“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
As I was walking towards the Barista Championship organised by the company…
… I work at, this verse popped into my head out of nowhere. I had just finished a morning shift, after having done a double the previous day, and was somehow expected to compete against other winners from my district.
But God spoke to me sweetly, and I answered, “OK, then. I will go in humbleness and accept whatever will happen, but I will,enjoy my time there. No time for wasted time.
Walking into the event, I had opportunities to be competitive, to separate myself from the rest of the participants, but I knew my calling meant being a light wherever I may be. “Ye are the salt of the earth […] Ye are the light of the world.”.
I created the atmosphere I wanted by making people laugh, sharing stories about the highs and lows of our workplace, and I found myself feeling full of joy. But I was also ready to lose. I hadn’t had the time to prepare as much as I’d have wanted. At the end, our district manager said, “What will stay with me forever as a sweet memory from today, is that laughter and joy I heard from the back.”
A few moments later, he turned towards me and said, “Seraia, you are our district champion representing us at the regionals.” I was shocked. Speechless. All I could think was, “This is a joke!”
It wasn’t.
That’s when another verse played in my mind, “And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them[...]”
How did that happen? Walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
A week prior to the championship, I met with two of my best friends and we decided to create our own house group. We would meet to have a meal together, one of us would prepare a message from what God spoke to them during the week, we would praise and worship, and we would pray and intercede for each other and our loved ones, be they family or friends. Sometimes, one of the girls who lives closest to me and I would walk around our neighbourhood praying on the streets, the words from FGC 2019 ringing in my ears, “The more you pray in the same spot, the same area, the more the Heavens will open. And as you push through, you will live under an open Heaven permanently.”
How powerful is that notion? We prayed for opportunities and divine meetings. Not even a week passed, and the championship happened, and I’d won the district level. New opportunities. The very next day while on shift, I met a book reviewer that I followed on YouTube and social media for quite a few years. Divine meeting. I couldn’t believe how quickly God was answering our requests as we were only at the beginning of our group walk in Christ.
Pastor Philip’s teachings and his walk in the Kingdom have been what inspired me. I wanted to dig deeper into the Word, I wanted to share the teaching, and I wanted to walk under an open Heaven wherever I went just as he did. I wanted to develop within the spiritual gifts that I was given, especially the prophetic and intercession prayer.
And it all starts with taking the first step; getting to know God and His Kingdom mindset.
The second step, focusing on His Kingdom and getting to know His voice, allowing the rest to be given as extras. From then on, the third, fourth and umpteenth step will have you going deeper into His will.
The fruits will be the testimony of the walk.
Miriam Seraia
