeful participation in the process, and gives way to personalized depictions of “I simply resolve to believe and trust God in and with everything…especially how freedom comes about.

These 4 men, 4 lepers with a shared experience, exasperation and expectation made a decision to get up, to make moves at twilight. During that delicate time in the evening when daylight succumbs to nightfall and we typically bid daytime opportunities goodbye. Life and love has moments when we’re ostracized, emotionally and spiritually famished by current realities. We get and grow depleted, there in lies the opportunity… the challenge (in my best samurai accent). When our experience is isolated, individualized and intense we get up out of our feelings, frustrations and frailties and anticipate the next move of God. We look for how His Word will come to pass while in pursuit. Where will our following Him lead us, what will our movement during this twilight render? Can we forgo the temptation to grasp or go after the good with no consideration of others or negative outcomes? Or must we temper “I just want out, to be done with the bad and move on to the good” with “God I trust you to do this, bring our deliverance…your promise…what you purpose about”. Can we be sick and tired, frustrated and exasperated by what’s not happening, changing or producing for us at the time and make no provision for our flesh?

These lepers can help us. Listen to their discourse “why should we sit here and die”? (2Kings 7:3). They started discussing their options and ultimately decided to get up at twilight. Still unsure, with no guarantees and the same probability of death they made a move that highlighted the awesomeness of our God, the demise of their enemies and the fulfillment of what was disclosed to the king. Who consequently spoke a definitive Word and ensured it came to pass without the insight, intellect or interference of man.

The scripture doesn’t indicate these leper’s were privy to the prophetic utterance Elisha spoke to the king or his officer (but we are). Nor does it reveal that the lepers knew the Syrians would flee, (leave on their own accord) and leave behind what would clothe (cover) and nourish them (but we do). They had no way of knowing value would be discovered in their doing (but we have that advantage). All these things happened as a result of what they chose to do at twilight. At twilight enemies (opposition, obstacles, obstinance) are dismissed. We benefit from the spoils and carry with us a testimony of How God turned it just like He promised.

Some of these social media challenges are absurd and are meant to solicit laughs and likes. However others bring awareness, educate and even provoke us to action. Biblical accounts often provoke the latter and detail strategies to victory and overcoming. May our desperation for a different experience move us to the blessing that will add to us, increase our bounty and benefit us and those we’re connected to in monumental ways. May God cause exits that free us to live and love in abundance. May surrounding audiences witness what they cannot surmise or explain through human effort. May our heart posture towards God, ourselves and others bring glory to God and our restlessness subside.

Dammed if we do and dammed if we don’t situations, Catch 22 scenarios, instances where it can go either way buffet our existence as we live and love. But what we do at Twilight becomes evident upon daybreak. We all are negotiating the frustration of this pandemic, we’re navigating our feelings in terms of our process and sometimes fixate on the current problem at hand. But the Word gives the faint at heart hope, it provides relief from those things that have the potential to keep us circling defeat, deprivation and discouragement. It reminds us that twilight prerequisites tomorrow about this time when we were getting up and the enemy was fleeing…you got to love the duplicity of God’s timing. On one hand this but on the other hand that…watching God work and anticipating the win-AntTBri