A Time Of Preparation
April 2013
"And then God answered: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time." Habakkuk 2:2-3 MSG
"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31
"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31
Sitting in church Sunday, my pastor said,
"The call of God on your life will always require a time of preparation!" (Pastor Creflo Dollar)
When Pastor Dollar said this I knew God was speaking directly to me. Many times God will reveal something to me about my future and I will get soooo excited and then when it didn't happen at the time I thought it would or how I thought it would happen; I start to get extremely impatient.
I start to say things like,
"Lord, what is all of this?"
"Lord, I thought you said…"
"Lord, why is it taking so long?"
Have you ever found yourself saying these things?
Maybe.....maybe not.
"Wait".........many of us struggle with this word, it just isn't among our favorites.
Then as if the words of Pastor Dollar wasn't enough, I heard William McDowell singing on my way to school a song called "Wait."
"Wait.....with expectation.
Wait....with anticipation.
Wait....I will worship You, Lord, while I wait."
"The call of God on your life will always require a time of preparation!" (Pastor Creflo Dollar)
When Pastor Dollar said this I knew God was speaking directly to me. Many times God will reveal something to me about my future and I will get soooo excited and then when it didn't happen at the time I thought it would or how I thought it would happen; I start to get extremely impatient.
I start to say things like,
"Lord, what is all of this?"
"Lord, I thought you said…"
"Lord, why is it taking so long?"
Have you ever found yourself saying these things?
Maybe.....maybe not.
"Wait".........many of us struggle with this word, it just isn't among our favorites.
Then as if the words of Pastor Dollar wasn't enough, I heard William McDowell singing on my way to school a song called "Wait."
"Wait.....with expectation.
Wait....with anticipation.
Wait....I will worship You, Lord, while I wait."
Then, if this song wasn't enough........God used a movie, yes a movie to speak to me. Now here is a disclaimer….I love movies, but "The Karate Kid"......I did not think that there would be a lesson in that one. loll
In the movie, Daniel wants to learn Karate so he goes to Mr. Miyagi who is a master at Karate. He shows up for his first lesson and thinks that today is the day that he will learn how to be a Kung Fu master, but instead Mr. Miyagi tells him that they are going to wax some cars.
Wax on. Wax off.
Mr. Miyagi is telling Daniel exactly how he is supposed to use his arms and his hands to wax a bunch of cars.
{One word: Obedience}
Daniel spends all day waxing and gets impatient and frustrated when Mr. Miyagi tells him that he would see him tomorrow.
"What? No karate lesson. I am supposed to be a Kung Fu master. "
The next day Daniel shows up and he is ready for some Karate lessons...so he thinks, but Mr. Miyagi has Daniel sand the floor and tells him exactly how he is to use his hands and arms.
{And Again: Obedience}
Daniel cannot believe it! He is so frustrated; he thought he would be learning Karate, not how to do housework. That evening Daniel leaves upset and feels as though he has wasted valuable time. The next day Daniel comes to Mr. Miyagi's house expecting to learn Karate.
Nope.
That day his job was to paint the fence. Mr. Miyagi tells him to make sure his wrist is tight and stiff as he paints the fence. Up and down. Up and down. Often during the course of the day Daniel would get sloppy and just do it his way and Mr. Miyagi would come and say, "No, no, no.... Up and Down." Finally, Daniel gets fed up with doing Mr. Miyagi’s housework and gives Mr. Miyagi a piece of his mind. It is then that Mr. Miyagi begins to throw some moves Daniel’s way and Daniel is able to block every one of those moves because of the work he had been doing on Mr. Miyagi's property. Every "chore" had not been wasted as Daniel thought it had been. Everything he did was in preparation for the battle/purpose that Mr. Miyagi knew Daniel would soon face. Mr. Miyagi was teaching him all along – by Daniel being faithful in the seemingly small, unimportant details.
This scene resonated in my spirit. Often times I get so frustrated in the "little" because I desire to do so much for God and His Kingdom, but what God has taught me and continues to teach me is that He uses the little and the faithfulness in the little. I am reminded of Luke 16:10, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
Maybe you feel like Daniel. Maybe you feel that God has you doing some tedious stuff and you cannot believe that He has you right here, right now. It seems that it is fruitless, but day in and day out....this is the season of life that God has you in. The preparation season. The waiting season. You maybe frustrated because after all, this is not what you signed up for. Today, I just want to encourage you friend, this season of life that God has you in is not and will not be a waste of time. One day, you will look back and see exactly why everything happened the way that it did. You will say boldly one day, "The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in MY eyes!" Psalm 118:23 (Emphasis mine) Obedience. Maybe God has been telling you to do something and you have "kind of" done it. Friend, I have learned that partial obedience is still disobedience. Choosing obedience before we see it's benefits will always pay off. Truth is, we walk into our destiny through steps of obedience. Whatever God has told you do……no matter what it is, no matter how you may feel, or what it may look like…..do it. When you are obedient to God you give Him the freedom to overwhelm your natural circumstances with His supernatural power. Be obedient to Christ friend….YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!
And if you are diligently going after Jesus and the privilege of serving Him, here is a very special reminder. Sometimes you will be called to do monotonous work that will not make the headlines. Don't get discouraged, don't stop serving Christ and sharing the Gospel. Remember David? He became a King, but first he was just a "shepherd boy." God used Him mightily as He will YOU! Continue to use your life to work diligently at whatever the Lord has called you to do! "Bloom where you're planted." (Christy Nockels) Serve where you are. It may be mundane to you, but it's certainly not mundane to God! Be faithful in the little things. Be faithful in general. Stay committed. Continue to "sand the floor", "wax the car," and "paint the fence." The King records such works! (Matthew 25:34-35) Continue to be faithful in the little, because God can and will take your "little" and make it grand. Don't be impatient or anxious. When it's all said and done, what God said will be done! So do as Habakkuk 2:2-3 says and write the vision. It will not lie. Even if it seems slow in coming. Wait for it. It will come right on time! Today, whenever you start to think that where God has you now is a waste of time, remember that God is preparing you for something greater and "Wait.....with expectation. Wait....with anticipation. Wait.... worship the Lord, praise Him, be joyful, stay faithful, and stand in faith…..while you wait."
Be encouraged!
In the movie, Daniel wants to learn Karate so he goes to Mr. Miyagi who is a master at Karate. He shows up for his first lesson and thinks that today is the day that he will learn how to be a Kung Fu master, but instead Mr. Miyagi tells him that they are going to wax some cars.
Wax on. Wax off.
Mr. Miyagi is telling Daniel exactly how he is supposed to use his arms and his hands to wax a bunch of cars.
{One word: Obedience}
Daniel spends all day waxing and gets impatient and frustrated when Mr. Miyagi tells him that he would see him tomorrow.
"What? No karate lesson. I am supposed to be a Kung Fu master. "
The next day Daniel shows up and he is ready for some Karate lessons...so he thinks, but Mr. Miyagi has Daniel sand the floor and tells him exactly how he is to use his hands and arms.
{And Again: Obedience}
Daniel cannot believe it! He is so frustrated; he thought he would be learning Karate, not how to do housework. That evening Daniel leaves upset and feels as though he has wasted valuable time. The next day Daniel comes to Mr. Miyagi's house expecting to learn Karate.
Nope.
That day his job was to paint the fence. Mr. Miyagi tells him to make sure his wrist is tight and stiff as he paints the fence. Up and down. Up and down. Often during the course of the day Daniel would get sloppy and just do it his way and Mr. Miyagi would come and say, "No, no, no.... Up and Down." Finally, Daniel gets fed up with doing Mr. Miyagi’s housework and gives Mr. Miyagi a piece of his mind. It is then that Mr. Miyagi begins to throw some moves Daniel’s way and Daniel is able to block every one of those moves because of the work he had been doing on Mr. Miyagi's property. Every "chore" had not been wasted as Daniel thought it had been. Everything he did was in preparation for the battle/purpose that Mr. Miyagi knew Daniel would soon face. Mr. Miyagi was teaching him all along – by Daniel being faithful in the seemingly small, unimportant details.
This scene resonated in my spirit. Often times I get so frustrated in the "little" because I desire to do so much for God and His Kingdom, but what God has taught me and continues to teach me is that He uses the little and the faithfulness in the little. I am reminded of Luke 16:10, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
Maybe you feel like Daniel. Maybe you feel that God has you doing some tedious stuff and you cannot believe that He has you right here, right now. It seems that it is fruitless, but day in and day out....this is the season of life that God has you in. The preparation season. The waiting season. You maybe frustrated because after all, this is not what you signed up for. Today, I just want to encourage you friend, this season of life that God has you in is not and will not be a waste of time. One day, you will look back and see exactly why everything happened the way that it did. You will say boldly one day, "The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in MY eyes!" Psalm 118:23 (Emphasis mine) Obedience. Maybe God has been telling you to do something and you have "kind of" done it. Friend, I have learned that partial obedience is still disobedience. Choosing obedience before we see it's benefits will always pay off. Truth is, we walk into our destiny through steps of obedience. Whatever God has told you do……no matter what it is, no matter how you may feel, or what it may look like…..do it. When you are obedient to God you give Him the freedom to overwhelm your natural circumstances with His supernatural power. Be obedient to Christ friend….YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!
And if you are diligently going after Jesus and the privilege of serving Him, here is a very special reminder. Sometimes you will be called to do monotonous work that will not make the headlines. Don't get discouraged, don't stop serving Christ and sharing the Gospel. Remember David? He became a King, but first he was just a "shepherd boy." God used Him mightily as He will YOU! Continue to use your life to work diligently at whatever the Lord has called you to do! "Bloom where you're planted." (Christy Nockels) Serve where you are. It may be mundane to you, but it's certainly not mundane to God! Be faithful in the little things. Be faithful in general. Stay committed. Continue to "sand the floor", "wax the car," and "paint the fence." The King records such works! (Matthew 25:34-35) Continue to be faithful in the little, because God can and will take your "little" and make it grand. Don't be impatient or anxious. When it's all said and done, what God said will be done! So do as Habakkuk 2:2-3 says and write the vision. It will not lie. Even if it seems slow in coming. Wait for it. It will come right on time! Today, whenever you start to think that where God has you now is a waste of time, remember that God is preparing you for something greater and "Wait.....with expectation. Wait....with anticipation. Wait.... worship the Lord, praise Him, be joyful, stay faithful, and stand in faith…..while you wait."
Be encouraged!
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