As we embark on this journey of rediscovery let’s look at our first action step.
- Remember to use this time to reflect on the promises of God for your life and to evaluate where you currently are.
Many times we become anxious when life doesn’t seem to line up the way we think it should. Reflecting on the promises of God will calm our minds and give us peace. In the Scripture when we see the word promise, it refers to a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim it. According to Scripture, we know that God cannot lie. This gives the believer the assurance that whatever God has said concerning you and me has to come to past. God is not a man, that He should lie, Not a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23:19. Just reading this Scripture gives me a double boost. I receive a huge injection of confidence just knowing that I serve the One who makes good on His promises.
In Numbers 23:19, unlike the other gods, who were often portrayed as imaginative and easily influenced through witchcraft, Our God was and remains unshakeable. Balak commissioned Balaam to curse Israel in order to deliver the Moabites from possible enslavement and persecution. God’s hand was upon Israel and she would not be cursed. Notice the words would not this means it is absolutely impossible, no way, and nothing you or anyone else can do to change it. God’s promises are sealed.
Your present situation may look differently from what you desire it to look like. But as you focus on what God has promised, you will notice your mindset shifting toward thanksgiving. Regardless of the place you are mentally, physically, emotionally, or financially remember what God has said concerning you no man can change it. The psychic Balaam became the mouth of God. There was nothing Balaam could do to bring harm to God’s people. There is nothing the enemy can do to stop what God has planned for you as long as you remain obedient to the Word of God.
What do you do while you are waiting for the manifestation of the promises? You pray, wait, and continue to work. There is much work to be done in the Kingdom. I am confident that God has much more for me in my writing and speaking. There are doors that will be opened to me in the future and it’s important that I do not rush and push what God has not opened. It is also vital that I do not lose heart in the process. My faith is in God and what His Word says concerning me, so I don’t allow the circumstances of life to sway me. There will be times when we need to catch our breath but we must never give up.
Evaluation is good and necessary but remember God has the final word. So while I evaluate my life to see what I can do differently and in some cases better, I do not lose sight on the One who holds my life in His hands. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever, Do not forsake the work of your hands. Psalm 138:8 (ESV) The psalmist tells us that God will complete His purpose as it relates to each of us. Be assured that you will never get to a place where God will leave you to go it on your own. He will finish what He started in you.
Evelyn Johnson-Taylor PhD