Acts: 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
There was a time in my life I was so shaken that I lost friends, my marriage was strained, and I thought I was going to lose my mind. I recall during these times; I would burst into tears because the shaken was so overwhelming. You see, I had formed an image in my mind of having a “perfect life” and it was destroyed by the shaking I was going through. It was like an earthquake had occurred in my heart, and just when I would try and put things back in place to fit my “perfect life”; the aftershocks would occur and remind me that things were going to be moved even if it was making me uncomfortable. I was being moved to a new place, and I have to be honest, I did not like it, in fact I hated it. I recall praying and asking God to make things like they were before, but that prayer was never answered, and I am so glad that He didn’t answer it.
It was a tumultuous time in my life and the shaking was hard. But I soon realized God was allowing the shaking because He was moving me into a new place of intimacy with Him. The shaking was never meant to destroy me, but it was meant to move me into my Purpose for His Glory.
As I look back on my shaking experience, I remember waking up one day and realizing that I needed to make some decisions regarding how I was going to transition from my shaking experience. I knew enough about God to know that He loved me and desired to deliver me out of the situation I was in. I truly believe that the decisions I made in 1998 contributed to where I am today in my relationship with God. Please know that these decisions were not made by my own wisdom; Jesus was with me the entire time.
You may be going through your “Shaking”. It may be with your children, your marriage, your job, your ministry, or even the calling God has on your life. But I want to encourage you today, don’t despise the shaking. God will lead you every step of the way, just as He led me. He desire is for you to come into agreement with His transition plan and trust Him through the process.
Cynthia B. Jackson is an author, speaker, teacher, and prayer intercessor. Her first book, “Contending for your Destiny: Find Your Purpose Through Life Trials!” was published in 2014. In it, she reveals how God used the trials in her life to bring her into His purpose for her life. She is known by many to be a voice of encouragement, a teacher of God’s word, and a prayer warrior. Her passion and purpose is to speak God’s word of love and edification over the lives of others so they can believe in who God has called them to be and begin to Live Beyond their Expectations!
Cynthia currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for Women of Purpose. She is known as a prophetic voice, teacher, mentor and prayer leader in the body of Christ. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Resources Management, and is a Certified John Maxwell Speaker. She has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources Management and Workforce Planning in the Federal Government.
