Waiting on God is much easier said than done. I'm a living witness, and I think most honest folks will agree with me on that. But I have more than one testimony to prove that the wait is worthwhile, and I'd like to share my latest one with you. If you're like me and you struggle with patience or if your faith just needs a boost; please read this blog entry in its entirety. I believe it will bless you.
See the girl in the photo above? That's me. I took it on December 30th. It was the eve of New Year's Eve, and I was sitting in the lobby of a prominent 150-year-old business establishment in my local area awaiting to be called to the back for a job interview. I snapped this selfie because somewhere in the core of my soul, despite the many doors that had previously been closed in my face, and despite the fact that I'd experienced one disappointment after another; I knew that the smile I captured here was going to be validated.
Let me rewind just a bit. . .
Let me rewind just a bit. . .
Four days earlier, on December 26th, I'd stumbled across an open position at the aforementioned company, and I submitted an online application for employment. To be perfectly honest, I had very little hope that I'd even obtain an interview let alone land the job. Sometimes in life, after we receive so many disappointments, disappointments become what we expect. It sounded like a wonderful opportunity, and after doing some research on the company, I submitted the application and then went on with business as usual. That was on a Thursday evening. To my surprise, I received a call on Friday morning requesting that I come in for an interview, and on Monday afternoon, there I was waiting... praying... and suddenly feeling my faith being renewed.
Let me rewind a little bit more. . .
Let me rewind a little bit more. . .
At the very beginning of 2019, just as the previous year rolled out, the Holy Spirit spoke these three words into my spirit: "Exceeding. Abundantly. Above." It was so profound that I shared it with my husband, my children, and my church family. I even blogged about it and posted it on my social media pages. The Holy Spirit promised me that those words would describe my 2019, and I embraced it with great expectations. But I didn't prepare myself for the tremendous battles that would come before I could claim the victory; I was just ecstatic about the promise. At that time that I heard the words, I was led to make a list of five specific areas of my life in which I wanted God to do the "exceeding abundantly above" in 2019. And wouldn't you know . . . as the year proceeded, the enemy fought me harder in those five areas than in any other. It was like he strategically targeted those areas just because I'd listed them. The devil fought long and hard to try and break me down in the process, and I dare say there were times when he had me on the ropes . . . BUT GOD!! I watched as all but one of those five special petitions that I placed before the Lord were granted. The job I'd prayed for was nowhere in sight. Nearly all of my corporate life, I've functioned in the role of an administrative professional. It was a position I enjoyed, but I was ready to step outside the box and make a change. So when I made my request to God for new employment, I made it very specific: 1) I wanted a career that was not considered an administrative support role; 2) I wanted my workplace to be closer to where I lived; 3) I wanted employment that more closely aligned with my God-given passion for creative writing, and 4) I wanted a position where I was not mandated to be in an office everyday.
Keep in mind that it was at the onset of 2019 that I'd asked God to bless me with a job that came with all these specifications, and here it was, the eve of New Year's Eve, on the brink of 2020, and I still didn't have it.
I'm a firm believer in James 2:26 which states "... faith without works is dead..." So believe me when I say that I wasn't sitting around expecting a job to fall in my lap. I submitted my first job application while we were still in the first week of 2019, and I continued to go after every open opportunity that embodied what I desired to do. I applied for so many jobs that I eventually lost count. I was well qualified for all of them and actually landed an interview for most of them, but door after door after door was shut in my face. I couldn't understand it.
I am a woman of great faith, and I knew what God had promised. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months; I found myself battling daily with increased frustration and discouragement. I was still speaking life and God's favor into my existence but January 1st had now turned into December 30th, so yes . . . doubt had crept in. Thoughts like: maybe this just isn't what God has for me had begun to repeatedly filter through my head.
But God's delay is truly not a deny, and His timing is not our timing. Just because God hasn't given us a YES doesn't mean that He's given us a NO. Sometimes He's just pruning us, and all while we're wondering if we're going to make it through, God already knows that we will. And He's preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies so that those who thought we'd die in the battle will not only see us survive, but they'll see us thrive. Our timing is what we want, but God's timing is what we need. I recently posted these words on social media: Nobody can come through in the 11th hour like Jesus! I had just experienced it for myself, so I could declare it boldly.
Please let me encourage you today! Having doubt and getting discouraged is nothing to be ashamed of. It does NOT make you a weak Christian!
Whoever came up with the notion that it's impossible for one to have faith and doubt at the same time couldn't be more wrong in my opinion. Even in the Word of God, we find examples of people who battled simultaneously with belief and unbelief. In the book of Mark, chapter 9, we learn of a man whose son had been possessed with a demonic deaf and dumb spirit since childhood. He brought the young man to Jesus desiring the son to be healed. And when Jesus charged the man to have faith and believe, the man, with tears in his eyes, responded with, "Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
In spite of popular opinion, faith and doubt CAN be possessed at the same time, but in order to get your breakthrough, your faith has to supersede your doubt. Ultimately we have to learn how to crush doubt under our feet and use it as leverage to move us closer to our faith. We must feed our faith (with prayer, the Word of God, positive affirmations, etc.) and starve (push away, speak against, refuse to embrace, etc.) our fears so that our faith is the stronger force of the two. Like David in 1 Samuel 30:6, we have to learn how to encourage ourselves in the midst of the distress.
After being turned away and passed over for numerous positions throughout the year, God gave me an 11th hour blessing! I kept believing (despite my doubts). I kept pushing (despite wanting to give up). And because my faith outlasted and overtook my fears, God came through! My interview was over at 2:00 that day and by 4:30, I had received a job offer. I finally got the answer to the fifth and final request on the prayer list I'd made on January 1, 2019. It wasn't done as early in the year as I wanted it to be done, but God kept His promise to do it in 2019. The eve of New Years Eve was still 2019. 😅😅 I guess God really does have a sense of humor. 😇
See the girl in this photo? That's me. I snapped it early in the morning on Thursday, January 2, 2020. I had just submitted my letter of resignation, and I was genuinely praising God while sitting at my soon-to-be former work space. My rejoicing is no slight against the company for which I currently work. It's an amazing and highly respected place of employment. But God had answered a prayer in the 11th hour, and submitting the resignation made it all the more real!
My day of departure from this wonderful Fortune 100 company is just a week away. God gave me the job I'm leaving just like He gave me the one I'm going to. I represented Christ and functioned in a spirit of excellence at the one I'm leaving, and I'm going to do the same at the one I'm going to. My assignment at my current job is up, and the thought of my new one has my heart bursting with joy. The past few months have been incredibly tough for reasons I won't delve into. But God saw it all. He knew it all. And in His perfect timing, He delivered me from it all. The devil had a plot, but God had a plan! What the enemy meant for evil, God worked it for my good (ref. Romans 8:28). To HIM be all the glory!
If I said last year's process from January 1st to December 30th was easy, I'd be lying. It was hard . . . very hard. My faith in God was the key to my triumph. And because of that faith, you're now looking at a full time News Writer and Reporter for a distinguished print media company in my local area! Just today, as I sat at the desk of my current job, I received an unexpected call from my new employer letting me know that they already had my executive press pass and my business cards ready and waiting for my arrival. Wow! When God answered my prayer, He answered every part of it! 1) My role at the new company is not a support role; 2) the job is less than 15 minutes from where I live versus being an hour and 40 minutes away like my current job; 3) my duties very closely align with my divine passion and purpose, and 4) I'll only have to be in the office a couple of days out of the week.
Won't He do it? Yes, He will! And God is no respecter of persons (ref. Acts 10:24). If He did it for me, He'll do it for you. God truly did the exceeding abundantly above!
So whatever it is that you're praying and believing God for this year (whether it's a job, a home, a car, better finances, a spouse, a child, restored health... whatever) don't let the enemy make you think you won't receive it just because it's taking longer than you'd like. Don't rush God and don't try to help Him do His job. He doesn't need your assistance; He just needs your faith. He's all knowing and all powerful. Let God do His perfect work in His perfect time. When your answer comes, it will be worth the wait. Stay strong, and keep the faith!
I am a woman of great faith, and I knew what God had promised. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months; I found myself battling daily with increased frustration and discouragement. I was still speaking life and God's favor into my existence but January 1st had now turned into December 30th, so yes . . . doubt had crept in. Thoughts like: maybe this just isn't what God has for me had begun to repeatedly filter through my head.
But God's delay is truly not a deny, and His timing is not our timing. Just because God hasn't given us a YES doesn't mean that He's given us a NO. Sometimes He's just pruning us, and all while we're wondering if we're going to make it through, God already knows that we will. And He's preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies so that those who thought we'd die in the battle will not only see us survive, but they'll see us thrive. Our timing is what we want, but God's timing is what we need. I recently posted these words on social media: Nobody can come through in the 11th hour like Jesus! I had just experienced it for myself, so I could declare it boldly.
Please let me encourage you today! Having doubt and getting discouraged is nothing to be ashamed of. It does NOT make you a weak Christian!
Whoever came up with the notion that it's impossible for one to have faith and doubt at the same time couldn't be more wrong in my opinion. Even in the Word of God, we find examples of people who battled simultaneously with belief and unbelief. In the book of Mark, chapter 9, we learn of a man whose son had been possessed with a demonic deaf and dumb spirit since childhood. He brought the young man to Jesus desiring the son to be healed. And when Jesus charged the man to have faith and believe, the man, with tears in his eyes, responded with, "Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
In spite of popular opinion, faith and doubt CAN be possessed at the same time, but in order to get your breakthrough, your faith has to supersede your doubt. Ultimately we have to learn how to crush doubt under our feet and use it as leverage to move us closer to our faith. We must feed our faith (with prayer, the Word of God, positive affirmations, etc.) and starve (push away, speak against, refuse to embrace, etc.) our fears so that our faith is the stronger force of the two. Like David in 1 Samuel 30:6, we have to learn how to encourage ourselves in the midst of the distress.
After being turned away and passed over for numerous positions throughout the year, God gave me an 11th hour blessing! I kept believing (despite my doubts). I kept pushing (despite wanting to give up). And because my faith outlasted and overtook my fears, God came through! My interview was over at 2:00 that day and by 4:30, I had received a job offer. I finally got the answer to the fifth and final request on the prayer list I'd made on January 1, 2019. It wasn't done as early in the year as I wanted it to be done, but God kept His promise to do it in 2019. The eve of New Years Eve was still 2019. 😅😅 I guess God really does have a sense of humor. 😇
See the girl in this photo? That's me. I snapped it early in the morning on Thursday, January 2, 2020. I had just submitted my letter of resignation, and I was genuinely praising God while sitting at my soon-to-be former work space. My rejoicing is no slight against the company for which I currently work. It's an amazing and highly respected place of employment. But God had answered a prayer in the 11th hour, and submitting the resignation made it all the more real!
My day of departure from this wonderful Fortune 100 company is just a week away. God gave me the job I'm leaving just like He gave me the one I'm going to. I represented Christ and functioned in a spirit of excellence at the one I'm leaving, and I'm going to do the same at the one I'm going to. My assignment at my current job is up, and the thought of my new one has my heart bursting with joy. The past few months have been incredibly tough for reasons I won't delve into. But God saw it all. He knew it all. And in His perfect timing, He delivered me from it all. The devil had a plot, but God had a plan! What the enemy meant for evil, God worked it for my good (ref. Romans 8:28). To HIM be all the glory!
If I said last year's process from January 1st to December 30th was easy, I'd be lying. It was hard . . . very hard. My faith in God was the key to my triumph. And because of that faith, you're now looking at a full time News Writer and Reporter for a distinguished print media company in my local area! Just today, as I sat at the desk of my current job, I received an unexpected call from my new employer letting me know that they already had my executive press pass and my business cards ready and waiting for my arrival. Wow! When God answered my prayer, He answered every part of it! 1) My role at the new company is not a support role; 2) the job is less than 15 minutes from where I live versus being an hour and 40 minutes away like my current job; 3) my duties very closely align with my divine passion and purpose, and 4) I'll only have to be in the office a couple of days out of the week.
Won't He do it? Yes, He will! And God is no respecter of persons (ref. Acts 10:24). If He did it for me, He'll do it for you. God truly did the exceeding abundantly above!
So whatever it is that you're praying and believing God for this year (whether it's a job, a home, a car, better finances, a spouse, a child, restored health... whatever) don't let the enemy make you think you won't receive it just because it's taking longer than you'd like. Don't rush God and don't try to help Him do His job. He doesn't need your assistance; He just needs your faith. He's all knowing and all powerful. Let God do His perfect work in His perfect time. When your answer comes, it will be worth the wait. Stay strong, and keep the faith!
