Day 09

Why Is My Life On Hold?

Is your life on hold? Do you see people around you getting blessed and wonder why God's Word doesn't seem to be working for you? After preparing for the ministry, are you still waiting (and hating it)? Are you still believing God for a spouse and wondering why you haven't had a date in years? You are probably wondering, Why is my life on hold?

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes...The steps of a man are established by the Lord (Ps. 37:3-4,7, 23a).

The steps of a good person are ordered by God; so we must have faith that we will walk into the promises of God as long as we walk with Him. Even if your steps lead you into a storm, you will eventually walk out of your trouble.

Samuel anointed young David to be king of Israel , but many years passed before he was finally crowned as king. God led him through the wilderness and had him live in caves. People talked about him, armies chased him, Saul took away his wife and gave her to another man, and David even spent some time in jail because he wasn't ready (see 1 Sam. 16-2 Sam. 5:4).

When God begins to move in your life, He will allow you to go through some "stuff" to change you and take you to where He wants you to go. Sometimes it happens quickly and sometimes it doesn't. Your heavenly Father knows best.

It took 17 years for David to move from the pasture to the palace, but it was only because he wasn't ready. As for God, He is "sitting on ready."

After God knocked Saul of Tarsus off his donkey, he was born-again and started preaching the gospel immediately. Whether you are on the fast track or the slow lane, if you love the Lord, you must entrust your life to His hands.

God Will Make You Fearless and Faithful

The enemy wants you to be fearful and doubtful, but God will make you fearless and faithful. He is in charge of your life and He is ordering your steps. Trust Him to work things out in your life. When your mind says nothing is working out and all is lost, God says, "All is found because I Am your all in all." Who will you believe?

Only God determines your pace. Your job is to be faithful, no matter what you're going through. You may think you are ready for that spouse or ministry you've asked for, but if you grasp at them before your time, you may destroy what God ordained for you!

When the master potter takes the clay, he takes it and molds it into the image he wants it to be. Once he molds it, it's just a piece of raw pottery. It's been molded but it hasn't been set in the fire yet.

A master potter molds the clay into the desired shape and gently places the pottery in a kiln or intensely hot oven. The purpose of the fire is to temper the clay so it will withstand pressure once it is pulled out of the furnace. If you give your life to the Lord, the Master Potter will mold you, and then gently place you in the fire.

You may not like that kind of preaching or teaching, but true life in Christ is never a bed of roses (although it is always worth it). If you skip the fire, you will break very easily. All true disciples have pressures come against them (see 2 Tim. 3:12 ). You must withstand a lot of pressure to make it to the end of this race.

A lot of people may start a marathon, but only the persistent actually cross the finish line. The life of a disciple is not a 100-yard dash for personal glory; it is a marathon for endurance. When you've been in the fire, a new strength arises inside you. "Wait a minute-I've already gone through hell and high water, now I know no weapon formed against me is going to prosper."

Out of the Furnace and Onto God's Shelf

Once a potter pulls his pottery out of the furnace, he sets the pottery on a cooling shelf for a while. If He pulls it out of the fire and uses it too quickly, it will crack. When God pulls you out of the furnace, He will set you on a shelf for a time.

He doesn't want you to be like the people who gave their lives to the Lord and too quickly started preaching and stepping into the spotlight on public platforms. If they start thinking they are something they are not, they will crack and collapse under the pressure.

"God, I am ready for my husband now; I've been through the fire."

"No, I have placed you on a shelf to let you cure for a little while."

"God, I am ready for my ministry. Bring it on, baby."

"No, I have to let you sit for a while. I have to move you to a place where you are praying and trusting me totally every day."

Fear will make you believe God is not going to use you. Remember that God has promised you that in due season you would reap your harvest if you don't grow weary (see Gal. 6:9). God has you on a shelf to cure and mature for a little while. He has you on hold for a divine purpose, and He hasn't forgotten about you. He is letting you age and mature before He really uses you.

God has you on hold to deal with some lingering bad attitudes. Perhaps you are still too controlling-He can't give you authority until that flaw is worked or baked out of you. Perhaps He is waiting for you to take the mask off. "Yes Lord, I'm arrogant and prideful. I need Your help. I still have that jealousy problem. God I take off the mask."

Joseph was a young boy who had a dream that all of his family members would one day bow before him. He foolishly started telling them, "You are going to bow to me before this is over."

God Wasn't Angry, He Prepared Joseph to Rule and Reign

I can imagine God saying, "Boy, I want to use you but I must send you into slavery for a while. First you will go to prison for 12 years in a foreign land." God wasn't angry with Joseph; He was preparing him to rule and to reign. First He had to break Joseph's arrogance and pride, and He taught him to be faithful.

Joseph became faithful during those dozen years in Pharaoh's dungeon. Sometimes God must change your surroundings to get your attention. Joseph didn't realize until later that God had his life on hold because He was preparing him to be promoted (see Gen. 45:5-8).

God is preparing you for something great. He put you on hold for a reason-He is out to capture your attention and work out some things hidden within you. He wants you to quit compromising and decide to go all the way.

If your life is on hold, the chances are good that God is trying to make changes in you. Don't get mad at God. Learn to say yes instead of no. None of us like to wait; we are ready to go now. The problem is that if you don't have enough spiritual strength in your life, you won't make it.

You can blame the preacher, your mama, your ex, your boss, the white man, the black man, or everybody except yourself-but nothing will happen until you take off the mask and say, "Okay God, I'm ready for change."

Learn to Walk By Faith and Not By Sight

Your life is on hold because God wants you to change. Submit to the will of God and He will see that you get where you need to go. Don't get frustrated because people are getting blessed more than you are or because things seem to be moving too slowly in your life. It is all part of learning to walk by faith and not by sight.

Feelings will fool you and they may destroy you. Read God's Word and know what He says. If you live by feelings you will never pay your tithes and end up living in lack. Feelings will tell you to never forgive anyone who hurts you. Faith will help you forgive.

God will take your life off of hold when you have learned what you need to learn.   Meanwhile, cast all your cares on the Lord because He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7). If you find yourself in a fiery furnace, know that God is working out some things in your life. He protects and teaches you in the process of changing you. You may be on hold today, but God is taking you somewhere.

When the Lord says it is your season, then nothing can stop you. It is darkest just before the dawn. The enemy will attack you most aggressively just before your victory. If your life is on hold, if you feel as if you are in the fire; it is because God wants you to be tempered. He wants you to come out of that fire with some spiritual strength and stamina. He wants to form you into a fine piece of china instead of an old clay pot.

Your life will stay on hold until you say, "Lord, I give You my problem. Change me." Don't get impatient, it may lead you to make a wrong decision with painful consequences. God is never late because He knows the end from the beginning. He knows what it will take to get you ready, so pray this prayer with me:

Father God, change me. Do something new in me. Forgive me of my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me. I have been hurt, but I know You can heal me.

Reveal Your perfect will for me as I humble myself before You and surrender my body as a living sacrifice. I open up my heart to hear what You have to say. I understand that I must change if my life is to get off of hold. Not my will but Thy will be done.

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