I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was thinking about the assignment that the Lord had given me years prior. I told myself that I needed to get a move on it. I needed to do what He asked of me, with a sense of urgency. But then He spoke to me. He told me that I wasn’t ready to complete the assignment…that I hadn’t learned everything that I needed to know. But, He also told me that I could begin walking in my purpose right now…using what I have, to help anyone that He would put in my path. It was then that He gave me the idea to write a blog.
I remember the excitement that I felt about this new assignment. But at the same time, I had no idea how to write a blog. I remember saying, “I am not a writer, God.” But in response, He told me to trust Him, and I decided to obey.
Not even two weeks later, God enabled me to use my experiences to write my first post. I remember reading it. I was amazed. I had no idea what I was capable of with God’s help. I felt relieved…like I completed my assignment. But then, He gave me another instruction. He told me to write a new blog post every week…
“What do you mean God? I was barely able to write one blog. Remember? I am not a writer. How can I possibly have enough to share? How can I do this impossible thing week after week…over and over again.” And in response, He said, “Trust me. I enabled you to write one blog, and I will enable you to write many blogs.” And so, I decided to obey by faith. Week after week, over and over again, I sought the Lord’s guidance, and He enabled me to continue to write.
That was over 3 years ago, and since then, I have written over one hundred blog posts and counting. Don’t ask me how I did it, because I have no idea. Again…I was not a writer. I am not spiritual enough, smart enough, or talented enough. I can only do this by the grace of God, and it has not been easy. Week after week, month after month, year after year, I have been faithful. I have written while anxious and depressed, as I healed from a broken marriage. I have written while sick and while caring for my sick children. It didn’t matter what was going on in my life…even if everything around me was falling apart, I obeyed God.
But why am I sharing this with you? Because, there were many times when I felt like I was being faithful for nothing. I was writing over and over again, with barely anyone reading what I was writing. At times, I felt like I was crazy…maybe I hadn’t heard from God. And why go through all the trouble if no one cared…if it wasn’t reaching anyone…if it wasn’t helping anyone? There were times that I felt like giving up, but the Holy Spirit just kept whispering in my ear to keep going…and I’m glad that I did.
Just recently, this ministry has been growing, and I have no idea how. I have not paid for any advertisements, but I have readers across the U.S. and around the world. Slowly but surely, God is sharing what He has put in my heart. I am literally doing the impossible. But again, it has not been easy. I have been weary more times than I can count…I have learned what it means to lean on the Lord…to rely on His strength and not my own.
Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Zechariah 4:6 NLT)
We can not reach purpose in our own strength, but we do need His.
We need His spirit to lead us and strengthen us, so that we can overcome the challenges that we will face. There’s no doubt about it. There will always be resistance to God’s purpose on the earth. We have a very real adversary that wants to prevent us from furthering God’s plan.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)
But, I think it’s important for us to understand how the enemy seeks to devour us. Because remember, he has no authority over us.
Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. (Luke 10:19 NLT)
We have the power to crush the enemy. We have the ability to thwart his schemes in our lives. But how can we crush him when we don’t know that he is active? How can we stop him, when we don’t know how he moves?
It’s imperative that we dig into this. Because although the enemy has no power…he can stop us from using ours. We must pay attention.
There are two encounters in scripture that I believe we can gain insight from. The first is from the book of Genesis. In the garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve instructions. He told them that they could eat of any tree, except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God’s plan was for them to live a blessed life forever in His presence, but the enemy could not sit by and watch the purpose of God be fulfilled. So what did he do? Remember…we must pay attention. He used Eve. He got her to question the instructions that God had given her through her husband.
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:1-6 NLT
Did Satan stop Adam and Eve from obeying God? No…he simply got them to question God enough to make the decision for themselves. Satan thwarted the plan of God simply by putting a little bug in Eve’s ear.
Satan comes to question what we think about what God’s called us to do.
Please pay attention, because the enemy’s attacks won’t go off like a fire alarm. Instead, he attacks us in our minds…through our own thoughts. He will get you to question what God said. Did he really tell you to do that? Are you sure He’ll do what he says he will do? Do his instructions make sense? Why are you being faithful? It clearly isn’t paying off.
I've asked myself these questions, as I walked in faith. And in those moments, I had to remind myself of what God said. Even when it didn’t seem like it made sense…even when I felt like it was useless….I had to believe His word…by faith.
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1 NLT)
I want us to look at one more encounter in scripture. It is found in the book of Matthew. The scripture says that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, and then he was tested by the enemy.
For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:2-4 NLT)
This is just a portion of Jesus’ encounter with Satan. If you read the passage, you will see that Satan tested him two other times. And each time, Jesus responded with the word of God. Jesus knew how to get the devil to flee. He knew that Satan’s lies were no match for the truth of the word.
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NLT)
Satan comes to question our knowledge of the word of God.
He will do anything he can to prevent us from having faith in the things that God has spoken over us. So, we must read the word of God diligently. We must fill ourselves with the truth, because once we know the truth, we can speak it over our situation, and we can use it to combat the enemy’s attacks in our minds.
If we want to see the promise of God, we must be willing to fight for it.
We must be willing to fight the thoughts of doubt that run through our minds. As scripture says, we must take each one captive and make it obey christ.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (II Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV)
Remembering the truth of God’s word is the only way that we can last on this journey, because that is what we need to do…we need to last…we need to keep going, until the promises of God are fulfilled.
God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? (Numbers 23:19 NLT)
And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.” (Jeremiah 1:12 NLT)
The question isn’t whether God is faithful? The question is, are we?
Are we faithful to follow instructions, even when our efforts seem to lack results? Can we continue to trust God, even in the midst of the uncertainty? Can we trust Him, even when our minds reason that there’s no reason to?
Promise doesn’t come by our strength, it comes through our obedience.
This is so important. We don’t need the strength to make the vision happen, we need the strength to keep going…to remain obedient, until God makes the vision happen. He is the one with the power. He is the one that gets things done, all we have to do is listen and obey.
For a moment, I want you to think about your own journey of faith. Think of the challenges that you have overcome…think of how far you’ve come. And then, tell yourself that you will not give up. No matter how hard it gets…no matter how long it takes…you will see promise. You will fight for everything God has for you. You will remain faithful. You will trust that everything you’re doing is working together for your purpose, even when you can’t see it, because God is always working beneath the surface. He is always doing more than you can see. And this is where your faith comes in. Have the audacity to trust God…even in the face of adversity…even in the face of your own fear and doubt. If you keep going, if you remain faithful, if you continue to believe, you will see the promise that He has for you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your unfailing love. Thank you for calling me to purpose, and thank you for every promise that you have given me. Today, I have been reminded of your faithfulness. I have been reminded that you always stay true to your word, but I have also been reminded that I must remain faithful, if I am to receive everything that you have for me. So today, I am renewing my commitment to you and the plan that you have for my life. I have decided that I will follow you, wherever you lead me. I will trust your instructions, and I will remain obedient, even when I lack understanding, because you know what’s best. And when I get weary, I won’t give up. Instead, I will wait for you to renew my strength. I will allow you to enable me to do the things that you have called me to do. I declare that by your grace, I will see promise. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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