There is power in waiting.
God’s delay is not His denial. The scripture encourages us to not grow weary.
We must endure.
God’s delays purify our motives and establish our beliefs
Everyone believes in something, even if it’s believing in themselves.
We live according to our beliefs.
Greg Koukl describes the inevitability of belief:
Everybody believes something, and even rejection of all beliefs is a kind of belief. We all hold something to be true. Maybe what you hold true is that nothing else is true, but that is something you believe.
We are on the precipice of a New Year. At this time of the year, we review the last year and plan our new year.
Most believe 2020 will be great
And that’s a good thing. But our year will be as good as we make it.
Are you truly ready for a great new year? You might think so, but maybe not.
Let’s see. We begin with our beliefs.
Our lives equal the philosophy of our beliefs. We can identify our beliefs. We do that by looking at some key issues. Things like; the music we listen to, who we follow on social media, where we spend our money and looking at friends.
In our search, what if we want to change our life? What can we do?
Say Yes to God
Saying yes to God begins your faith journey. It also means letting go of your own life.
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:38–39, NKJV)
You find God by giving your life to Him. Now that you’re a believer means that you submit your life to following Christ. On a deeper level, this includes obeying urges and promptings from inside your heart. It may include a stop at an unusual place, an unplanned conversation, or taking an unusual route on your way home.
Losing your life means finding your faith.
Walk by Faith
Christians place their faith in Christ-the belief that God has big plans for their lives.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV)
Yes, God has thoughts about us. In those thoughts, God orders our future. God also orders our steps and positions us for His work on the earth.
Faith filled believers align their daily lives to God’s fullest purpose
This includes the following internal prompts they believe are from God. Some people say: all you need is faith. Not true.
It requires patience to wait for faith to produce its outcome. Waiting is hard. Several key figures in the scriptures suffered failure because they could not wait on God’s promises.
God often delays His answers. It is in a delay we make our greatest mistakes.
So faith in difficult times is necessary but it’s not the only attribute we need.
Recognize Your Calling
God has called us to specific people, places, and things. The more important the call, the more vital the need to hear God’s voice and obey His commands.
And yes, you can.
God has distinct orders and ways to lead. We can work just anywhere, or we can position ourselves to work where God has assigned us.
We must define our call and pursue it with passion. This requires tenacity and patience.
Faith and Patience
The best things in life are those things we wait for the longest.
Some have waited 20 years for the promises of God. Some of these promises are distinct to our calling.
Maybe you have been waiting. Such as pastors who lead small churches for 20 years or more. That means no staff and little money. But they carry big dreams, anyway.
After years of faithful service, these same pastors grow their churches into a thriving church that impacts their community. God used the delay to drive their dreams deeper.
Waiting makes us better. During the delay, God does His best work. What we call delay, God calls training. In seasons of waiting, we realize we cannot do God’s work in our own strength.
This is where we come to the end of ourselves. God begins where we end.
2020 is upon us
Align your heart to God’s purpose and then wait. Not wait as in do nothing.
Wait expectantly.
Keep pursuing what God has promised.
Because there is a year that God’s promise will come to pass.
We hope this is your year.
You can find additional inspiring articles at https://medium.com/@tommcdaniels
What an awesome article and really meaningful for those that are seeking God in the 2020 year. I think we’ve all been in a position to where we wanted to make things happen on our own timing, but I have found out over the years.
God’s Timing maybe late by our schedule, but God’s timing is never too late. Even in His delay His right on time directing our paths and instructing our intentions that leads us to his success spoken over our lives so that we get the Blessing, He get the Honor and the Glory.
Thanks for reading and for your comment.
Love you!
Great article Pastor Tom. This year I’m seeking God on a deeper level. Spend more time studying his word rather than just reading it. God give me 2020 vision for your will in my life. Help me to wait patiently and expectantly for your promises in Jesus name amen.
Such a blessing to have this to go back and refer to when needed. Have waited 37yrs to walk into the fulfillment of his calling….tough waiting..but OH so worth it. His schedule is ALWAYS perfect, allowing us to grow , be pruned, and be planted. So much learned in the “delays”. How blessed we are that HE sees our value and continues to weed out the bad,, plant new and harvest within us, HIS destiny for us…..IF WE LET HIM! NO regrets here…
Wow talk about a word aptly spoken into my life!
Glad to resource your heart and mind!!! Yhea God!