One of the hardest principles to apply in our lives is when we have to wait for an extended period of time on something that God is moving for us in. I hope by reading some of the scriptures that God gave me that we can see that we sometimes have to remember that delayed blessings test faith.
Genesis 15:2-6 – “A delayed birth of a son.”
[2] And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
[3] And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
[4] And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
[5] And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
[6] And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 21:1-6 – “Many years waiting. “
[1] And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
[2] For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
[3] And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
[4] And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
[5] And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
[6] And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
We find it so crazy sometimes to believe God. We will even go as far as to laugh at the possibility to see it through! You see, God cannot move through our lack of faith; God moves through our practice of faith.
Genesis 22:8-13 – “Faith into practice”
[8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
[9] And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
[10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
[11] And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
[12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
[13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
God will make a way, but we have to follow through sometimes for us to be proven vessels! That even means in church services when we don’t feel like it or have the lack of desire to do anything at all. We have to follow through on our faith. Faith without works is dead, right?
Joshua 6:12-20 – “Faith with works”
[12] And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
[13] And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
[14] And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
[15] And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
[16] And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
[17] And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
[18] And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
[19] But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
[20] So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
Victory will come with continual and specific obedience. We might find it to be confusing or sometimes crazy with the requirements that God lays before us, but he never puts us out there in a trial without the strength to be able to endure it!
Luke 24:49 – “God gives power”
[49] And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
While we are here, we have power in him! We should not act as though we are powerless! We have to learn to utilize the power we have so that we can learn to help others!
Luke 15:22-28 – “Being faithful to others”
[22] But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
[23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
[24] For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
[25] Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
[26] And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
[27] And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
[28] And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
We have to turn from our ways to find our new life and blessings ahead! We can finally lay the old man down, and pick up the new person that God has ordained us to be!