THE ULTIMATE PARTNERSHIP

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14 NLT

A few years ago I began a journey into entrepreneurship. I had once craved stability, safety, comfort, and surety. In hindsight, it's so cool how God gradually started working on my heart and my desires. I recognized it when I ventured into a leadership course thinking this would help me manage my home and finances. Honestly, it did. As I expanded in one area questions started to float around in my mind about the other aspects of my life. I was not comfortable with what was once normal. I had recently given my life to Christ and there were some things I thought I should do, never did and nor did I even understand that I needed to. The route the Holy Spirit took to convict me and draw me in was so sweet and loving. First of all, I was once the girl that woke up on the wrong side of the bed every day. I am serious! Every day when I woke up I would hiss my teeth as if it was a dis-service to have woken up. I started visiting this intimate church on the south side of the city where I lived. I remember being hesitant about this church because it made me feel a little uncomfortable. I was not certain of the discomfort, but I still went when I had time off from work. There was one Sunday I visited with my friends because really in my mind this was their church and I just wanted to go because it felt like what I was supposed to. I was raised Christian/religious and we went to church every Sunday. There was one Sunday I felt something different, I had already started feeling this feeling before and not understood it. There were times when I would want to go to the club but this weird feeling would just be like Nah stay home and read or I would find myself watching Bible Study. This Pastor was so different he was down to earth, personable, practical, intelligent and not overly spiritual. As I listened to his teaching one day there was a desire that stirred up inside of me that I never felt before. I wanted to connect with God. I didn't exactly understand the trinity team but I had a desire that urged me to read the Bible. This particular day I remember it so clearly, my daughter was leaving for school I walked her down. As soon as she left it was like a magnet for me to quickly get to my bedroom and come face to face with this guy that had been calling me for so long. I sat on the edge of the bed and said a little prayer nothing fancy. Lord, I don't understand how to do this. I am not sure if I love you but I read you love me. I want you to be a part of my life, I don't want to live like this anymore, I want peace. I would like for you to comfort me. As I sat there so uncertain of what God would do because at this point God no longer seemed like this distant stranger, I heard the people in church even call him daddy. I loved my dad and he sure loved me so if God is like a daddy I am in. At that very moment, it felt as if someone sat beside me and hugged me. I sat there and began to cry, uncertain of why I felt like this I started to look around but this mixture of love, joy, laughter, peace, unity and oneness flooded my soul. All I could do was cry. This is what I would mark as my first encounter with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit-God found a way to connect with me. It began through a desire. I was tired of being miserable, frustrated and angry all the time. He didn't come until I asked until I opened my heart and allowed Him to help me. The partnership is much like a marriage. Marriage in itself is unity and oneness. It is selflessness, dedication, work, communion and fellowship. The Holy Spirit is a bridge from our hearts to God. My encounter with God's love, with the Holy Spirit, made me realize all the pain, hurt and suffering I had experienced did not have to continue. It could end there with Him. After I had encountered peace and I longed for more of it, which was my longing for more of God and connecting with the Holy Spirit. "I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one." John 17:22 NLT The glory can be described in so many ways; the glory can be the presence, the peace, the joy or the comfort. Because God is omnipotent it is hard to box Him or limit what He can do or even who He is. He wants to unify Himself with a person that wants to be unified. Similar to a man asking for a woman's hand in marriage. It is impossible to have a union without acceptance and agreement. When I hear the amazing love stories of the Holy Spirit and other people it brings joy within me because I knew what it was like to live in sin, to live without joy, to live allowing the world to dictate to me. "May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me". John 17:23 NLT Wow His desire truly became my desire. Some marriages are so separate and apart from that it seems like a business but in business, there is so much to discuss and clarify that even if they were in business it is likely to fail. In partnership, there is communication, sharing, vulnerability, exclusivity, and transparency. There were some people that I had t connect with within the business and to trust and finalize some aspects of our deal there were some things about their personal lives need to be clear. We had to lay all the cards on the table, some business deals went wrong who else are they connected to or in partnership with, understanding the type of spouse they have. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate business partner. To have a partner that is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient; that person can go ahead of you and guide you along the way. The Holy Spirit knows all and sees all. In no valuable relationship does anyone want to be used. The Holy Spirit wants full disclosure, transparency and openness. When we look in the New Testament at Jesus he chose disciples that would partner with Him n this venture into spreading the gospel. Jesus was walking and saw two brothers, He said to them "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" Matthew 4:19 NLT Come partner up with me. God wants for us to want Him, it's like a tug-a-war when you are trying to get someone on the same page as you when they are strong in their opinion and not wanting to bend to accept what you are saying even if you do not fully agree. When someone is holding a stance on their will is set and there is no changing their minds but even those people need God to be patient and stick around for when they do change their minds. Jesus began to teach Matthew 5:1 Many times it takes grace, skill, fitness to give the person a bit more knowledge to see it the way you do. A crowd and the disciples gathered around then Jesus began to teach, it was the opportune time. It is good to share the word of God but we are all called to serve a group of people, at a specific time and location. The Holy Spirit knows when Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to speak, a time to be silent, a time to display love and a time to sing, cry dance. And if we walk out of the time we can ruin a business deal. Additionally, when we fellowship with the Holy Spirit He can guide us on what we should do even when sometimes it is not what we particularly want to do because He already knows what we need. Why didn't someone make this as practical as it is now when I was so much younger. Nah, then I would not have had such juicy stories to tell you now! Lol When I was in elementary school I loved writing and sharing stories but when I got in college I remember this professor scolding me about a piece that I wrote, I don't remember much of the details but I remember having to rewrite it a few times. At that time I was overwhelmed with life's circumstances so many things I possibly could not cope with and that was one of them. I thought he was being such a perfectionist and so critical I gave up. I could not continue with that course or even college. That professor probably saw some things in me that I was unable to see in myself and he was helping me become better at writing. This is how the Holy Spirit helps us, He uses life lessons, day to day encounters tied with the written word to help us on our journey. Although I gave up during that time, a time came again when I went back to school and had a similar encounter but this time I was different. I had already experienced God, I knew then how to manage my time, cope with criticism. This kind of criticism helped with my spiritual, mental and emotional growth. I understood where I was making mistakes and corrected them. In partnership, we are not always in agreement but when we look at the bigger picture, analyze what each person is saying and discern the right decision to make. David Cho describes how to develop the relationship with the Holy Spirit in four practical steps: to have fellowship, partnership, transportation and unity in his book 'The Fourth Dimension.' When going into business with someone there have to be qualities, characteristics, and similar goals, that you admire. You have to submit and become vulnerable to this person, learn to move together in unison, allow the senior partner to give instructions and acknowledge that you are in partnership with another person. This is what the Holy Spirit wants with you today, for you to partner up with Him. Jesus said He would send us a helper, a comforter, an advocate John 14:26. Provision had been made for our business, our schooling, our children, our finances, our homes even before we considered it. The route may be longer for some, harder for others and comes with some interesting tests but it is all to strengthen and perfect us Daniel 11:35.

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