Now What?

We have all heard the following sayings. It’s always darkest before dawn, every dark cloud has a silver lining and your breakthrough is right around the corner. All of these words are spoken to encourage us from giving up when we start doubting that God’s promises for our life or those that we love will ever come to pass.  But happens while are waiting? What do you do? You have heard a word from the Lord. You may have even received confirmation. You’re excited. You wait patiently. Then your patience wears thin.

You talk to God. Lord I know I heard from You and I believe You are going to do what You said you would do, but when? You read about Joseph and all he endured at the hands of his own family. You read about how he was falsely accused, spent time in jail, forgotten about by someone he was trying to help, and through it all how the favor of God was always on him. In your frustration you say to yourself but that was Joseph, what about me?

You read about Job and how he lost everything. How his friends questioned if he was somehow at fault for what occurred in his life. You wonder if there is something you may have done to cause you to be stuck; not moving forward in what you truly believe is Gods desire for your life. You try to help God out, taking steps that you think may move you towards your destiny, but do not achieve the results you expect. Your frustration builds. You feel a mixture of emotions. You’re disappointed, sad; you may feel inadequate even though deep down inside you have not given up hope. The words of encouragement from those that believe in what God is doing in your life seem to fall on deaf ears.

Those standing on the outside that are supporting you don’t have a clue as to how you really feel or what you are going through you say to yourself, forgetting about the countless times you have been the encourager as opposed to the one that needs encouraging.

So what do you do? As difficult as it may be, you continue to do what you are doing. You wait patiently on the Lord. You tarry until He manifests His promise.

When Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane he took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. He asked them to wait while he went up to pray to God. When Jesus went back to the disciples he found them asleep and asked if they could not watch with Him an hour. He left them a second time and returned only to find them sleeping again at which time He said the spirit indeed is wiling but the flesh is weak.  The third time that He found them asleep He told them to take their rest because the hour was at hand.

I believe we can apply this to our time of waiting on the Lord. Our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. Our spirit is saying yes Lord, I know this is You, yes Lord, I will wait, yes Lord I will trust in You, yes Lord I will do what You want me to do, but oh that flesh! The flesh wants to lean to its own understanding. The flesh wants to rely on what it can see, hear, feel and imagine. The flesh tells you it’s not going to happen. The flesh tries to convince you to give up. The flesh brings doubt and makes you ask what do I do if it doesn’t turn out the way I expect it to?

Whoa! Hold on! Stop it right there! Why in the world do we listen to this corrupt flesh that is so weak as Jesus said to his disciples that it enters into temptation, which in the case of our waiting is becoming doubtful and weary?

There is a God that has not, cannot and will not lie. He has made you a promise. We read in Habakkuk 2:3 for the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

During this time of waiting take your mind off of yourself. Encourage someone else. You may not be where you want to be but you are not where you were when you started. Help someone else get to where you are now.

I’m not saying it will be easy. What you are feeling is real, but remember what we read in 1Peter 5:10 but the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.  Many of us get stuck in the suffering, but what we don’t realize is that it is the suffering that will perfect, establish and strengthen us. Once we have this understanding we become settled in Gods promise and even this ole flesh can’t persuade us otherwise. Hang in there! I’m waiting for your praise report.

 

Gods Refining Tools

There are various phases that we encounter throughout our journey called life. It is during this journey that our purpose or calling is made clear to us. I think sometimes we make the discovery or unveiling of our purpose more difficult than it really has to be.

Everything that we experience. Everything that God allows to occur in our lives happens for a reason. Sometimes we become so bogged down trying to figure out ‘why me’ that we forget that our experiences are Gods refining tools for our lives and they are ultimately for the benefit of others.

When we persevere, as difficult as it may be at times, through the storms that beset us it is not just the victory that is our testimony it is also the storm itself.

While in the midst of the storm we sometimes ask ourselves ‘how did I get here?’ If we are honest with ourselves we may admit that it was our own decisions that placed us in certain situations. Recognizing our part is what gives us strength. It helps us to understand choices come with consequences whether good or bad and whatever the consequence we must learn from it and grow.

Many times we become anxious, desperate for change, we get tired of waiting. So rather than seek God and acknowledge Him prior to making a move we lean to our own understanding and move on our own.

Sometimes it works in our favor and sometimes it does not. Either way it is a learning opportunity. We must assess our situation, repent if needed seek direction and move on.

Before understanding my purpose in life is to encourage others to live victoriously by knowing, understanding and receiving Gods love and applying His word to their lives I thought I was a misfit. I didn’t understand why God gave me a heart to understand the plight of others. As a matter of fact I thought it was a curse. I thought I was ‘too understanding’. I now know that was the enemy doing what he does best, trying to distort the gift God placed in me.

Did I make unhealthy decisions? Yes. Do I still make them? Not as often, but what I have come to realize is that when I do lean to my own understanding I have an advocate with the Father. He teaches me from my decisions and helps me to understand how my decisions can help someone else.

What’s important for me to remember is although I can share my experiences with others they may or may not take heed. They may still choose to take a path which will take them the long way rather than directly to where God wants them to go, but this is part of their journey.

I encourage you to seek God, understand who you are, whose you are and what it is that He has placed in you to do. We read in Jeremiah 1:5 before I formed you in the belly I knew you. Embrace who God created you to be. As I have said many times ‘no one can do what you can do exactly the way that you can do it’.