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This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)
“What’s taking so long?” A friend of mine is an EMT and is often called away to drive the local ambulance to emergency situations. One time he and I were together when he had to call 9-1-1 to get the ambulance. We waited and waited for what seemed to him like an eternity. He commented to me that “people are always telling us it takes so long to wait for an ambulance. I couldn’t figure that out because I know how fast we respond to the calls. But this is the first time I’ve been on this side and it’s really a long hard wait!”
None of us likes to wait. We are an impatient people. We want new toys so rather than save for it, we check our credit line. We want that new house in the country so we go into more debt than we can handle to get our way. Some people will sacrifice family, relationships and their own integrity to get what they want.
Not only is it hard to wait for physical things, it’s hard to wait for God. We ask for things and expect Him to give us what we want and to give it to us immediately. The problem is, God doesn’t work that way. His time is not our time. He knows the best time and the best way to give us what we need.
There are two things about waiting that are dangerous. One is to sit still and wait, expecting that God’s promises will come to us without any effort on our part. That attitude is like saying that I’ll just wait for God to give me the ability to be a concert pianist. Chances are you won’t make it to the stage without plenty of practice on your part.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. If there is a habit you want to break, a relationship you want to mend or a dream you want to have happen, you have to do your part in the process. Prepare yourself for God’s complete work to happen in you through daily prayer, study of His word and building relationships with people that will help you towards your goal.
God will prosper your dreams in his time and his way. As you grow in relationship with Him, He will give you the inner strength and wisdom to prepare yourself for whatever lies ahead of you.
The second thing that is dangerous about ‘waiting’ is taking matters into your own hands. It’s easy to be so driven by an idea that you are ‘sure’ that God wants you to ‘do this’, ‘go here or there’, or ‘have that’. The painful reality is, sometimes God’s plans for us don’t include the ‘dreams we have’ for our lives. We may want some very good things and have great motives, but if God isn’t in it, your dreams are doomed to failure. That’s the other reason that walking in close relationship with Him is so important.
Think of your dreams as a seed. You plant the seed in good soil. You water it and make sure it has all it needs to grow, but the actual growth of the plant is a result of God’s actions. Do everything in your power to walk close to Him and let Him honor your work by bringing growth into your life from the inside out.
Trust God. As a loving father He will do what He says He’ll do. Patiently wait for his timing. Work hard to draw close to Him but remember that He is the one that will bring the blessings needed for you to reach your dreams. He wants you to break that habit, resolve that conflict or cancel that debt. But He wants your heart even more!
PRAYER: Father God. I praise you that you know my heart. You know my dreams, talents and abilities. I want my desires to be for your good, but I admit that often I get swayed by selfish desires as well. Keep me pure in my desires for you so that my dreams are your dreams and my timeframe is in agreement with your will. Thank you for loving and supporting me. Amen.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12
It seems like it is getting harder and harder to really take a stand for Jesus. There are so many voices in society that tell us that the Bible isn’t relevant or that there are lots of ways to get to heaven. Truth, along with right and wrong, have become subject to one’s own interpretation. What’s right for you may not be right for me.
The voices of tolerance tell us that we need to be sensitive to those who have different beliefs because ‘we are all God’s children and he reaches out to us in many ways. To preach one way is right and one way is wrong is simply spreading hate.
We shouldn’t be surprised at the attacks leveled at our faith in Jesus. These attacks have been going on since Jesus walked on earth and they will continue until He comes again to take those of us who are His follower’s home.
When Paul wrote to Timothy is was as a loving father or teacher would write to a much loved son or student. He knew his time was short. He also knew that as Timothy grew older and more experienced in ministry he would encounter more and more resistance to the message of love and forgiveness through Jesus.
He tells Timothy that he must ‘Fight the good fight of faith’. The actual wording for this admonition in the original languages is to “Agonize the good agony.” In other words, the Christian life will be full of agony! For some of us this agony is an internal struggle. We may look squeaky clean and spiritual on the outside. We do all the right things, go to church, sing the songs and say the right words. But inside we struggle with addictions, fear, worry or thoughts we know are not pleasing to God. We can hide our struggles from others by ‘doing all the right things’ even though we still lose the inner battles of our hearts.
For others of us, following Christ can be an external struggle. Maybe you smoke and want to quit but can’t. Maybe it’s an addiction to chemicals. Maybe it’s anger and rage. It could be overeating. There is a whole list of things that we struggle with that are evident because try as we might, we can’t hide them.
Paul says to fight! Don’t give up. Know that God understands your weakness. He knows your heart and that you are trying to follow Him. He is more than willing to come along side you and help you have the strength to endure the battle. He doesn’t want you to give up on yourself. He can’t help you if you give up on Him.
Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t give up on God. Jesus is THE way to truth and to life. He alone can help you with whatever fight is ahead of you.
PRAYER: Holy God, you know the battle the rages in my life right now. I struggle with some things that I’m able to hide (so far) from others. I struggle with other things that are very evident to everyone I meet. Some days I don’t like me and I doubt you. I feel the battle is too much for me. Please help me to remember that you are by my side and understand my weakness. Help me to fight the good fight with you by my side. Empower me with your Holy Spirit to live free from the things that try to hinder me. Amen.
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36
During New Testament times the most cherished and protected item of a soldier’s armor was his shield. Those who lost their shield, and survived, were humiliated and at times killed by their own men. In fact, it was nobler to be carried home dead on your shield than to return home healthy and minus the shield. The shield was more important than life itself!
The word picture that the writer to the Hebrews gives us of confidence is likened to the shield of battle. The faith we have in God should be the most important thing we possess. Our faith in Jesus should be so important that we are willing to set aside our own personal reputation and safety to protect it. Jesus was humiliated, rejected by family and friends, wrongfully accused and eventually murdered by the very people He came to save. In spite of all that pain, He believes in you!
To many people their faith is an add-on to life. Faith is fine to have when times are tough, but when times are good it’s not necessary. To some it’s even confining. When faith is nothing more than an add-on and adversity comes we’re faced with a dilemma. We blame ourselves and try harder to ‘be good’ but this leads to frustration because we aren’t perfect no matter how hard we try.
We blame others and become angry and bitter, but that really only leads to our own emotional prison. Anger and bitterness robs our joy and our strength and keeps us from experiencing the joy and freedom only Jesus can give.
We blame God when our prayers aren’t answered the way we want or ask. But God isn’t a vending machine. His promises aren’t for an easy life here on earth. Jesus warns us repeatedly that we will be faced with tribulation and pain throughout our lives.
When you encounter battles and trials in life, learn a lesson from the admonition of Hebrews. Don’t throw away your faith! It doesn’t matter who is at fault in the trials you are enduring. If it’s your past you can be forgiven. If you’ve suffered evil at the hands of others God can help you recover from the wounds. But if you lose your faith in God, then you are truly without hope. Faith in God through Jesus Christ is the only way we can endure the attacks that others put in our way.
Persevere. Be strong. Guard your heart from the enemy. Never grow tired in your quest to follow Christ. Trust Jesus to empower you through His Holy Spirit to work in your life for good. Regardless of how things look around you Jesus is in control and madly in love with you!
PRAYER: Father God, I praise You for the protection and strength You have promised through Jesus Christ. I confess to you that I’m struggling with the things that are going on around me. There are times when I feel completely overwhelmed by enemy attack. Help me to hold fast to the confidence I have that You are an all-powerful, loving God. Empower me by Your Holy Spirit to live a life of faith in the midst of struggle. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 