You’re Not Delayed, You’re Waiting
Endure The Wait
We are all waiting for something. An opportunity, a career, a spouse, or direction from God. At some point in our lives, we will find ourselves in the waiting room. The waiting room is just a room of endurance. Sometimes, enduring “stillness” can make you feel like your life is off course or God’s plan is delayed. However, we must normalize the seasons of waiting because sometimes you just don’t know what is next. It isn’t slothfulness, it’s complete obedience that doesn’t have an explanation. Despite it looking like everyone around you is flourishing in life, God is showing you that your waiting season is not a delay, but you’re right where He wants you to be. Ultimately, in this room, you learn it’s not just about what you’re waiting for but how you wait.
You’re Right on Time
Think of your waiting room as an airport gate, and you have a flight to catch. At the airport, there are multiple gates, flight numbers, and destinations, but you already have your ticket to get on the plane that is going to where you’re supposed to be. Although its many people around you waiting, and others are boarding, not everyone is on the same flight. Some people experience delays and cancellations, while others are right on time. Don’t let anyone or anything around you make you believe you’ve missed your flight or that it’s been delayed. God is the pilot, and He is in control of you reaching your destination! Seek the Lord for direction & endure the wait until He says it’s time.
Who are you waiting with? (1 Samuel 13)
Saul was instructed to wait 7 days for Samuel to come so he could offer a sacrifice to God and get instructions on how Israel should fight against their enemy. However, when Samuel didn’t show up at the appointed time, the people around Saul became afraid and scattered. It caused Saul to become impatient and no longer wait for Samuel. Thus, Saul made an emotional decision that impacted his future. Thus, most of us are in a season of life where we are instructed to wait on the Lord. As a result, who or what is waiting with you matters. The people around Saul were afraid. Are you waiting with anxiety, fear, discouragement, or are you waiting with faith? Everyone may see this season of your life & vocalize their unwanted opinions, but only you were given the instructions to “wait.” Apply the pressure, do the work that brings your faith to life, but don’t allow your emotions to become your decision-maker.
Where Will You Spend Eternity?
Three years ago, if you’d asked me where would I spend the rest of eternity, I wouldn’t have had an answer. I was a lukewarm Christian, which is another blog for another day. Using my age as an excuse to not live for Jesus was enough to possibly spend eternity apart from Jesus. The truth of the matter is, both young and old will all be accountable for how we choose to live our lives. I had to ask myself, how many people will spend eternity with Jesus Christ because I shared the gospel with them?
Not Salvation
So let’s debunk what salvation is not before we dive into what it is. Salvation isn’t about “Lord save me, so I don’t go to hell. Salvation isn’t about wearing long dresses, going to church on Sundays, wearing suits, or carrying a Bible 24/7. Salvation can’t be bought with money or earned by good deeds. Salvation is not given for being a “good person” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
What is Salvation?
Salvation is about a love that was expressed through the death of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins to give us eternal life just because He loved us (John 3:16). Salvation illustrates the grace of God, which simply puts that there is no deeds you have to do to earn or receive salvation (Ephesians 2:5). Salvation is a gift, just like the one’s you receive on your birthday and holidays. You don’t repay your loved ones. They gave you the gifts because they love you. All you need to do to receive salvation is to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead (Romans 10:9).
People Won’t Believe You Changed (Acts 8)
Once you’ve become a follower of Christ, you become a new person spiritually. After Paul (formerly known as Saul) had received salvation in Jesus Christ, he went to stay with a few disciples of Jesus who were afraid that Paul had come to kill them. The disciples in Damascus were scared of Paul because he was well-known for persecuting Christians. They didn’t know that he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ which made him join them in sharing the Gospel.
The fear of the disciples showed that people will still think you're the same person because they know you by your past. However, it's only a matter of time that they see the change that Jesus has done internally to reflect externally (actions, behaviors, mindset, words). Although, there is no physical new creation but by faith you’ve spiritually become a son or daughter of God (2 Corinthians 5:17) . Maybe in the back of your mind, you find yourself saying “I believe that I am saved through Jesus Christ, but I can’t stop partying, drinking, smoking, fornicating”. I advise you to pray for God to give you the grace to obey and ask him to change your desire for those things. And He will!
The Commission
Don’t be selfish with your salvation! Salvation is also a commission. You don’t stop at accepting the invitation to be a child of God; it's also an opportunity to invite others to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (Mark 16:15). After Paul received salvation, he immediately went to share the gospel (Acts 8: We must make others disciples of Jesus Christ as well, and we can start today by sharing the message of salvation because Jesus is soon to come again.
Prayer of Salvation
If you're not saved and would like to know the Jesus I write about as your Lord and Savior, you can repeat this prayer of salvation out loud:
Lord Jesus, I believe you are Lord. I believe you died on the cross for my sins, rose from the grave, and you’re coming back for me. Lord, I repent for the lifestyle, words, thoughts, and habits I indulged in that don’t align with your Word. I want to be a part of your family and spend eternity with you. Jesus, come into my heart, save me and fill me with your Spirit. Amen!
Welcome to the Kingdom!
Not Our Will
“Father, you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” -Luke 22:42 (NLT)
Not your Will God, but our will be done. Yeah, I think I just said it and that’s what many of us want. We want God to conform to our wants, timing, and desires, but we forget that this life was meant to be selfless. Yet, we’re so consumed with ourselves to the extent that we’ve become selfish.
At some point in my life, I wanted my will & things my way. I wanted God to be ok with my ungodly soul tie. I wanted Him to let me attend parties and go to the lounge with friends. I didn’t want to feel God’s correction. I wanted God to let me enjoy my sin without any conviction and that’s the brutal reality of it. In all transparency, lately, I find myself rushing God’s timing in my single season, on my spiritual maturity, school, and a career that I don’t think I’ve been fully content with His will. Though that may not be everyone’s story, we all have things, feelings, mentalities, and habits that we’re not ready to be selfless with.
When Jesus prayed to God the Father about the agony He was preparing to endure for the entire world, He understood the struggle we have with wanting our own will. He understood what it felt like to have to trust God’s timing when life starts “lifing”. He understood what it was like to remember that God has a better plan for our life when life doesn’t seem like it can get better. He understood what it was like to be betrayed by the people close to us. Though he never sinned, He understood our nature to sin. However, Jesus never prayed His way out of His betrayal, deformation, persecution, or death. He was He submitted to it! He was selfless! He chose the Father’s will over His own will. He chose us over His comfort. He chose us over His life!
Nevertheless, we can never get God to conform to our will. Our selfishness can only cause us to never fully live in the purpose He has for us. We can start by being honest with God about what we want and what we don’t really want to give up for Him. Be Real! There is nothing we can hide from the Father who knows our hearts and everything about us. But, after our honesty, we should ask God to help us submit those things so that His will can be done in our lives. Thus, let our prayer be that we strive to live a selfless life that is submitted to Him.
& When We Don’t Understand
Our biggest life lessons is the ones where we don’t understand the “Why.” Some may be prepared and excited for the new year, while others have no manual on what to expect next.
This year, some of us may have experienced confusion, disappointment, grief, happiness, joy, or, like myself, the peace that only God can give. I had no plans this year. I knew I wanted to accomplish some things. I thought that I needed the vision board, the business plan, and the new year resolution to conquer the next year, but I didn’t feel eager to create one. I didn’t know what to expect for the year arriving, and I didn’t understand why I felt like that. I really just felt like it was a year to sit in the back seat & let God do the driving.
If only we’d choose to experience God’s peace for this new year instead of trying to figure everything out, then maybe we’d understand what Apostle Paul talked about in Philippians chapter 4. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
As this year approaches us, let’s give our car keys to God and put our passenger seatbelts on. In our lack of understanding about where He’s taking us, the things that may be happening in our lives, our feelings of stagnation, and the life events that we can’t fathom into words, God’s peace will teach you that everything is working together for your good. The good that grants you peace in not trying to understand, but knowing that God has you and your future in the palm of his hand. & so when we don’t understand, let’s look for God’s peace next year in our decision. & when you don’t understand, let God’s peace guide you in your purpose. & when we don’t understand, let’s look for God’s peace that protects our hearts and minds. & when we don’t understand, let's be willing to ride in the backseat and let God be your chauffeur.
Friendships (Part One)
“Surround yourself with people that build you up and encourage you to live out God’s plans for your life.”
I think we all know the saying that you are the company that you keep. Some may argue otherwise, but friends can tell you a lot about a person. Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17, ESV). In the simplest way, friendships can hinder you or push you in your purpose. Certain friendships can also be for a season or a lifetime. The people who enter our lives always have something we can connect to that sparks the friendship. It could be sharing something in common like shopping, dining, sports, or life experiences. Of course, we know that some friendships can spark by sharing the same negative feelings or opinions. However, Godly friendships should be our desire. The friends that God gives us can help and empower us discover things about ourselves.
This past year I've learned that it's vital to be careful about the people we let in our safe spaces because, in life, we have individuals who are "takers" and "givers." Takers in friendships expect benefits. They don't add any value to you as a person, an entrepreneur, or however, you see yourself. On the other hand, givers add value to someone and don’t expect anything from it. Givers in friendships are our "Iron." They are our guiders (Proverbs 12:26, AMP), help in any bad situation, and also know how to celebrate your wins. Most of all, givers attract the company of other givers.
Thus, in 2023 let our prayer be that God sends friends that will push us in our purpose as we push them. Let's be a magnet for other "Irons." But, most importantly, let's continue building our friendship with Jesus.
Letters to the Throne #2
Dear God,
When they said you use empty vessels, what kind of emptiness did they mean? The kind most of us feel seems like it’s too much damage to repair. The voids we feel sometimes feel better being filled our way. You said joy comes in the morning and honestly we can’t always find that joy. But, still we bring our emptiness to you in hopes that you’ll use it because only you can give us an everlasting filling.
God, I’m Empty
“We become aware of the void as we fill it”
If we could fill our own voids, many of us would be healed, fulfilled, and happy in all areas of our lives by now. However, what if I told you it is impossible for us as human beings to truly fill those empty places in our lives? Don't get me wrong, there are ways people can fill their voids, but most of our generation achieve that in negative ways. Some use social media, become workaholics, drink, smoke, get into wrong relationships, etc. However, they fail to recognize that those negative fillings have no long-term satisfaction. Most of the time, the things we use to occupy our feelings of emptiness don't contribute to our purpose in life.
Recently, I discovered that I have areas of my life that are voids that I was aware of but continued to fill with the wrong things. Ultimately, It was hard for me to embrace my feeling of emptiness because I failed to recognize that I wasn't completely healed or happy in this specific area of my life. The first step to filling our voids is honesty. It's important for our generation to be honest about those empty places. Whether it may be loneliness filled by platonic or intimate relationships, regret filled by anger, depression filled by drugs, or insecurities filled by attention. All of our emptiness have root causes. If we aren't honest about what hurt us or led us down a wrong spiral, we will never know what pure happiness, satisfaction, or healing may look like in our lives. The only way to be honest about those feelings of emptiness is, to be honest with God about it. God satisfies our soul (mind, will, and emotions) and fills it (Jeremiah 31:25). As a result of our honesty in voicing "God, I'm Empty" we allow Him to fill our emptiness (loneliness, anger, grief, etc.) with the things He knows we need.
The second step to filling our voids is forgiveness. The things that we choose not to forgive create voids in our lives. Most things that happen in our life result from our choices; others experience the effects of someone else's actions. It could be being neglected, bullied, growing up in a single-parent home, molestation, being cheated on, or anything that comes to your mind. Forgiveness is hard to swallow, but you can create so much beauty in your life when you finally heal from what hurt you. When God fills our voids, it is a different level of peace and joy that no human being can give or take away.