THE COURAGE TO BE FILLED
November 22, 2021
Prayer: Lord, fill us and fill our students with your Spirit, with skill, ability, and intelligence. Amen
Scripture: …and He has filled him [them] with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge… Exod. 35:31 ESV
Three to five teachers at Carver High School regularly meet after school on Tuesdays for prayer. As the Holy Spirit led them in prayer one day, Tonya, the English department chairperson, began to weep for students she was serving who were giving 100% effort to meet the scholastic objectives but were falling far short. She began to cry out to God for help on their behalf. She then picked up the Bible and prayed a passage from Exodus. She prayed, “…and he has filled him [them] with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and intelligence…”
She knew that by her own power and the power of the students, the task was impossible, but Tonya worked for God first and she knew that, “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23). She knew the power of faith, the power of God’s word when it is prayed, and the power of agreement in prayer with other believing teachers.
This was just the beginning of the revival in Tonya’s professional life and classroom. During this same prayer session she had a vision of the scripture, “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD,” being permanently tattooed across her heart and mind in large bold letters in blood red ink. It was so real that it frightened her yet gave her this incredible strength, courage, and mindset which she knew was not her own. She felt the Holy Spirit fill her anew that day.
The battle was on. Tonya began getting revelation ideas on how to motivate and reach her students as never before. Every day the Lord would give her a “Quote of the Day” related to life, love, and purpose which she put on the front dry-erase board and then read and discussed with the students. She knew she had to open their hearts with God’s truth in order to unlock their minds. Tonya tutored and encouraged the students relentlessly. Failure was not an option in her class. There was no time for nonsense or fluff. At the year’s end, all passed the state exam. It truly was a miracle and when administrators would try to honor her she always deferred to the Lord and gave him credit without shame or embarrassment.
That year Tonya received her PHD (Pray, Hear, Do) from the Lord for she realized that only until the Lord filled her with His Spirit, skill, ability, and knowledge, could she pour it into her students’ lives. She realized the answer to the prayer she prayed that day for her students had to first begin with her and her relationship with the Lord.
Reflection: Am I filled and do I want to be filled with God’s Spirit, skill, ability, and intelligence? Have I asked Him to fill me?
Getting Real: If you want it, pray Exodus 35:31 for yourself, faculty, students, and parents. Give God the glory when He begins to answer this prayer.
Copyright Don Clark. To connect with the author, email [email protected]
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Very encouraging. Wisdom!