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One of the most challenging situations we face is that of waiting on a blessing to come through, and it takes so much longer to materialize than we expect. Whether it is loneliness, lack, sickness, or the heartache of a broken relationship, we either know individuals that are dealing with one of these, or we’re dealing with it ourselves, and we’re perplexed that the condition seems to linger—why doesn’t it get resolved? We’ve prayed and prayed, but nothing appears to change. All of us face periods in our spiritual lives like this, and the thing to remember is that God is always with us. He has not abandoned our prayers, and He encourages us to be confident that the answers to our prayers are a part of His plan. We are very close, but we may need to ask ourselves three simple questions that will help position us exactly where we’re supposed to be!
Are you trying to control how God blesses you?
Proverbs 3:5-7(NLT) tells us, “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” This is one of the most well-known and recited passages in the Bible and for good reason. Its wisdom is something we can’t live without.
Verse 5 tells us to trust in the Lord, which means we are to be completely and fully persuaded that He is willing and able to do what He has promised. Our timetable or our thoughts about exactly when God should move, or when He should fulfill His promises in our lives, cannot be a factor in our commitment to trust Him. We must trust Him regardless. This is why He tells us not to depend on our own understanding, because we will try to place time limits on what God is working out on our behalves, and we can’t do this. Life is going to throw curve balls. It’s going to put a monkey wrench in even our most well-developed and thought-out plans. When this happens and we ask for Heavenly Father’s help, His way of handling the curve balls and monkey wrenches of life are sometimes completely out of the box. They won’t playout as we expect.
We can’t worry and have trust in God at the same time. We can’t control what He is doing, and we should never make the mistake of being impressed with our own wisdom. God tells us in Isaiah 55:8(NLT), “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. not always easily understood.” Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need and desire, and He knows how to fulfill those needs and desires within His perfect Will and Plan. We must always remember this and be careful not to allow arrogance and a sense of deservedness or entitlement to spoil the attitude of humility God requires.
Have you asked God to show you what you need?
Heavenly Father is not in the business of making our pleasure any less. He wants us to have a wonderful life, and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to make a more than abundant life available to us. An abundant life is one where we have an intimate relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, and it can also include a loving spouse, a comfortable home life, good relationships, a good job, good health and self-satisfaction. These are all wonderful to have, but sometimes our vision of how they all come together doesn’t jive with what is needed for our spiritual walk in Christ. This is critical to know and understand, because God values our spiritual growth and maturity more than anything else. Our reason for being on the earth is to grow in Christ so that our relationship with God deepens.
God will help you to see what you need to see, and to grow where you need to grow. He is committed to this. Hit the pause button on focusing so much on what you think you need and ask Heavenly Father to show you a few things. He knows what needs to be addressed so that we are positioned exactly where we need to be according to His Will and Plan.
Have you developed the discipline to handle what you’re asking to receive?
My great grandmother would tell us that whatever we put into a thing is what we’d get back. We grew up knowing the meaning of things like discipline and responsibility. For instance, chores were non-negotiable in my upbringing. My siblings and I were responsible for getting things done, and certain privileges and rewards were contingent on completing these tasks. If we didn’t do what was expected, we understood there would be consequences. The women in my family were the most loving and gracious people I knew, but they didn’t play. They understood how life works, and they were passing the tools of wisdom to us.
Stewardship is extremely important to God. The discipline to sacrifice some things for the greatness of what is to come is a must. We must also know that the ability and mindfulness to manage God’s blessing is a non-negotiable with Him. Sometimes we must loose some things that we’ve bound on earth through our negative thoughts, feelings, attitudes and actions. We must have patience as God opens our eyes to these things. And we must always remember that our Heavenly isn’t limited by time. Nothing slips by Him, and everything belongs to Him. So never lose faith! Ask yourself these questions and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you as the Lord Jesus Christ positions you and reveals exactly what you need to know.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Exactly Where You’re Supposed to Be”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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