Mountains and Miracles: Trusting God's Provision

Hey, Prayer Closet warriors! I hope you're all doing well, Today is the last day of April, lift your hearts in praise. As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers, take heart in knowing that your flowers are on their way.

Listen, this month has been quite a journey for me. Not only has God been strengthening my faith, but He’s also been revealing the core of leadership. Redirecting my gaze away from the distractions around me and fixing it solely on Him, revealing hidden things within my heart and dismantling any idols. The weight of walking in Christ's path can sometimes feel heavy when you're being called to higher ground. It requires holding on tight, aligning your heart, and keeping your hands clean.

Some of you may be aware, while others may not, that earlier this month I had the privilege of hosting my first women's retreat, "Mothers on the Mountain," which was in the mountains of New Hampshire. During a women’s retreat in Los Angeles last December, God gave me a word and showed me a vision about hosting this retreat. Yes ya’ll, I started crying when He did. In case you’re new here and unaware, I’m someone who cries! Happy, sad or mad, for myself, a friend or even strangers lol. But don’t get it twisted, these tears are from an anointed vessels so they carry weight!

Anyway, I cried because I’ve witnessed the work required to prepare for such a task, and that was on the sideline. And Abba was telling me to Lead! Which I didn’t want to do. But because I heard His voice, saw the vision, and received the confirmation multiple times, it would be complete disobedience if I didn't act on what He said. I don’t know about y’all, but I'm striving to avoid disobedience and act swiftly on what He’s saying. The Lord is really loud right now and theses streets are Hot! Please, please don't ignore what God has been telling you to do. There comes a time when God's repeated instructions carry an expiration on the grace to accomplish them. How do I know? I learned that the hard way.

Looking back on it now, I honestly had nothing to worry about. God had everything under control (and I mean everything! lol). You might be thinking, "Tasha, you should already know that," and you're right—I do. However, the enemy was working overtime. I had to constantly remind myself because distractions, these emotions and moments of discouragement kept creeping up, and I felt like throwing in the towel. 

God consistently reassured me of His presence, and urged me to press on. I'm incredibly grateful for the supportive people God has placed around me also; their prayers and words of encouragement were exactly what I needed to persevere.

Let me share with you some of the incredible ways in which God made this retreat possible. I began promoting ‘Mother’s on the Mountain’ at the end of December, with the dates and expected number of attendees given to me by God. However, as the months were going by, it seemed like it might not come to fruition. I said to Abba a few times, “Sir, if you just want it to be me and Jiraiya on this here mountain just say that” hahaha.

I was promoting the retreat as best I knew how but, registrations were scarce, and finances were tight. I kept turning to God, seeking reassurance that I had heard Him correctly about the retreat, and each time, He affirmed that I had. Yet, I couldn't understand what I might be doing wrong. I was putting in the work as instructed, yet nothing seemed to be progressing.

Towards the end of February and the beginning of March, I heard the Lord say: "find sponsors." I was confused, and truthfully being quite prideful because I didn't want to ask anyone for financial help. I said to Abba, “listen, if I file my taxes then I can cover all the expenses.” But, baby, that was a hard No from Him. Reminding me that I told myself and Him   this year, I'd fully commit to doing things His way and refrain from intervening. So, I had to get out of my own way and His.

One thing God kept repeating was, "I've put people in position to help, I’ve put people in position to help.” So, I said, “ok.” He laid three individuals on my heart, and I reached out to them. And guess what happened? One out of the three responded!

Ken James and his wife Kenya James are both Life Coaches, Financial Consultants, and entrepreneurs at Provision Financials. I met them at the Hey Pretty Conference in Florida. Since then, Ken and I had several meetings to discuss how I can build a healthy financial legacy for myself and my family. It was clear that this connection was orchestrated by God and God alone!

I was very nervous about approaching Ken regarding sponsorship, but knew I was supposed to. Before I even had the chance to ask, he began talking about how God was prompting the body of Christ to be sowing seeds in this season. That was my confirmation to proceed because before our meeting, I prayed to the Holy Spirit, asking for clarity on whether what I was doing was right. And sure enough, He provided it!

This occurred in the third week of March. Alongside the three individuals God put on my heart to approach, He also directed me to write a sponsorship proposal to send to the homeowners I was contacting through Airbnb. Asking them for a discount on their home so I could host the retreat, Sound’s crazy right?! but His instruction were crystal clear. So, I did it.

I contacted several homeowners whose homes I believed the Lord was highlighting as potential venues for the retreat. Surprisingly, many responded in a way I didn't expect, with quite a few willing to offer a discount. However, I had to follow the exact guidance God gave me. I knew the house was supposed to be green and near water because that's what He had revealed to me during my prayer time a week prior.

During my prayer time on March 23, I asked the Lord if we could please secure the house (I was honestly getting weary with getting things done). Then, on Sunday, March 24, Palm Sunday, the Lord said to me, "I'm pulling strings." I simply said, "Okay." When I returned home from church, I checked my email and found that a homeowner had responded, asking me to specify the amount I could pay. I was balling my eyes out lol, the house was secured!!!!

And God wasn’t done! because another individual whom the Lord had me ask to be a sponsor was Cynthia Loesch-Johnson. A remarkable woman, who's a wife and mom of two working diligently to create positive change within the Boston community. She is the president of the Codman Square Neighborhood Council, one of the organizing bodies behind the Dorchester Farmers Market. In late March, Jiraiya and I had the wonderful opportunity to participate as vendors at the farmers market and it was awesome!

Talk about mind blown right!

I could continue sharing, but I want to wrap it up with this. The most challenging aspect of all this was what God was revealing to me about leadership and dealing with what was hidden in my heart. He was tearing down the idols and false expectations I had constructed in my mind.

God placed certain women on my mind to attend this retreat, and I reached out to them as He instructed me to do. When their responses weren't what I was expecting, He directed me to intercede, fasting and praying on their behalf. He showed me a vision of women in bondage with a dark cloud around them, and the word "fear" was present.

I didn't give up on interceding, but I found myself growing frustrated—with myself, with the individuals God instructed me to reach out to, and with God. I had thoughts of changing the dates, questioning if I had heard God correctly, and even considering not hosting the retreat at all. Why? Because I was holding onto to the number of attendees that God had revealed to me in prayer in the beginning, trying to be the savior, while also envisioning this retreat to mirror those I had attended in the past. I even said to God, “Why are you asking me to ask people who don’t even want to believe?”

Abba corrected me, immediately!

He led me to Deuteronomy Chp. 1 in my Tony Evans Study Bible. I read the whole chapter but He zeroed in on vs 37-38, which says, "The Lord was angry with me also because of you and said: 'You will not enter there either. Joshua son of Nun, who attends you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit it.”

Tony evens study bible breaks it down like this, Moses wasn’t blaming the people for his sin, but he was reminding them that their grumbling had been so contagious that it caused him to sin too. My mouth fell open! And this is what He said to me with while journaling,

“ I've already told you, Im calling you to do something different. It wont look like what you seen before. Tasha this is all foreshadow of what I am teaching you about leadership. Regardless if others don’t believe, WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU. You have to stand on the word that I’ve given you. It’s not your job to be the savior. The children are the ones I need to be on the mountain. Through you, Amina and Melissa, I will do great works and it is for the children to witness. Don’t be like Moses who allowed the peoples murmuring and complaining to doubt and not believe, Go forth.”

Heavy right?! Luke 11:28 says, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Be obedient to whatever God is directing YOU to do, even when it looks like things are going opposite of what He said. Take time to be in His presence and ask God to reveal what's hidden in your heart. Repent and turn from those things. Strive for purity and freedom as you walk in alignment with God's purpose for your life and who He's calling you to become. We must trust what we know about God more than what we don't know about the future. And Yes, I repenting and was balling my eyes out, after that correction.

I pray that this encourages you and helps you learn from what God is teaching me. I share my experiences as an example because my story is not my own. I will be writing a part 2 to this because I have to share what God did for us on the mountain!

Thank you again to my sponsors who were willing and acted in obedience. Reach out to Ken & Kenya for assistance in navigating debt elimination and establishing a strong financial legacy for your future. Visit their website @ https://livemore.net/james-provision and join their Facebook group, Provision Financials. If you're in the Boston area, stay informed about what Cynthia is doing in the Codman Square community. Visit https://dorchesterwinterfarmersmarket.org & Follow DorchesterWinterFarmersMarket on Instagram.

With love and prayers,

 Natasha "The Prayer Closet Mama ™️

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