So long story short, the Lord has me in a real waiting season. As opposed to a “play play” waiting season. Your girl is waiting for real; for almost everything.
Even though I am in a limbo type of situation, I’ve been putting extreme focus on being content with where I am at the moment and being grateful that the prayers from yesterday are today’s reality.
For example, I used to pray so hard for the Lord to bless me with financial independence. I didn’t move out of my parents’ home and into my own until I was 27 years old (with the exception of freshman year I attended North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro). Even though I had always been gainfully employed and acquired my Bachelors degree from the illustrious Norfolk State University, my career of choice in radio wasn’t exactly pulling in the big bucks. I don’t have to go into the qualms of living in your parents’ home as an adult, I think you can use your imagination. But those qualms fueled my prayers for financial independence.
Fast forward three years and just a week shy of my 30th birthday, I am living in the natural manifestation of that prayer. (and got the nerve to complain about it sometimes).
And I know that next season, I’ll be standing in the full manifestation of today’s prayers. So for me, this waiting season is not a matter of “if” but simply a matter of “when”.
Doesn’t make the waiting any less painful though; especially for an impatient person like me.
This waiting season is stretching me in areas I am so certain I’m going to need to be flexible in, in the coming days.
As much as I would love to have my legs kicked up, munching on cheetos until my sexy husband, millions of dollars and my dream life waltz on in for the taking, I’ve decided to actively wait. To put some faith-filled action into this season of preparation and take full advantage of my time here.
During this time, the Holy Spirit has been impressing on me to do a few things. These may help you as you wait as well.
Spend more time with God; Get insanely intimate with Him
The Lord has been requiring my focus and attention on him for about a year now.
My change of residency to Richmond, about an hour and a half away from my stomping grounds in Chesapeake Virginia, was the first clue.
Away from my friends, old habits, my family, I quickly found myself alone and with plenty of time.
He removed the noise, distractions, ect making it an ideal opportunity to seek Him.
I’ve been feeling pulled to draw even more closer to Him in the recent days; to put my phone down, turn off Netflix and spend time with Him in worship, prayer and in the Word.
About a month ago, I did not know sleep at all for about a week and a half. Every single day I would be awake at about 12 midnight and would not be able to go back to sleep until about 3am.
I was perplexed for the first two days but on the third day, I heard Holy Spirit so clearly speak the words “warfare” to me. Followed up with confirmation in a few different instances, the Lord wanted me up during those hours to pray, seek Him and interceed.
I often think about how I would’ve missed the opportunity to be used by Him if I had not been spiritually in position to do so.
God has also spoken to me the most and I have heard Him the clearest during this time as well.
I believe there is a time when God is quiet but I also believe that He enjoys reassuring us and encouraging us while in the waiting season. But as the Word tells us, He speaks in a small still voice. If we have an influx of noise and distraction around us without intentionally making space and room for Him, then we’ll miss Him and what He’s saying.
The peace that comes with Him we so desperately need during the wait, the joy, the comfort, and so much more is all missed or unable to fully attain if we’re not positioned to seek Him.
Being in God’s presence, resting in His shadow is the best place to be especially while you’re awaiting your breakthrough.
Serve; Be a Servant.
I honestly asked the Lord to give me more opportunities to serve Him with a pure heart and chile, He did not hesitate to present those very opportunites to me.
We all know the infamous heeding “to whom much is given, much is required”.
If you’re like me, you’re waiting on more; more money, more companionship by way of a spouse, more opportunity, ect.
All of those blessings will require more from me.
More money will require more discipline and financial wisdom. A spouse will require more patience, more compromise, ect. More opportunities to be used by God in a leadership position will require me to give more and sacrifice more.
& the Lord will never bless you with more of anything just to be a blessing to you only. He will bless you with more to bless someone else through you.
To be used by God more, which is the ultimate goal, will require me to be a servant first.
An impactful effective vessel of the Lord is a selfless servant at the core.
Serving has stretched me and made me uncomfortable because I am a human who doesn’t like to be inconvenienced but I’ve been intentional to stay before the Lord and ask for strength as I serve His people and bring glory to Him.
The great thing about that is that the Word promises us a harvest if we don’t faint from the weariness of well-doing.
Fast
I was putting this off so much because I love to eat. Looking at me, you could never tell but food comforts me so much. Its a celebration when I’m joyful, it makes me feel better when I’m sad, it’s a wonderful sleep-aid, and it just tastes so daggon good!
But as the Lord has been revealing to me what I need to work on before the arrival of my blessings, the root to most of that is my lack of discipline.
And in particular, lack of discipline in my finances and freely spending on food when I should be saving.
I began asking Holy Spirit to help me be more disciplined with my finances and before I could finish my sentence, He dropped “you need to fast” in my spirit.
Isaiah 58:6 says
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Fasting accompanied with prayer breaks yoke.
While you wait, Holy Spirit may reveal things about you that require a change in order to sustain what the Lord is ready to bless you with. Change is hard. Old habits die very hard. Most of those habits I cannot undo on my own and will require a radical spiritual action.
Fasting subdues our flesh, bringing it back under control as we feed our spirit. Instead of being led by our flesh, we need to be led by Holy Spirit and in order to do that, we have to bring my flesh under submission to the God working on the inside of me.
I’m also waiting on the full manifestation of my physical healing. I’m fasting during this time to seek God’s miracle in that as well.
Prepare
Although the aforementioned are steps to spiritually prepare, it’s important to prepare in the natural as well.
For a couple years now, the Lord has been urging me to get my financial affairs in order. To save more, to file my taxes from the previous years I missed, to keep a detailed record of the profits and expenses of my business, open a business account, pay my credit down, ect.
I can be super close to God, a wonderful servant to His people while on a 179 day water-only fast but it will mean nothing if I don’t know how to efficiently run the businesses that He has destined for me or manage the millions He wants to bless me with.
I must begin to prepare by getting what I have now in order. Asking the Lord to help you manage what’s currently in your hands and then doing so is a practical way of preparing for what’s to come.
Waiting is tough. Especially when it seems you’ve been waiting for a long time all while serving God with a surrendered heart. Be encouraged. Your harvest is coming if you do not faint. The Lord is faithful to his promises. He is not a man that he shall lie. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly and above all that we can even ask or think. Get in preparation mode so that you can be ready when the blessing comes. Did you know that it takes an orange tree up to five years to produce fruit? Then another several months after that for the oranges to be ripe enough to pick. The seeds that you have sown are getting ready to be produced. Your fruit is ripening.
Be encouraged!
Check out the other components of Waiting is a Verb, Luv to help keep you motivated as you wait.
Comments