WAITING

WAITING FOR THINGS TO CHANGE 

'...I will wait, 'til my change comes.' Job 14:14 NKJV

Before you quit and give up in discouragement, consider the long and difficult process by which a butterfly emerges from its cocoon. If you try to rush God’s purpose and process in your life, you’ll produce something deformed, something that can’t get off the ground and fly. Perhaps you’re thinking, ‘I can’t wait for this to be over.’ That’s understandable. Job couldn’t either. He said, ‘All the days of my hard service I will wait, ’til my change comes.’ But by God’s grace he survived, and ended up with twice as much as he lost.

So hold on, your change is coming! God won’t give up on you, so don’t give up on Him! There’s a work going on in you right now. Something is dying that has to die, so that something better can be brought to life. Let it happen. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego told a king, ‘We will not bow down to your gods’ (Daniel 3:18). Don’t bow to temptation, or to manipulation, or to ungodly persuasion. Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses, or surrender to selfish ambition and self–promotion. Don’t bow to the spirit of anxiousness and impatience. Continue to walk by faith and not by sight, knowing that ‘…[God] is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we are able to ask or think…’ (Ephesians 3:20 KJV)

They say, ‘Good things come to those who wait.’ The determining factor is Who you are waiting for. God says there’s a purpose for all these things (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Wait, God will make the pieces fit together. He won’t disappoint you

FAVOR AWARENESS :

“...his favor lasts a lifetime.” - Psalm 30:5, NIV

People promote awareness of all kinds of things in this world, but one of the most important things you should be aware of is the favor of God! Every day before you leave the house, you should say, “Father, thank You that I have Your favor.” As you drive to work or go about your day, meditate on His favor. Be aware of His goodness. Expect doors to open for you that may not open for somebody else.

Remember, favor means you have an advantage. There is something special about you because Almighty God has His hand on you. And I’m not talking about being arrogant and thinking that you’re better than somebody else. I’m talking about living with boldness — not because of who you are, but because of Whose you are! You are a child of the Most High God. Your Father created the whole universe. You can expect preferential treatment from Him!

NEVER LET DOWN

[The Lord’s] compassions fail not. They are new every morning. —Lamentations 3:22-23

When I was a child, one of my favorite pastimes was playing on the teeter-totter in the nearby park. A kid would sit on each end of the board and bounce each other up and down. Sometimes the one who was down would stay there and leave his playmate stuck up in the air yelling to be let down. But the cruelest of all tricks was getting off the teeter-totter and running away when your friend was up in the air—he would come crashing down to the ground with a painful bump.

Sometimes we may feel that Jesus does that to us. We trust Him to be there with us through the ups and downs of life. However, when life takes a turn and leaves us with bumps and bruises, it may feel as if He has walked away leaving our lives to come painfully crashing down.

But Lamentations 3 reminds us that “the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (v.22 ESV) and that God is faithful to the end even when everything seems to be falling apart. This means that in the midst of our pain, even though we may be lonely, we are not alone. And though we may not feel His presence, He is there as our trusted companion who will never walk away and let us down!

Thank You, Lord, that we can trust in Your faithful presence even when we feel alone. Help us to wait patiently for You to manifest Your steadfast loving presence.
When everyone else fails, Jesus is your most trusted friend.

INSIDE OUT :
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 3:18

Have you ever thought about the fact that man is the only creature God created who has to wear clothing to cover himself? All the other creatures grow their own coverings. Some grow fur, some feathers, others scales, or leathery hide. But all are clothed from the inside out!

Most people don't realize it, but in the beginning, man was clothed that way too. He was made in the image of God. And, if you'll look in Ezekiel 8:2, you'll find that God is clothed in fire from the loins up and from the loins down. That fire is His glory emanating outward from His inner- most being.

When man was first created, he was like that too. He was covered with the very glory of God. It radiated from his inner being outward. That's why he had no sense of nakedness until after he sinned and the glory departed from him.

It was a tragic day when man lost that glorious covering. But I want you to know something today. It's not lost forever. The Word of God says we can gain it back.

You see, when you put your faith in the blood of Jesus and were born again, the glory of God once again took up residence in you. It may be well hidden right now, but believe me, it's in there.

And the Bible says that as you gaze into the Lord's face by studying the Word and fellowshiping with Him, as you renew your mind to understand who you are in Christ, you'll be changed into His image on the outside as well. As you learn to hear His voice and obey it, you'll start giving outward expression of the glory within you. Little by little, you'll be turned inside out!

Instead of simply staring into your closet every morning, spend some time gazing at Jesus and beholding His Word. Let Him clothe you in His radiant presence. Once His glory starts shining through, anything you wear will look beautiful on you.