Maybe God’s waiting on you…
Maybe God’s waiting on you.
Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” 1 Chronicles 17:2
I’ve always loved this scripture, it shows that God honors our hearts in action. God places desires in our hearts. He honors faith and obedience. I think the reason that I love the scripture so much, is because I use to think that I had to have a sign from heaven fall down in front of me before I would do anything. Even then I’d question it. The Word says that faith without works is dead and without faith it’s impossible to please God. So, that means if I really believe something, I can put my self out of park and into drive. I’ve heard it said that “God can’t steer a parked car”. We must be willing to use our faith.
Obedience is key. 🔑 It’s what opens the door to blessings and peace.
What is obedience? It’s doing what we truly believe in our hearts that God is asking us to do, what we believe we need to do, and what He requires of us; Faith in action. There are times something is in our heart and there are those times where we feel His strong Spirit leading. Either way, we aren’t to just depend on self guidance. We take one, He shows us the next. A good mans steps are ordered by the Lord, we just follow.
We follow His lead when we feel the Holy Spirit’s tug, lead or whisper. It’s like I explain to my son - God gives us our bodies, our abilities and He gives us direction, but we must be willing to use and listen. He gives us our bodies and free will, so we must submit. He doesn’t want to control us but He wants us to be led by Him, our Maker; the one Who knows the way because He has already gone before us. He wants what is best for us. His Spirit stirs, if you will, but we steer in the direction that He leads. He protects but we must obey.
What has God put in your heart to do? Maybe He’s waiting on you! Maybe the next move is yours.
I love that Nathan told David to do all that was in his heart for God was with him. His heart was in the right place, he was known as “a man after Gods own heart.” God was with and for David just as He is with us and for us, but he only question is: are we following Him?
If you aren’t, it’s not too late to turn around. His eyes are constantly looking to find those whose hearts are loyal to Him, so that He can show Himself strong on their behalf. (2 Chronicles 16:9) Thats what God looks on, the heart, and that’s what pleases Him. A heart that truly wants to please God, will. If your heart’s right, your actions will be too, and if you make a wrong turn, He will direct you to turn around. Stop fearing. You are His. What good Father wouldn’t redirect their child? You can trust Him.
I always liked to play it safe but playing it safe doesn’t do anything great. What if I do this wrong? What if God’s mad at me? What if it don’t work? All the questions, BUT let me ask just one: what does God require? FAITH! Faith passes the test. Faith doesn’t have all the answers. Faith doesn’t reason. The two contradict one another. Faith believes something so deep down that it doesn’t have time to question or play out because it trust God. If you wait, you might miss the opportunity that’s presented, or by the time you wait till it makes sense, it no longer pleases God or requires faith. Being scared and not trusting God doesn’t please Him. Trusting Him does. A father isn’t mad at his child for being scared but he wants his child to trust Him. That’s pleasing to him. I had an air freshness hanging in my car one time that said: “Feel the fear and do it anyway”. This is so fitting.
To go along with the questions of what if, the thought hit me a few weeks back that we shouldn’t always have a plan B, because God makes the way of escape if needed. If we feel in our hearts that we are to do something, we should be all in it. I believe that is exactly what David did! If it’s not meant, but done in faith, God will re-direct us, just as He did David. If the resources dry up or it just doesn’t work anymore, God will provide something else or reroute us, (as long as we keep using our faith).
We must believe this, that is part of faith, trusting God to provide and to guide when and where we need it! That means to rely on His Spirits provision and lead in advance and in our situations. Have you ever heard the story of Elijah and the brook? When it was dried up, it was time to move on to the next task and to the next town, or opportunity. God has something for us to learn in every season, something for us to do, even it it’s to wait, and a lot of times it’s to help someone else and it blesses us. He can use the occasion or even lack of provision to provide the miracle by us using our faith. The miracle might be in or for you.
God showed Nathan real quick that David wasn’t the one that was to build the temple. He doesn’t want us to waste time where we shouldn’t. Yet, He didn’t shun or disgrace David for this desire but instead He honored Him. It wasn’t a waste! David wasn’t to build, but he was to prepare, and he did. He put his whole heart in it to make God’s house great even though he wasn’t the builder. It reminds me of the scripture: “unless the Lord builds, we labor in vain that do”.
Don’t leave God out of anything that you do and don’t do anything selfishly, but instead do all as unto Him. David didn’t pitch a fit when redirected, because His heart was in the right place and it wasn’t for himself anyway, but it was for God. He wanted God’s presence to have a place to dwell. The Ark of the Covenant housed God’s presence and was taken from place to place. David wanted God’s presence to have a permanent temple/place to dwell. (I’ll hit on this point next.) God had been good to him so he wanted to do something good for God. God redirected Him but also went on to tell David what He was going to do for him and his. God honored him, his hearts desire, and his faith in action. He allowed Davids son to build. What an honor.
Temple building was very important back then but I want to point out that we are now the temple of God. There is no longer any Ark to carry around, we house His presence and He too is with us wherever we go. Our bodies are His temple. We house the very presence of God! Think about that! If we truly believe this and reverence Him, how differently we will live. He said to be Holy because He is Holy. We are in direct covenant with Him. The glory of God surrounds us and is within us. After Jesus died and the veil was torn, His work has now given us direct access to His Spirit. So, we don’t have to fear wrongly. The command to “fear not” in the Bible is listed many times. As He told Joshua early on, He is telling us now:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
One of my favorite scriptures. It assures me that I don’t have to live scared but I can be courageous. We all have a job to to do and we are to be doers. We were all created for good works. We can’t do them sitting around being scared to death, questioning everything, but we can trust and not be afraid for one reason: HE IS WITH US. It be super scary if we didn’t have this assurance.
If you aren’t fearing God or trusting Him, but instead depending on yourself, then you should be afraid. But you are His and if you’ve accepted Him as Lord, then you have His Spirit in dwelling with-in you. His love cast out all fear. We must be strong in the Lord and the in the power of His might, and not our own. Fears aren’t conquered, nor battles won in our own thinking or ability. Everything that we have comes from Him.
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ~ John Wayne
I’ve been scared most of my life and it hasn’t gotten me anywhere great, UNTIL I let go, let God and followed what I trusted that He was asking me to do. Do I still struggle? YES! Faith is not the absence of fear but it’s doing it anyway. We will always feel fear but the only way to overcome it is to activate our faith by doing what we believe! The more we use it, the better it gets. The man with 1 talent in Matthew 25, had all taken and even that which he didn’t have because he wasn’t willing to use what he did have. He lived scared and hid his talent. God tells us to let out lights shine, we are to have bold faith and bold faith requires bold obedience. I don’t shame anyone for fearing but God honors trust and part of trust is faith in action. He clearly said to be doers and not hearers only, or we just deceive ourselves and so live deceived.
It all made sense to me when I read that “you can’t cross the ocean until you’re willing to lose sight of the shore.” Faith can start in the shallow but it ends up in the deep. You were created from Greatness, for Greatness and not to settle for mediocre things. God’s out there in the deep but He’s also there in the shallow to take your hand. He didn’t shame Peter for sinking when he tried to walk on the water. All we remember is that he sank, and there’s a lesson in that to not take your eyes off of Jesus. But, don’t forget, Peter’s the only one who stepped out of the boat and trusted the Savior that much to get out and try at that very moment.
I was scared to death to publish this blog for years and I finally had to step out by faith. I must say it gets easier though sometimes I still doubt. Is it perfect? NO, but it is from the heart. That’s what matters. If it pleases God and blesses one then I’ve done my part. What is there to truly be scared of anyway except to fear not pleasing God??? Think about it!!!
NOW ALL HAS BEEN HEARD;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
***Fear God and keep his commandments***,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
FOR GOD WILL bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So, now you’ve heard and now you know. Apply what you have been given and be blessed, then He can reveal the next step. Choose God. Please God. Feed Spirit and not flesh. Keep His commands! Fear only Him!!
There’s proof of your faith in trying. The other men with talents in Matthew 25, used what all they had, and so they profited more. It’s not just more money, or more of whatever. But it is about more souls, more blessings, more peace and more of pleasing God. Faith to faith is using what you got and more faith will increase the more you use. Just like seeds and harvesting. God honors obedience and trying. Trial and error is how we know. Not trying, will never know. He wants us to rely and depend on Him, not reluctantly but with faith.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. Exodus 14:15
Moses dealt with those who didn’t have much faith at the time and God had to supernaturally deliver them because of how long they had been bound. When God presents an opportunity, we must be willing to take it and move forward in it. The task might become harder but the more faith that use, it doesn’t seem as hard. I believe at some point, He expects us to do our part to follow whereas at one point, He may have had to all but do it for us. There will still be those times where He has to carry us and He’s still parting seas but just remember: unless we use our faith, we aren’t pleasing Him. Faith is believing even when it doesn’t make sense.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Do you trust Him today?
Then truly Do what you believe that God has put in your heart to do, it may be that He is waiting on you and me. Faith is obedience and obedience is key. Check to see where your heart is and it’s intent; it’s why. God will honor it or He will turn you around. He will redirect you. Our part is to trust in Him with all our hearts, then we aren’t relying on self, or what self thinks, or our own understanding. But we must fully acknowledge Him in it all and follow accordingly. Take the next step! Honor God and He will honor you.
What is the next step In your life? One step leads to another. Keep stepping and keep in sync!
Father God , we know and trust that You go before us. Please lead, guide and direct us in the way that You would have for us to go. Help us to trust, follow and please you in ALL that we do. For that is our aim and let it be our hearts desire too. We love you. In Jesus name, we believe, amen.
