Cindy Jacobs: "Responding to the Prophets and Prophetic Words" - THE ELIJAH LIST

Cindy Jacobs: "Responding to the Prophets and Prophetic Words"

THE ELIJAH LIST

Jan 30, 2016

From the desk of Steve Shultz:

This is a very practical word on walking out the "prophetic words" spoken over our life. Yes, we do play a big part in participating in prophetic words. Prayer, faith, and contending with the words are vital.

Cindy shares:

We must play an active role in seeing God's prophetic word manifest in our lives.

Now read this article by Cindy, and ask the Lord to give you wisdom in how you can partner with your prophetic words!

Hey! Now one last thing. The "What is God Saying for 2016?" conference has JUST ended and NOW YOU CAN ORDER THE CDs, DVDs OR MP3 DOWNLOAD.

Friends, this truly, truly, truly was the best conference yet and I've NEVER EVER heard so many positive words coming forth from God's prophets. Our speakers were: Chuck Pierce, Jane Hamon, Dutch Sheets, and Dr. Alveda King (niece to Martin Luther King, Jr).

Here is the link to purchase the full message sets in DVD, CD, or MP3 audio formats:

http://www.elijahshopper.com/what-is-god-saying-for-2016-conference/

Enjoy! And thanks for forwarding this to your friends! They can subscribe just below...

Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News 
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"Responding to the Prophets and Prophetic Words"

Cindy Jacobs, Red Oak, TX

Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

Each year, a group of respected prophets from around the nation meets to seek the Lord's will for the upcoming season. There are keys to our success as well as admonitions for us in the word of the Lord for the year that we need to pay heed to – not only on a personal level, but also on a corporate level.

Although we label these words from the Lord with each calendar year, it is important to understand that God exists outside of man's time. He works according to seasons, and we will often see a word for the "year" corresponding with both the Hebrew and Greco-Roman calendars. We will also frequently see a certain theme or concept carry over from one year to the next as the Lord continues to carry out His plan. 

(Photo via Pixabay)

Along with timing, it is key to understand the role we play as workers in God's Kingdom to see prophecy come to pass. Without understanding that prophecy requires action on our part, we might become upset when a prophetic word seems unfulfilled.

Disappointment can stir up questions like, "Did I hear God?" or, "Did I miss what God was trying to say?" We may even become jaded and confused, wondering if prophecy is real today.

Prophecy is a road map that gives us strategic information, but it is not the same as the concept of fate. For those who believe in fate, they feel the future cannot be changed or altered; life is what it is, and nothing can be done about it.

As Believers, we know God has given us a free will. We are responsible for making choices, and Scripture gives us the guidelines we need to follow in order to be blessed. While God does foreknow the end from the beginning, we still have to choose. 

Without the ability to partner with God to shift things, what would be the purpose of prayer?

Contending for the Promise

Often, we are given a prophetic word so we can contend to see the prophecy fulfilled. It is important to remember the enemy does not want you to reap the benefits of the promises of God, so spiritual warfare may be needed.

Though our prayers are immediately answered by the Lord in the spiritual realm, it takes persistent prayer for those answers to manifest in the physical realm. 

The word gives us hope to stand and believe in the midst of adverse circumstances.

This reminds me of the story of Daniel. After praying and fasting for Israel to be freed from Babylon, the archangel Michael finally arrived. He told Daniel that God heard his prayers right away, but a principality – who was the ruling power of darkness over the region – held him back for 21 days. 

Though Daniel's prayers were heard and acted upon instantly, it was his prayers of perseverance that allowed the archangel to ultimately break through! 

(Photo by Jennifer Page "Warrior Angel" via elijahshopper.com)

What if Daniel had become frustrated before his breakthrough and given up? He would have never seen God's plan fulfilled.

We must play an active role in seeing God's prophetic word manifest in our lives.

How to Stay Hopeful

While believing for the word of the Lord to come to pass in your life, allow the promises of God to give you hope and sustain you. Don't allow the enemy to sow seeds of discouragement while waiting for the fulfillment!

As you begin to hear the word of the Lord for the year, let's take a look at how to strategically respond to it:

1. Read through the entire word and take notes. Are there any points that the Holy Spirit is amplifying to you? By this I mean, is there a resonance in your heart given by God to pay attention in a special way to a particular portion?

2. Use the word to take stock of your life. Are there any points that are admonitions to make an adjustment? (For example, if the prophecy says this is the year to "see the door," are you actively praying for God to show you the doors He wants you to walk through? This might be related to a transition in jobs, churches, or even a geographic move.) Seek God about any changes He might be asking you to make.

3. Write decrees for yourself and your family from the Word of the Lord. As you hear God speak about what He wants to do or release, make the words personal and decree them over yourself, your family, and even your city. This helps your heart maintain a posture of faith, even when the spiritual battles intensify.

Be Encouraged!

Though we must prayerfully battle for the future God has for us, He has given us the tools we need to grab hold of His promises and enjoy them in our lives. We already have victory in Jesus' name! It will be rewarding to look back over the way God has strategically used the current word of the Lord in your life when the calendar turns in 12 months. Believe His words for yourself and your loved ones, and you will see God do incredible things in your lives this year!

Cindy Jacobs
Generals International
Email: generals@generals.org
Website: generals.org

Cindy Jacobs is an author, speaker, and teacher with a heart for discipling nations in the areas of prayer and prophetic gifts. She and Mike – her husband of 41 years – co-founded Generals International in 1985. She is a respected prophet who travels the world, ministering not only to crowds of people but to heads of nations. Her first calling is and always will be prophetic intercession. 

Each year she travels, and she has spoken on nearly every inhabited continent to tens of thousands. Cindy has authored books, loves to travel and speak, but one of her favorite past-times is spending time with her husband Mike and their children Daniel and Mary Madison, along with her grandchildren.

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Word for Now and Into New Year by Joni Ames - Identity Network

Word for Now and Into New Year by Joni Ames

Identity Network

 

I'm very excited that we are now into a brand new year on the Jewish Calendar. Although I'm not one of those that try to put us "under the law," in that realm, I do appreciate knowing our heritage as grafted into the vine. I feel times like this give us a 'new chance' to go forth anew in what He has for us.

 

If you have been experiencing a rough time in the area of your mind, I challenge you in this time and season to allow - and even to ask the Lord - to give to you an "attitude adjustment" so that you can walk in all He has for you in this season. Truly, our attitude can often determine our altitude. The Israelites missed out on their Promised Land due to their attitude. For sure, we don't want that to get in the way of us experiencing what God might have for us.

 

We can choose to operate in the spirit of self-control and thus control what frame of mind to operate in.

 

Cast Down Your Imaginations

 

As the Word of God says, we can "Cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." With all the warfare there is out there, sometimes we just have to lay hands on our own head and declare that scripture over ourselves. And thankfully God's Word doesn't return void.

 

Years ago, the Lord gave me the adage, "If you let anything start stopping you, it will never stop stopping you. So don't."

 

There's nothing worth allowing the enemy to steal our purpose, call, and destiny.

 

Many times we think in terms of "What would we do if money was no object," and we get stuck on our "wanna be" or "wanna haves." But I challenge you to consider today the question of, what would you do if what God called you to do would cost you everything? If we approach with the attitude of "do or die," and we are committed to go forward in all He has for us, no matter what the cost, truly nothing can stop us from walking in victory. If more people took that approach regarding life, marriage, and their purpose, call, and destiny, we would realize that NOTHING is worth forsaking it.

 

There are many times in my life when the Lord has laid an opportunity in front of me and had me give up everything for the vision He gave me. I did that at the beginning of this year when I moved to Arizona. I gave up two mobile homes I owned and all my furniture, kitchen items, and a lot of other things. Not to mention moving over 2,000 miles from my children and grandchildren.

 

Sometimes we go through things like that and what we thought was going to occur doesn't happen. We stand there feeling like a fool and doubting our ability to hear from Him.

 

Trust me, that's where I've been this year as well. Yet I "know that I know that I know" He said to do it. But what I've come to realize is that His purposes sometimes don't match our expectations. But above all, "Father (God) knows best." And truly, you can't out give God. Eventually He restores better than you can ever imagine. Loss is nothing compared to the fact that faith in Him brings great gain.

 

His Timing is Different

 

Another thing is that His timing is usually much different than ours. Doggone it! I wish it was instant just like I want it to be, just to be honest! But sometimes we have to wait longer for the vision to come to pass than we thought or wanted to. But again, He knows best.

 

So are we really going to trust Him? Or give up on the brink of our miracle?

 

I'm going to be 61 in a little over a week. I don't want to pass through this life without walking in all that He has called me to. So that means not missing a chance to take the chance to do it. It means realizing that Kairos moments in time save time when we step through the portal that moment provides for us to do so. Because if we do, all that we have need of will meet us there.

It's all about faith. Which Hebrews 11:1 says is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things unseen. And in verse 3, it says that the things that are made are produced by things that we cannot yet see. So, as crazy as it may sound, it's trusting that what we cannot even yet see already exists and will pass from the unseen realm into the seen realm at exactly the right moment in time. That's what faith in God is all about.

 

We can choose to believe or have faith in Him, or the lies and fears of the enemy. I choose God.

 

Coming Along Side Each Other

 

Another thing is, sometimes we need others in the Body of Christ to come alongside of us - or others need us to do so for them. We are not to be doing this thing called life alone as a lone ranger.

 

I was recently in a ministers' meeting, and they talked about the mighty redwood trees. I was fascinated as they explained that the roots of those trees only go about three feet deep, even though they stand so tall! But amazingly, what keeps them standing tall through winds and weather of all kinds is the fact that, under the surface, their roots grab a hold of each other, and help to hold each other up for hundreds of years! What a wonderful prophetic picture of what we should be doing for each other in the Body of Christ! Helping to keep each other rooted and grounded, and standing tall through all sorts of storms in life.

 

That's Love. The Word tells us that they will know we are Christians by our Love. Because God IS Love.

 

An Eye to See

 

On the Jewish calendar, we are in the 5770's. The 70's portion is called "Ayin," and it means, "eye, to see" and thus be awake. We are in a time of awakening.

 

2014/5774 was Ayin Dalet, the year of the open door. 2015/5775 was the year our eyes saw rescue, and the year that Messiah/Jesus walked through the open door and obtained for the believer the double, triple and quadruple portion.

 

This year, 5776/2016, is Ayin Vav (pronounced "waw"), the Year of the Big Jubilee, the Year of Light and things happening at the speed of light, and is called a time when God will peg, fasten, and secure us to His promises. A jubilee year is a time of great restoration, as Joel 2:25 promises, a time when we will have even lost time restored to us.

 

Ezra 9:8-9 is for this time: And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage.  For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

 

My goodness! What a wonderful time of promise! A time when we are fastened to His Promises and we will see the House of God come forth in great glory! Let us not look at the giants in the land, but go forth into the huge fruit that lies up ahead!

 

Walk Forward

 

Time to stop listening to the naysayers and doomsday proclaimers and realize that, even though it's a time of great darkness, God's Isaiah 60:1-2 promise is ours, and a time when His light and glory will rise and shine upon, in, and through us - His people! Glory to God!!!

 

So, lift up the hands that hang down and straighten your feeble knees, and walk forward into all that God has for us!

 

One more thing - a prophetic sign - the Super Bowl this coming year is number 50. That's the number of Jubilee. And God said to tell you to expect to see HIS Super Bowl come forth for you in this coming year!

 

As it says in Rev 8, the bowls of incense, mixed with the prayers of the saints, will bring forth much fruit, and we will see the works of the enemy be destroyed and His people come forth in victory. Yay God!!!

 

Don't let the conspiracy theorists mess up your theology. Stick to God's Word and walk in His power and victory. For those called by His Name, the BEST truly IS yet to come!!!

 

Love & Blessings.

 

Joni Ames

www.joniames.com

 

Go here to read more articles by Joni Ames.

 

 

 

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"How to Shift Into Your New Season" Matt Sorger - THE ELIJAH LIST

"How to Shift Into Your New Season"

Matt Sorger, Selden, NY

God is Anointing You to Create with Him

Over the past two years there has been a major shift happening within the Body of Christ. It's not just been the turning of a page or a new chapter in your book. It's like a whole new book is being written. In this new season literally anything is possible. God is going to anoint you to create with Him. And there will be no self-striving. You are going to live out of the ease and rest of God.

From this place of simple obedience to the promptings of the Spirit you are going to receive divine creative ideas and strategies and see a double portion harvest come in.

This is just like when Jesus told Peter to throw his nets into the water in Luke 5. Peter had already been fishing all night long, but caught nothing. He was exhausted. But in obedience to the word of Jesus he threw his nets in again, catching not just one boat load, but two boat loads of fish. One word from Jesus changed everything! 

From the ease of obedience Peter received a double portion harvest of fish. 

Things Are Changing in Your Life

Traveling internationally I get a global perspective of what is happening within the Church. We have entered into a new season. The transition has been happening over the past one to two years. Whenever a shift happens corporately, it also happens individually. You may have noticed things changing in your life. 

God has been realigning you for your new season. When shifting of seasons happen, things change in our lives affecting our activities, focus, vision and even relationships. (Photo via flickr)

The most challenging part of shifting seasons is letting go of things from our past season. This is where most people get stuck. Human nature gravitates towards the familiar and it's difficult to leave our comfort zones. 

But when God is shifting us into a new place there will be things from our past season that won't be able to go with us into our new season.

Reaching the Point of Fulfillment

Each season reaches a point of fulfillment where the purposes of God for that time have been completed. Once a season reaches fulfillment you hit the ceiling of that season. If a shift is not made you plateau and eventually stagnate. It's important to understand that just because something was amazing in your last season doesn't mean it's meant for your new season.

It's easy to let go of the negative things. The hard part is letting go of the things we thought were great. But just because it was God's will and a great thing in your past season, doesn't mean it will be great in your new season.

Each season has its purpose and once that purpose is completed you need to shift into the new.

You know the season is changing when the grace of God begins to lift off of you for something. The same joy and fulfillment is no longer there. Something is changing. When this shift first starts to happen we often wonder what is wrong and we have to process what is happening. This is different from a temporary discouragement the enemy would try to bring. Don't confuse a temporary attack of the enemy with the shift of a season.

 As time goes by you will know more deeply within yourself that things are changing and you need to make a shift.

Let Go of the Old to Make Room for the New

I want to help you make the shift so you don't stagnate in the old, but can move fully into the new and every amazing thing God has for you. The possibilities are limitless. What the Lord showed me was that the ceiling of our past season has now become the floor of our new season. But this can only happen if we fully yield and surrender our self-will to God. This is the key to shifting seasons. (Photo via flickr)

In prayer you must surrender your will to God and let go of anything that no longer has the fresh breath of God on it. 

You must be willing to let go of the old to make room for the new. Once you surrender it sets the will of God into motion bringing you into your new season. New things will become established in your life and you will begin to birth and create new things with God.

Warm Regards,

Matt Sorger
Matt Sorger Ministries

Email: info@mattsorger.com
Website: mattsorger.com

Matt Sorger, author, prophetic messenger, revivalist, healing evangelist, teacher, television host and philanthropist has served in full-time ministry for over 23 years spanning over 200 nations of the earth through travel and media ministry. He hosts a weekly teaching program titled Power for Life. 

Matt moves in a unique anointing that fills entire rooms with the tangible glory of God with many healed, set free, and empowered. Matt teaches Believers how to live a life saturated with the glory of God and brings a great balance between authentic, supernatural encounter and solid Biblical truth. 

Matt currently resides in Long Island, New York, with his wife, Stephanie who serves in full-time ministry alongside of Matt. Together they are seeing lives transformed by the supernatural power of God.

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Guidance - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Guidance

- Now Think On This

by Steve Martin

“Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 3-:21 NASU

We all need guidance in our life. The Lord promises to give it to us, if we ask Him.

While some would choose to just keep walking in the way that seems right to them, the Lord says that if we seek Him, He will show us the right way. Whether that would be a decision we need to make in marriage, buying a home, making a job change, or knowing what to do with one we ourselves are giving care to, the Lord has promised that He has the answer if we but ask. We can receive wisdom from the Lord.

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 1:5-8 NASU

Over the many years I have walked with the Lord, there are several ways He has given me to help in my decision making, and to know if the answer is His will or not. I would like to share them with you, as you seek Him for guidance.

1.      Daily reading of God’s Word will bring guidance. There are many directives in His Word that we can already know what His will is, as they have been given as our daily life’s road map. With these already written down for us in His Word, He has already spoken what is truth. We can base our decisions on those standards, and not the world’s ways. At other times the Holy Spirit will have a verse or two “jump out at you” while reading, quickening your spirit, to give you an answer to your question.

2.      If the Lord has already blessed you with a mate (a wife in my situation), ask them to pray along with you concerning the situation. Discernment given to them can be an affirmation to what the Lord would speak to you. A pastor or close friend can also pray and ask the Lord for a word for you, as long as you don’t trust solely in them, but the Holy Spirit’s word. There is wisdom in the counsel of many.

3.      A prophetic word has often been an encouragement to me when received. Given by one who has the gift of prophecy has been very helpful, as the Lord will use them to bring enlightenment. If you know someone who has the gift of prophecy, ask them to seek the Lord on your behalf. Be mindful that you will always need discernment in receiving any word given by another, so as not to just go by what another would say. A word received is just another piece of the puzzle to consider.

4.      Circumstances do play a role in discerning the will of the Lord. Something may happen that seems to come “out of the blue”, or “it just happens”. Consider that the Lord is using that circumstance to bring further guidance. At times circumstances can also occur that will keep you from going a certain way. The Lord is known to use those in directing your path.

5.      The Holy Spirit can speak a word to you quietly in your thoughts. That sense of “Where did that come from?” thought may very well be the Holy Spirit nudging you, sharing with you a message in regards to the situation. It may just be a simple word, but that word can very well be just what you need. He may also use a dream or vision to guide you. Don’t dismiss those thoughts, but ponder them for further confirmation. Write them down so you don’t forget them. The fulfillment of that dream or other supernatural method of bringing you a directive may occur later,

6.      The timing of the Lord is vital to making the right decision. He is not in a hurry to just lay out His will for you, giving you all the steps at once. He delights when you take the proper time to seek Him. Often He will give you one step at a time. If He delays in giving you an answer (or what we many times deem as a delay), know that it is because He is lining up other situations that may have to come about before your time is now.

7.      Once you believe you have received the answer, have confidence in Him and make the move. Carry out what He has told you in obedience. Faith is always necessary when walking in the right way. Do not let the enemy bring doubt or try to make you second guess what you believe is right. The peace of the Lord should be with and in your spirit.

Though the enemy may try to bring confusion and double-mindedness along the way, the peace of the Lord will be present if you have made the right decision. As one teacher would say, “You know in your knower” that the decision you made is the one from the Lord. Carrying out that decision may take you on a rough road, but it will be the right road to take. There are many examples of taking the right road, even when the journey will not be so pleasant. Jesus’ crucifixion is a prime example.

Many good books have been written by trusted authors/teachers on how to seek the Lord’s guidance. One of the best ones I ever read, simple but very instructive, was by Bible teacher Bob Mumford in the 1970’s It is called “Take Another Look At Guidance.” The 20^th year edition was printed again by Lifechangers in 1993, and can be found on Amazon.com.

Another highly recommended Bible teacher is Derek Prince, who has several spoken and written words on guidance. His material can be found at www.derekprince.com, or www.derekprince.org.

I myself have published two books that are helpful in learning to walk in the Lord’s guidance. One is entitled The Promise – One Man’s Journey To See God’s Word Revealed. I share my life’s journey and how the Lord led me. It can be purchased at Amazon.com. Look here.

Another one is Prophetic Stories: Signs Along The Way. I share several chapters on how the Lord gave me words and dreams that gave guidance to myself and others. Look here.

The Lord Jesus does not want us to just let “whatever will be will be” for us. He wants to continually have His Holy Spirit give us instruction on how to walk in the way, and which way that is. Whether in making a life changing decision or one that seems too little to bother Him with, He has given us the Holy Spirit as our Comforter. He is always there for us. (John 14:26)

It is a journey of faith as we walk with the Lord. We must continually seek the Lord for His will and way, trusting that our times are in His hands, and that He wants the best for us and those we live amongst. As you learn to seek Him in all your ways, He will bless you with goodness.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

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Contribution checks can be sent to: 

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Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)

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Now Think On This #172 “Guidance” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (05.31.15) Sunday at 8:30 am in Charlotte, NC

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Sometime, Somewhere by James Ryle

Sometime, Somewhere 

by James Ryle

Identity Network

 

Learning to Wait Upon the Lord to Fulfill His Promises

 

"And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend." (James 2:23, NIV)

 

Nothing in this world is better than being God's friend. All other blessings flow from that one fountain. The first man to ever know this was Abraham.

 

His story began with a whisper, some say. One night while he was standing near a grove of mulberry trees with a group of friends, a strange breeze rushed in from nowhere and rustled the leaves a bit. Some say that's all it was - just a strange wind. But Abraham heard the Voice.

 

The look on his face did not go unnoticed by the other travelers, for it seemed as though he had seen a ghost. No, he didn't see one - he only heard one. And it was a Holy Ghost.

 

The Voice, tender and befriending, called him by name - "Abram." We know him today as Abraham. And the Voice that spoke to him that night we now know as the God of Abraham.

 

They were friends, you see.

 

Their friendship began when Abraham believed. And what was it exactly that Abraham believed? Simply put, he believed God. Whatever God said to him, no matter how impossible or unlikely it seemed or sounded, Abraham believed that the One who spoke was true and able to do what He had said.

 

Wouldn't you like to be God's friend? Then believe Him; trust Him to do whatever He says He will do - no matter how impossible it may seem to man.

 

Abraham has led the way. Listen to how Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans:

 

"When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples.  God himself said to him, 'You're going to have a big family, Abraham!' Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, 'It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.' Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions.  He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said." (Romans 4:18-21, The Message).

 

What crazy, insane, impossible, and most unlikely thing has God promised you? And now does it all seem hopeless; certain never to happen? Well, you are on the brink of becoming friends with God! Just believe Him - and then do what He says to do.

 

Surely the Lord's word of promise to you will come to pass - sometime, somewhere.

 

We know from history that it happened for Abraham, and we therefore rest assured that it will also happen for us - no matter how long we have to wait for it.

 

A Promise That Spanned the Centuries

 

Perhaps one of the most astounding things about what God said to Abraham was the time span between the promise and when it finally occurred.

 

The Bible says, "Then the LORD said to him, 'Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country that is not their own, and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions" (Gen 15:13-14 NIV)

 

Consider how truly astonishing is this Promise.

 

At the moment God spoke this word, Abraham was childless and over 100 years old. Sarah his beloved wife was barren - unable to produce children. Nevertheless - God told him that he would be the father of many nations.

 

Specifically, God told Abraham that his descendants would be "strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. God also told him that He would "punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions."

 

In that instant Abraham knew that it would happen - sometime, somewhere. For that's what God's friends do - they trust, and they wait.

 

Waiting on God's Timing

 

The promise given to Abraham would not come to pass for at least fifteen hundred years. Think about it. First Isaac had to be born and grow to manhood. He then would marry Rebekah and have two sons, Jacob and Esau.

 

Jacob would grow to manhood and marry Rachel, and have twelve sons. Joseph was one of the twelve. He was mistreated by his own brothers, sold as a slave to a Gypsie caravan and carried away to Egypt. Once there he endured several years of accusation, abandonment and abuse.

 

Then Pharaoh had a troubling dream and learned that there was a Hebrew prisoner who could interpret it for him. Thus, Joseph steps out of prison onto the great stage of history and rises in power to second in all of Egypt.

 

Eventually his father, Jacob, and his brothers join him there and God blesses them for an extended season.

 

Then Pharaoh died, and a new ruler rose to the throne. His policy changed everything. He enslaved the Hebrews and forced them into hard labor. This slavery would last four hundred years - just as God has told Abraham centuries earlier!

 

And then, just as He said He would do, God punished the nation where they were treated as slaves and raised up Moses to lead His people out of Egyptian bondage on their historic journey to The Promised Land.

 

And the Bible tells us, "He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes" (Psalm 105:37). They came out of Egypt with great plunder, just as God said they would. You see? What God says - happens! And the same will prove true for you - sometime, somewhere.

 

The question is, "Are you willing to wait?"

 

"God is not a man, that He should lie, neither 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?" (Number 23:19)

 

God holds Himself accountable to see that what He has promised, He will do. God's promises are sure, and will never fail; they will come to pass just as God has said. Always.

 

Yet, between every promise and the Promised Land - there is a wilderness. And like Abraham, we must not waver, but be strong in faith as we make the dry journey to the place of promised blessings. For it is yet before us, there in the distance - sometime, somewhere.

 

Encouraging Examples

 

Think of what it must have been like for Noah to wait 120 years for the rain to fall. Or, think about how it must've been for David as he waited to become King of Israel - even though Samuel anointed him when he was a boy.

 

And consider Moses, who refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin." Why would he do such a thing? The writer tells us - "for he looked to the reward" (Heb 11:24-26).

 

The reward he anticipated was to be the man God would use to deliver His people out of Egyptian bondage. However, it would not happen until forty years later!

 

Moses endured the heat of the desert knowing that God would bring to pass His promise - sometime, somewhere.

 

Jesus Himself, after that glorious moment in the Jordan River when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a dove, and a Voice spoke saying, "This is My Beloved Son" - even so He was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted of the devil forty days.

 

Oh, how many times have great spiritual moments been followed by long periods of drought, and difficulty!

 

And Paul the Apostle, after his dramatic conversion of the Damascus Road, spent three years in the desert, and then another fourteen years of tent-making in Troas. Seventeen years passed between his conversion and his commission!

 

How did he make it? He knew that he was called by God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles - just not yet. It would happen sometime, somewhere.

 

Years later when Barnabas visited Antioch and saw that the Holy Spirt was poured out upon the Gentiles. He immediately went to Troas and brought Paul back with him to Antioch. Thus was born the first of many mission trips - ultimately taking Paul to stand and preach Christ before Caesar himself!

 

And while imprisoned waiting to stand before Caesar, Paul began writing letters to the churches he had started. Those letters are now part of The New Testament, and have been read and loved by millions of Christ's followers around the world and throughout history!

 

Are you beginning to get the picture?

 

We can be sure that part of God's promise involves delay and suffering. We will be tested by delays and experience suffering as we wait - yet His Word will come to pass….sometime, somewhere.

 

Paul wrote, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom 8:18).

 

Are you willing to wait?

 

Your waiting is not in vain, for God is at work as you wait.

 

Five Things God Does When We Wait

 

"I waited patiently upon the Lord, and He heard my cry," David writes in his Psalm. The structure of the Hebrew wording reads this way - "In waiting, I waited." In other words, what else are you going to do?

 

God has made it so that there will be times in our lives where we wait; and the waiting can be long and dry. Between every Promise, and the Promised Land - there is a wilderness. And you must pass through it to receive your inheritance. God gave you the promise so that you could make it through the desert!

 

And know this, that while you are "waiting" God is working. Here are five things He does while we wait.

 

#1 - He opens our hearts for spiritual insights.

 

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day" (Psalm 25:5)

 

Joseph Parker, a Congregationalist preacher of the 19th Century, said, "If we do not get back to spiritual visions, glimpses of heaven, and an awareness of a greater glory and life, our altars will grow cold and we will lose our faith."

 

I have a small book I found several years ago called Snappy Sermon Starters. It provides pastors with nifty ideas for sermons. Seriously? Can you imagine Peter flipping through the pages of such a book looking for what he should say on the Day of Pentecost?

 

God opens our hearts to His truth and teaches us when we wait upon Him.

 

#2 - He preserves our integrity.

 

"Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You" (Psa.25:21). The word integrity means "to hold together under pressure; it is the quality, or state of being complete, undivided." God strengthens our integrity and preserves us in times of pressure when we wait on Him. Otherwise we would be tossed to and fro, uncertain about anything and unable to stand for one thing.

 

#3 - He relieves our anxieties.

 

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way" (Psalm 37:7). Two great bandits are forever seeking to plunder our palace. Their names are Hurry, and Worry. God calls us into times of waiting so that He can drive them from our lives. Nothing can frustrate Hurry and Worry more than to be held inactive in God's inflexible grip of Timing. And so we wait.

 

#4 - He removes wrong motives from our hearts.

 

"My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" (Psalm 62:5). Our need to survive has equipped us to be manipulators of people and things - all in our own self-interest. But these things don't work on God. No amount of pleading, crying, being angry, pouting, cursing or any other thing can move Him from His time-table. Once we realize this, we surrender all these carnal tactics and yield to His will alone - "for my expectation is from Him."

 

#5 - He keeps us focused on what He is doing.

 

"They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel" (Psalm 106:13). If we fail to wait for God's counsel, we will soon forget His works. And when that happens we become feathers in the wind - blown all over the place with no purpose, and no peace.

 

So my friends, let the words of the Psalmist become your own confession, especially in those times when all you can do is wait - "wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope" (Psalm 130:5). You will not be disappointed! For some time, somewhere what you are waiting for will happen!

 

Conclusion

 

Read this delightful poem by 20th century American writer and poet, Ophelia G. Browning

 

Unanswered yet the prayer your lips have pleaded in agony of heart these many years?

 

Does faith begin to fail? Is hope departing? And think you all in vain your falling tears?

 

Say not the Father has not heard your prayer; You will have your desire sometime, somewhere.

 

Unanswered yet? No, do not say ungranted. Perhaps your work is not yet wholly done.

 

The work began when first your prayer was uttered, and God will finish what He has begun.

 

If you will keep the incense burning there, His glory you will see sometime, somewhere.

 

Unanswered yet? Faith cannot be unanswered; its feet are firmly planted on the Rock; amid the wildest storms it stands undaunted, nor shakes before the loudest thunder shock.

 

It knows Omnipotence has heard its prayer, and cries, "It will be done"-sometime, somewhere.

 

Prayer

 

Father, give us the grace we need to wait during those times when You are silent and Your presence is unknown.

 

Remind us of the promises You have spoken, and let us trust in Your unfailing love and faithfulness to do what You said You would do.

 

Guard our hearts from the assault of dark powers that would seek to undermine our faith and discredit Your word. Amen

 

James Ryle

www.truthworks.org

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