Weapons for Waiting...
Do you love Jesus?
In a BIG way?
Do you want to do BIG things for Him?
Do you want to move the kingdom forward in a MAGNIFICENT way?
God wants it for you too.
BUT...
Do you feel stalled out for some reason?
Do you feel like it's not all coming together?
Like there's a blockage that's keeping you from getting into full stride?
What if it's God?
What if it's Him wanting to slow you down,
To process you,
To prepare you for something you can't see right now.
It's a THING.
God making you wait,
For much longer than you want,
Before He let's you run,
He teaches you how to sit.
It's probably one of the most undesirable things to learn,
Especially if you're a mover and shaker,
One that likes actions and results,
This lesson is particularly excruciating,
Pressing all your buttons,
Especially the ones around patience, waiting and surrender.
Welcome to the WAITING season.
Yup, it's a THING.
It's all over the bible.
David had to wait 30 years to be king,
Moses waiting 40 years to deliver his people,
Jesus waited 30 years until His ministry started.
Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac,
Joseph waited 13 years to get to the palace...
Need I go on?
So if you feel like you are in a WAITING season,
Then it's important to know about the WEAPONS for waiting that are available to you.
Why do you need weapons for waiting?
Because the waiting season itself is an immense spiritual battle,
Because God is working all sorts of things out of you,
And Satan is not going to let it happen easily,
He's going to fight tooth and nail to try to make you fail.
Just because you're in a waiting season doesn't mean that you will automatically get everything right.
So you better armor up!
It's GAME time!
Even the waiting season has it's battles and VICTORIES.
So let's get ready to WIN.
The weapons itself are not new but the WAY you apply them,
The mindset and intention is important.
It's like using a hammer.
You can use a hammer to pound a nail into a surface,
OR you can use it to pull a nail out,
OR you can use it to flatten out a surface,
OR you can use it to create a divot for drywall mud to sit in.
A hammer has many different uses and depending on the situation the method of it's use will change.
The same thing is for the weapons of WAITING.
They are all common tools with a special purpose in the season of WAITING.
Let's dive right in...
1) PRAYER
Pray to share all your challenges and grievances,
Pray to seek strength through this season,
Pray to humble yourself before God,
Pray to ask for forgiveness for your soul's rebellion (oh, it will rebel).
PRAY with a sharp focus on how to wait and what God is trying to do IN you this season.
This is different from the prayers that cover your family, health, business, finances or church. This is SPECIFICALLY going after the issues that God has you in this season for. Each person and season will be different. That's why it's important to SEEK God for what He is trying to do.
Your prayer in waiting might sound something like this...
"Jesus,
I need You.
I want You.
I seek You.
I will praise you through all that challenge me.
I will worship You through everything that vexes me.
For Your ways are higher than my ways,
Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts,
Who am I to question You?
Yet I complain,
Yet I kick and scream,
Yet I am a total brat.
Forgive me.
Continue to do ALL that you want in me,
Do not relent,
Do not hold back,
Do ALL that pleases you in me.
Then I will be ready,
To receive ALL that you have planned for me.
Until that time comes,
Do not give into my resistance,
But press on through to the end of your glorious plan.
I praise You,
I love You,
I celebrate You,
In Jesus name, Amen."
There's no right or wrong way of doing this. If you want some examples read the Psalms. It is full of David going through a lot of crap that He is calling out to God for help on, even complaining and negotiating with Him. If David can do that with God, so can you. ^_^ But remember that David always comes around to praising God in the end so don't forget to do that. It's probably one of the reasons why God loved David so much. David wasn't afraid to be honest with God but always remembered the goodness of God and the greatness of God and came around to that consistently.
2) FASTING
Fasting is the biblical way to HUMBLE yourself before the Lord.
"So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty."
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?"
"When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach."
When you fast in a WAITING season, you do so with the purpose of SEEKING God,
To humble yourself before Him,
Put His desires above your own,
To hear His voice more clearly,
To be putty in God's hands for Him to shape and mold into His liking.
Whatever desires, preconceived notions, gripes or complaints you have,
Submit it to the Lord in fasting and prayer.
3) PRAISE & WORSHIP
When you're in a season of WAITING you will inevitably have some extra time on your hands. Why? Because you're in a season of WAITING. ^_^
However, as entrepreneurs we have the nasty habit of packing our schedules by default.
Ok, so what this looks like in real-life is that you need to MAKE time for extra praise and worship.
Literally make a 30 minute time block in your calendar as an APPOINTMENT with God.
In that time, collaborate with Holy Spirit to see how you can "play" and discover how you can worship and praise God through all of this.
Be open to creativity.
Be open to new experiences.
Be open to the leading of Holy Spirit into something different.
Surrender to a new version of worship between you and Holy Spirit.
The important thing is setting the time aside.
An appointment with You and God.
Put it in your calendar and PROTECT that time block.
Have fun! ^_^
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."
4) THANKSGIVING
Oooh... Be thankful even when you don't want to be,
Be thankful about the things that are driving you CRAZY,
Be thankful for the things you never wanted.
Turn that frown right upside down!
It may sound something like this...
"Jesus,
Thank You for [that person] that is driving me crazy,
Thank You for [that experience] that is getting on my last nerve,
Thank You for that failure,
Thank You for that embarrassment,
Thank You for the uncertainty that You are using,
Thank You for the discomfort You have me in,
Thank You for making [that thing] not work out as planned,
Thank You for making me WAIT,
Thank You for knowing what is best,
Thank You for the plans You have for me that is beyond my imagination,
Thank You for the crushing, the squeezing, the pruning and the sandpapering.
I will praise You through ALL of it.
Thank You Jesus,
Thank You Father,
Thank You Holy Spirit,
In Jesus name, Amen."
5) SCRIPTURE
By default a waiting season is God working something IN you or OUT of you. This means there's going to be a lot of tug and pull from your flesh. This will include a lot of noise of your own desires as well as Satan trying to interject and throw you off course with his distractions. The bible is a WEAPON to help you distinguish between all the voices and noise and pick out what God is telling you.
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
As you read scripture, you should be mentally on alert. Imagine your mental radar out seeking what Holy Spirit wants to point out to you. When you feel or see a particular verse hit home with you more than the others you need to STOP. In this season you are practicing becoming more sensitive to Holy Spirit as you read scripture.
1. Write down the verse that popped out at you.
2. Ask Holy Spirit "What are you trying to tell me?"
3. Listen and wait in SILENCE and write down the answer that emerges.
Rinse and repeat this for every verse that tickles your brain.
Next question... "What do I read?"
There's a couple ways to do this. First is to do your normal reading assuming you have one. If you don't start with one of the gospels like John. However add this twist... read scripture while thinking and looking at it through the lens of what God is trying to do IN you this season. Is it patience? Is it trust, surrender, forgiveness, humility or slowing down? That's between you and God but you mostly likely have a clue already.
Second option is to simply ask Holy Spirit "Is there anything specific you want me to read?" Listen in silence for a few minutes and see if anything pops up. Go with the flow. This whole thing is between you and God. There's no set rules but Holy Spirit is always with you.
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”"
6) ASKING QUESTIONS - Q&A
Keep ASKING questions.
This is part of SEEKING.
Going after God over and over again.
It's not a ONE and DONE.
That's not what this season is about.
It's about grabbing a hold of Jesus and not letting go.
It's about refusing to accept anything but clarity on His will for you.
It's about going deeper than ever before.
It's a season of INTIMACY with the Lord.
As you ask questions, grab a pen and paper.
1. Write down your question.
2. Ask God your question.
3. Then STOP and LISTEN. Literally hush and be STILL. Let the silence hang. Let the stillness sink in. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you feel tempted to stir in your seat, DON'T. Be STILL.
It's almost like you're doing a face-off with silence itself,
And you're refusing to move before God gives you an answer.
It's ok.
God sees you.
He hears you.
In sitting in silence and stillness I declare and decree in Jesus name that you will have BREAKTHROUGH in discernment and hearing God's voice like never before. That ONLY through stillness and patience will you discover the voice of God in a whole new way. I pray that you find beauty in the calm, that you find peace in the stillness, that your discomfort turns to joy in the presence of the Lord.
Cheers to new experiences with Jesus! Have fun!
"Jesus,
Have your way with me,
I am Yours and Yours alone.
Despite my kicking and screaming,
My foolish human ways,
Keep persevering to finish your good works in me,
Let not my ways cut short the fullness of the process You have for me.
I trust You,
I seek You,
I want You,
I submit myself to You.
Do you work in me,
Don't let me go until it is complete to Your delight,
Show me how to praise You through it,
Show me how to worship You through my obedience,
Show me how to sit with you in ways I never have,
Speak Lord, Your servant is listening...
In Jesus name, Amen."
