The last posture we talked about that we need to take on to successfully enter The New was:
The Posture of Courageous Alignment
Today, we will be moving to number 5:
5. The Posture of Prayed Preparedness
One thing I have seen people fail to do is prepare for New Seasons in the place of prayer. Even I suffer from this sometimes.
You’ve gotten a word from God, you can literally see the New Season in your front, but praying becomes a problem. Consistent prayers towards that finish line become a heavy burden.
The funny thing is, normally you pray o. You just notice that you are struggling now.
I don’t know if this happens to us also.
One thing I want us to understand is this: when a new season beckons, prayer does not just stop at communication with God; prayer becomes a battlefield.
The goal of Satan here is to make prayer feel tiring and heavy. It becomes a chore for you.
I’ve seen prayerful people stop praying at the season they need to pray the most. You must realize this is an attack from the enemy and position yourself rightly.
In fact, I’ve seen people pray, and at the sign of a little victory, they relax.
Prayer is how you prepare for The New. In fact, it is very key to your entry.
You can have the word in your hands, you can have a word from God, and still not enter into The New.
I’m sharing this with us because the Holy Spirit exposed it to me this year too.
I had gotten a word, and one of my pastors called so randomly and confirmed the word heavily. Then he told me to start praying.
Guess what, I was up that night for hours and couldn’t pray.
I was just staring at the ceiling and didn’t know what to pray.
By 5am, the Pastor sent me another message, and this time around he wrote prayer points for me that God said he should share with me.
You people should guess?
I still struggled with praying even after they wrote out prayer point for me 😭.
Prayer point that was clear with scriptures o!
It persisted for a few days, that was when I knew something was wrong.
I just started praying, God help me.
May it not be heard that I didn’t enter The New because I couldn’t pray.
How will I even say it outside?
Note that this happened this year o, not 10 years ago.
That you are close to the finish line is not a cue to relent in prayers.
See prayer as the bus that drives you in,
Without it, you cannot enter.
Let’s say I have a house for you in Abeokuta as a gift, and I have described that house for you and even kept the keys for you. If you do not enter the bus that will take you to Abeokuta, you have not moved into the house.
See prayer as the vehicle that carries you into promises.
One thing you must also learn in this season is consistency in prayer.
Not just praying once, not just praying when you feel like it, but staying with God over the same matter without getting weary.
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,” [Luke 18:1 NKJV]
Men ought to always pray and not lose heart!
We must determine this for ourselves.
Oh! I do not lose heart
I am not tired,
I am not weary,
I press on till the end.
One scripture that stands out to me is in the book of Daniel.
“in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” [Daniel 9:2 NKJV]
For context, Daniel was inside of the Babylonian exile. But he was faithfully reading the scrolls of Jeremiah the Prophet. He was studying to see what the Lord had said through His servants, the prophets. And while he was studying, he realized that Jeremiah had prophesied about Israel being in captivity for 70 years.
“And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. ‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord; ‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation.” [Jeremiah 25:11-12 NKJV]
Can you see the prophecy?
First, God told them they would be taken captive, and it happened exactly the way He said.
Then God told them how many years they’d be in captivity and how they’d be released.
Now, Daniel reading through the scrolls saw this prophecy, but he saw it at a time when the 70 years was almost over.
Daniel perceived a new season was about to begin, and what did he do?
Prayer!
In Daniel 9:3, we see that He turned to God in prayer, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
I need us to pause
Why was Daniel praying like this?
If the first part of the prophecy was fulfilled, of course, the other part will be.
But Daniel was not leaving things to chance; he understood the way of the spirit.
70 years, what if an instruction had been released even in between?
What if someone had even prayed earlier, and the 70 years could have been cut short by mercy?
Daniel prayed!
Even when the breakthrough was delayed for 21 days, he did not give up.
He persisted until the heavenly messenger came with the answer.
Again, prayer is how you prepare for The New.
The day you hear that a New Season is around the corner, let it be your cue to shut your door and start praying.
And note that Prayer does several things for you in this season:
- It positions your heart and postures you for the New: Prayer aligns your mind and spirit with God’s plan, so you are ready to enter. You see that readiness to enter? It is very important.
- Prayer releases heaven’s resources: Your prayers invite God’s power and timing into the situation. As prayer prepares and aligns you, it also signals when you are “resource-ready.” Let me break this down: God is not wasteful or prodigal. He will not give you what you cannot handle. Prayer is what prepares you for the day you request for resources. Because now you know the exact resource needed and how to use it wisely.
- It strengthens your faith: When the gap is difficult, and the opposition comes, prayer keeps your trust in God alive.
- It protects you spiritually: Prayer shields you from fear, doubt, and the enemy’s lies during the waiting period.
One of the keys to entering the New is that you cannot treat prayer as optional or secondary. You cannot assume that having a Word from God, seeing the vision, or receiving confirmation is enough. You must pray!
So let me be clear:
- Do not stop in prayer, even when it’s difficult.
- Do not think that a small victory is a reason to relax.
- Do not allow the enemy to lure you into complacency at the point where prayer is most needed.
Prayer is not just a duty; it is how you prepare, how you align, and how you position yourself for God’s New. Without it, you risk having the Word, having confirmation, and yet missing the New.
I pray for us that we will not be asleep when we ought to be awake praying.
6. The Posture of Faith in Action
Once you’ve prayed, aligned your heart, and positioned yourself courageously, the next step is to move. Faith without action remains dead.
Faith in action is about stepping forward with the conviction you’ve received, even when the path isn’t fully clear, even when the gap period still feels uncomfortable, even when nothing is happening.
Just GO, at the word of the Lord
Your Faith must move from just believing that God can do it to taking actual steps.
Faith in action does not wait for perfect timing or full clarity. It acts on the instructions God has given, however small or incomplete they may seem. It is what distinguishes those who remain in the wilderness from those who enter the promised land.
Do the first instruction first.
Start there, we will come to the rest later
I remember when we were preparing for Retreat last year, I’ve told this story over and over.
We had gotten a word about the new venue, but because they had not responded and we had the old mountain as a backup plan. I woke up one morning, without consulting the team, and just called the old camp that we are not using them.
I had just one option, and it is what the Lord had shown me.
Your Faith needs to be backed by Action.
It is how we know that you believe.
Faith is not mouth alone
Nothing like "mouth is good motors" here. 😭
Your action is an expression of your Faith.
Take that first step!
It is what gives form to the promises you have received and brings them to life.
Move!
7. The Posture of Dependence on God
After stepping out in faith, one of the most important postures you must take is dependence on God. Faith in action is not enough if it is disconnected from the One who equips and sustains.
I think this part is the most difficult part of all. I know it because I have seen it play out.
We have a Retreat and we don’t have a venue, but I have by Faith printed flier with the exact venue God showed, so now I have to wait.
I must not play God, I must just wait.
You must not be quick with solutions,
You must not be a problem solver,
You cannot be a fixer with God .
You will take a backseat and wait.
People will ask so what next, you must be okay with, “I am waiting for God.”
You must be very fine with not having an answer. Those who have worked with me closely know this.
We have carried people from Lagos to Osun state without money for food or accommodation except for the first day.
I also didn’t tell or ask anybody for money so it wasn’t like I was expecting money.
In fact, people were registering last minute, and I kept saying don’t turn anybody away.
Total dependence on God.
If He says to bring men, He will provide for them.
The way God provided has now become a miracle we share every day. All because we dared to depend on God.
Look at the Israelites in the wilderness. They had crossed the Red Sea, they had seen miracles, and they were stepping into the Promised Land. Yet every day, they needed to depend on God for the cloud by day, the fire by night, and for daily manna.
Where did they fail?
God had given clear instructions: gather only enough manna for each day. But some tried to store it for the next day, and it spoiled.
“So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need. Notwithstanding, they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.” [Exodus 16:18, 20 NKJV]
They were not trusting God’s daily provision. On top of that, they complained about the monotony of manna.
The problem wasn’t God withholding; it was their refusal to trust Him fully. They tried to control the outcome themselves, hoarded what was provided, and longed for what was familiar. The cost? Many never entered the Promised Land. A whole generation wandered for forty years because they could not depend on God daily.
When scripture says trust in the Lord with all your heart, this is it.
I remember having a vision in 2019
The Lord had taken me to a very high and steep cliff, and there was a chair just on the very edge of the cliff, those armless chairs. And I heard the Lord said to me to sit, I wish I could draw out the image tbh. After I sat, I was sitting so carefully, then the Lord tapped me and said to close my eyes and rest. In my head, if this chair tilts small like this, I’m falling off the cliff completely. I remember looking at God like don’t do this to me 😭😭😭
And He clearly told me in that vision, this is what your life will be like.
Blind trust.
If I rest, He will ensure I do not fall.
Should I fall, He will send His angels.
And should His angels not show, still I am joined to Him from obedience.
This is enough.
For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. [Hebrews 13:5b NKJV]
Our lack of dependence is actually that we don’t truly believe His word.
My friends, this posture right here is the heartbeat of entering the New.
You can have faith, you can pray, you can align, you can act, but without dependence, the New will either overwhelm you or stall before you fully inherit it.
Learn to lean.
Learn to surrender your hands, your timing, and your understanding.
Step forward knowing: the One who called you is also the One sustaining you.
QUESTIONS
Bukky:
1. How do you distinguish taking action out of faith and jumping ahead of yourself to take action?
2. Is it possible for there to be filler actions/activities before precise instructions? And would these fillers be completely out of order or is there allowance?
ANSWER
For Question 1
Faith-driven action is always in line with what God has already shown you. It is not based on what you think should happen or any logical thinking.
It is why we pray and ask God:
What to do
When to do
How to do
See ehn, you know when you are making a desperate move, you know.
You know when you are self-fixing
And if you are not sure, ask God.
I’m going to use the Retreat as an example.
Remember when we didn’t have enough money to feed people or even space, and the suggestion was to close the attendance form? It was when we didn't have money that God gave a word that we’d feed the whole village on one of the days.
That’s how I knew there’d be provision.
Pressed in further and heard “Let my children come, I am already waiting.”
That was it. We left the form open.
God’s word will always interpret and give credence to itself.
Again, if you are not sure, ASK GOD!
An example of jumping ahead is the Israelites saving manna for the next day. Self-preservation is a key pointer. If the decisions you are making are tilted towards it, then you know.
Question 2
Yes, there can, but hear this: they are not random, and they do not replace the main instruction from God.
They also should not be done for self-preservation.
Sometimes it's how God keeps you from stagnating while you wait. But remember, these actions are preparation and positioning, not running ahead.
Let me give an example:
God shows you Mr Nigeria is your husband but Mr Nigeria has not come to toast. Or God says you are getting married this year, but no boyfriend in sight, filler actions would be reading books on marriage, saving up for your wedding already, buying pot sets, etc.
Your filler actions should always support the instruction gotten from God.
Filler actions should in fact, be Faith-driven!
Mrs. Olubunmi
What if you acted on a matter you believed you heard God (everything was consistent with the way God speaks to you) but:
1. There are still delays even after doing your part
2. Acting on it almost cost you your life because other things came to light after you had acted that didn’t come to the fore before now
ANSWER
1. I love this questionI shared something at the anniversary that I called the 'Gap Period."
So many times, we assume that a call to leave the old is a call to immediately enter the new.
Even when you obey God fully, the New doesn’t always show up instantly. Obedience positions you, but it doesn’t always guarantee instant results. What obedience does is bring you to the next stage.
The gap period is not delay.
The wilderness was not meant to be a place of delay
It was a passage to the promise.
Did God tell you it will happen tomorrow, and tomorrow has passed? If yes, then we should start praying and asking questions.
David did not step on the throne even after he was anointed. It took years.
The gap period is the period between leaving the old and the manifestation of the new. The gap period is also in fact, not bad.
It is usually a season of preparation, God aligning you ahead of the new.
We must never see the gap period as a season of delay. It means we will miss the lessons in it for us.
We must also be discerning enough to know when delay has set in for the gap period.
PS. Delay is usually because of an action or inaction from our end.
And this is why we must not stop praying.
I explained that earlier.
A tiny sign of victory is not for us to rejoice; keep praying.
If it is looking like a delay, begin to ask God so He shows you what to do.
The God that gave the first set of instructions you obeyed till this point is still alive and speaking.
We go back and ask Him.
For every time we are not sure, please ask God.
I personally think God does not tire to repeat Himself and assure us of the right part, and when He tires? He tells you. I said personally because I have seen this for myself
I have heard God tell me something over and over, and one time He just told me after this one I will not tell you again 😭😭😭😭
God wants to lead us.
He wants to tell us what to do and how so much.
“God, I have done what You asked me but nothing has changed. Do I stand still and just wait in prayers? What will You have me do next.”
I know God enough to know that He will give an answer. He will tell you what to do. He will speak and you will hear.
For the second question here.
The scripture I remembered is that of the angel appearing to Joseph to take baby Jesus to Israel. Joseph obeyed the instruction, but on getting to the land, they found that Archelaus was the king. Guess what? The angel came again and said to go and settle in Galilee.
Why did he not just say Galilee from the start?
Revelation is progressive!
At the entrance of new information we didn’t have before, we take it to God and wait for Him.
He saw that information before you even embarked on the journey, and He already made a way. We just need to wait and ask.
This is one of the reasons following God cannot be a one-time event.
Step by step,
Precept upon precept,
Instruction upon instruction.
This is actually the posture of Dependence on God.
We will pray, stay, and wait for the next instruction.
