STRETCH: The Watch Letter

A few weeks ago, Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn shared that the Lord showed him that a problem he was having with his muscles, which was causing pain, was because they weren't being stretched properly. To the listener's ear, that may seem like a simple solution. But it's more than meets the eye. How often have we checked to see if the pain we were having in an area of our body, or in our lives in general, was because we needed to simply stretch?

We are blessed to have a pastor who is transparent with us. He showed us that, in the moment of the pain he was facing, he humbled himself to ask God what he needed to change, what was the root cause, and he was willing to receive the correction - no matter how detailed or simple or uncomfortable. And sometimes the correction is a still small voice, something we overlooked that God already put in our hands to give us victory! It reminds me of Naaman. To be healed; all he had to do was follow instructions and wash in the river, but he wasted time expecting God to call him to be healed in a better, more prestigious way. Yet, when he finally became willing to hear wise counsel, humble himself, stretch beyond his own thinking, and to wash in what he first saw as a menial body of water -- he was healed.

When you take time to think over your life: when things seem tight financially, when stress levels feel like you can't breathe, when the air is thick in your home with tension, when your days feel like there aren't enough hours - how often is the answer that you failed to stretch.

This is what I am asking myself after hearing Chief Apostle Gunn preach about this: How often have I stretched out before God when things come up? How often have I stretched beyond what I can see to believe? How often have I stretched to give to God and the household of faith when the money looks funny with a heart of selflessness? How often have I simply stretched my spiritual muscles despite of being busy, tired or overwhelmed with prayer, faith, praise, fasting, studying the word, etc., even when I face adversity or let downs; or simply as an act of worship, or just because I feel led to by the spirit?

When Chief Apostle Gunn was talking about his muscles needing to be stretched: He shared that the answer to his healing in that moment wasn't something God was going to do for him. Why? Because God uses human hands. It's not that he doesn't care or is cruel, it is that he loved us so much he already equipped us with tools we need. We have to make sure we aren't treating him like a genie or a magician, too.

And, like a good Father does, he is trying to teach us to use what he already put in our hands. He isn't going to part the heavens and come down to stretch our physical muscles when we can do it ourselves and he has given us the power to do it. He has even given us physical therapists to help show us how to do it. Hey, we can even watch YouTube to learn how to stretch.

It works the same for prayer, fasting, giving, resting, caring, studying, forgiving someone, releasing something, starting or stopping something - you name it. So often, we keep asking God to do these things for us or give us the mind to do it, and we get distracted, frustrated or mad at him for NOT doing it for us or NOT doing it fast enough. Meanwhile, we had the power to do it all along. We even have a great pastor, witnesses in the word, and others who are saved to teach/show us how, but we fail to simply STRETCH, to simply TRY, to simply INQUIRE, to simply LEARN, to simply be HUMBLE and WILLING.

"What are the things we want God to do that we need to do ourselves, and he has equipped us to do? For example, we could want God to break an addiction in our life, but what have we done to break it? Have we made up our mind or implemented the practices to stop it?" - Chief Apostle Gunn

Isaiah 54

1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

Matthew 12 10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

Joshua 8

15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

16 And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.

17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

18 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.

19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire.

20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

Listen to this week's FORREAL RADIO BROADCAST "My Light" here: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=5708898717742457&wix-music-comp-id=comp-lrczxokb