S.T.O.P.

Just recently, I was watching one of my favorite vloggers on YouTube, Talitha Jane. She features a segment in her videos where she has her parents give her viewers a word from the Lord whenever they walk by or are around her as she is recording. During this particular video, her dad spoke on the importance of involving God whenever there is are important decisions that need to be made. These decisions can range from purchasing things, how you will respond in a heated moment, how you will proceed after being hurt by someone, if you should leave your job... you get the gist. His message to the viewers was that as believers, when we get to these crossroads we must S.T.O.P.! And that stands for seek, trust, obey and praise. In that moment, I felt like it was a great word, but I did not receive the full effect until God gave me revelation days later!

After hearing this word from Talitha's dad, I was led to reflect on the areas I've been asking God to help me in. Upon reflecting, God revealed to me that I needed to seek wisdom and help from Him in my decision making processes. He brought forth, the S.T.O.P. lesson I saw and encouraged me to dive deeper and integrate this method into my heart. He showed me that I was only allowing Him into some spaces, but I was not trusting Him with EVERYTHING. God had to show me that He is not limited to only helping when we are making major decisions, but that he can help with the small things and not so common decisions too. In my case, decisions like, when and how to express my feelings, how to handle friends or family members I feel voids towards, deciding on walking out my calling unapologetically, deciding what type of anger and frustration is okay vs. not okay and things along those lines. The S.T.O.P. method Talitha's dad shared is such a beautiful tool to have. I want to share with you guys, some of the revelation I received after diving in deeper.

S-Seek

Accepting God as your Lord and Savior does not exempt you from the negative things that come with living in this fleshly world. There will be times where we are met with frustration, anger, sadness, or sickness. The emotional possibilities are endless, however, God spoke to me during my quiet time and said that in those moments we must train our mind, body and soul to seek after Him. It sounds easier said then done, and it is. But like anything else, if you practice, work hard and you stick to it, it will become more natural. A few ways we can seek God is through prayer, fasting, worship, conversation, even getting in the correct posture (on your hands and knees, laying out on your faces), and allowing your heart to speak. He went even further in revelation and told me that even when exciting things are happening, and huge opportunities come our way, and it is something that appears positive, we must still seek Him. He showed me in the Bible where it says that the enemy can also present himself as an angel of light and how we should not be anxious for ANYTHING! Seeking God helps us receive the best possible outcomes.

T- Trust

After seeking God, we must trust God. We must trust that He can and will pull through for us. We have to trust that in His divine timing He will provide us a way out or a way through. We have to trust that He hears us. Trust that He cares. Even if He does not respond or react when we believe He should. If you pray to God to bridle your tongue in arguments, but you still find yourself spiraling out of control with your words, will you trust that your request was heard and that maybe God is waiting on you to do something that will have Him move on your behalf? God revealed to me that this is an area that many of us struggle in. We may pray and call out to God, but do we really have the faith to KNOW that we KNOW He is in control, He will respond, and He will see us through?!

O- Obey

Once you've allowed God the opportunity and space to help you receive clarity and understanding on the decision you'll need to make, you have to be willing to obey His instructions. Speaking for myself, this has been one of the most challenging things I'm always faced with. We come up with these narratives of what we feel is the best option for us, and in most cases it doesn't align at all with what God would have for us. When God gives us answers and direction, we must move without ceasing. On this journey, I'm learning that in most cases we won't understand why or how we will even begin to move in the direction God has called us to, but again we have to have faith that His will is better than our own.

P-Prayer

In my opinion, prayer is the most important step to the, "S.T.O.P." method. When we begin to master seeking God before making decisions or reacting, praying over the situation is so HUGE! God showed me that, once He gives us direction, once He assists us, it's important that we utilize the experience as a learning point. It's important to go to God and ask Him, what areas we need more work in, as well as what could we have done better. Once he removes that barrier, it's important to ask Him to fill up that empty space with something else, whether it be wisdom, revelation, whatever you are led to pray about. No matter what the space will be filled. So instead of risking something negative taking over the space, claim His name over it in advance. This is important because you do not want to have to constantly seek God over and over on the same subject and never learn or grow from it

Application

I pray that each reader takes this "S.T.O.P.' method and give it your own meaning. I can only hope that if you struggle with thinking before you speak, react, purchase, or do anything really, like me, that you would consider adding this to your everyday life. God is there for you, and wants to be involved in all parts of your life. Let Him in!

Prayer

Dear God, before asking you for anything, Lord we just want to say thank you for everything! God we thank you for always extending to us your unwavering love. We thank you for your grace and mercy even when we move ahead or outside of what you would have for us. God we ask today that you would help us S.T.O.P. before acting on anything in our lives. Lord we ask for the wisdom to seek you, the faith to trust you, the courage to obey you, and the strength to fight resistance and pray. God we thank you for giving us a tool that we may take with us on our journey to being closer to you. We ask that you would allow these things to penetrate our hearts. Lord I ask that you bless Hidden Treasures and that you guide and cover us on our journey as we continue to Heal, Evolve, and Rise together! AMEN!