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I’m currently going through a waiting season in my life. The days have been long, hard, and filled with suffering. That may sound dramatic. But if you’ve ever been waiting on God for something, then you know exactly what I mean.
Last month, while reading my bible, God gave me some encouragement and instruction through his word. So pull out your bibles and lets take a dive into 1 Peter 5: 6-10. Click here for the condensed list of instructions.
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1. HUMBLE YOURSELF
HUMBLE YOURSELVES/UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD:
1 Peter 5:6 calls us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. That means we have to put less importance on what WE want and yield to what God wants to do in this season. If the thing you’re waiting on is the main subject of your prayers, thoughts, and conversations, that’s a sign you need to humble yourself.
Ways To Humble Yourself Under God’s Hand While In The Waiting Season:
- Stop thinking so much about the thing you’re waiting on
- Don’t let the thing you’re waiting on be the MAIN topic you pray about
- Don’t pray about that thing ALL day long
Instead….
- Ask God to help you humble yourself and yield to his commands
- Seek God a little more (like adding a few extra minutes to your bible study)
- Keep trying your best to flee from sin
- If you feel like you’re being led away from (or to) something or someone, yield to that feeling!
SO THAT AT THE PROPER TIME HE MAY EXALT YOU:
The word says there is a season and a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The thing we are waiting on right now is already set to happen for us. It’s already on the timeline of our life. But don’t you want to be ready when that time comes?
God has us in this waiting season because there is something he needs to build in us so that we an steward what we get well.
God is preparing us to enjoy and maintain what he has for us! Imagine you finally get what you’re waiting on, only to lose it or not appreciate it because you were not yet ready to have it. That would suck, right? So humble yourself under God’s mighty hand and let him do what he has to do to prepare you for his blessings!
2. CAST ALL YOUR ANXIETIES ON GOD
CASTING ALL YOUR ANXIETIES ON HIM, BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU:
One definition of care is the PROVISION of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something.
Two other definitions are to feel concern or interest and to attach importance to something. That something (someone) is you! God not only feels concern and interest in what gives you anxiety (and in you as a person😊). But he also attaches importance to it. We can have confidence that God will also provide for those anxieties. He will do what is necessary for your health, welfare, maintenance, and protection! So don’t get caught up with thinking that God won’t deliver you from that thing. Or bless you with that job. He’s got you!
If you struggle with feeling like God won’t provide for you, at the bottom of my post 9 Ways God Provided In The Midst Of Social Anxiety, I give 7 reasons why God always will.
Ways To Cast Your Anxieties On God In The Waiting Season:
Pray…
- Tell God what your exact worry is
- Confess that it is consuming your life and becoming an idol (if applicable)
- Tell God you are taking your hands off it
Yield…
- Actually take your hands off it (stop trying to force it to happen on your own)
- Read scriptures based around worry (Philippians 4:5-7, Matthew 6: 25 – 34)
- Do not dwell on anxious thoughts. When they come up, force yourself to think about something else.
- Limit the amount of times a day you ask/pray to God about what you’re waiting on
- Limit the amount of times a day you think, fantasize, or talk about what you are waiting on
3. BE SOBER-MINDED AND WATCHFUL
BE SOBER-MINDED:
Dwelling on what you’re waiting on God for can lead to mental and physical exhaustion. We want it so bad that it becomes our primary focus. But meditating on it and thinking about how long we’ve been waiting can screw our perspective and feelings toward God. It could lead to us thinking that God isn’t good because he hasn’t given it to us yet. Or thinking of ways we could get what we want ourselves and faster. But we can’t let these thoughts get a foothold in our minds.
BE WATCHFUL. YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL PROWLS AROUND LIKE A ROARING LION:
You know how that one ex randomly slides back in your DMS after months (or years) of you guys not talking? You know how you suddenly fall back into that one sin even though you were free from it for months (or years)? That’s the devil sending things your way to distract you. He knows when you’re close to your break through, so he’s going to try to throw you off track and get you to give up on God. Notice the timing. Notice when something or someone is causing you to stray from God in this season.
4. RESIST THE DEVIL
RESIST HIM:
Don’t give into the temptation the devil is going to throw at you. Don’t settle on those adverse thoughts the devil will put into your head. Thoughts like “God isn’t good”, “God will never help me.” “God isn’t real.” Those are all to get you to give up, because he knows you are this close 🤏🏾 to receiving what God has for you. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7)!
5. STAND FIRM IN YOUR FAITH
FIRM IN YOUR FAITH:
Despite what the devil will try to make you believe, KNOW that God is working and that he DOES care (remember 1 Peter 5:7). A quote from Pastor Tony Evans goes, “Faith is acting like God is telling the truth”.
Personally, I use to enjoy wallowing in my own sadness from not receiving God’s promise yet. In my heart I knew God would make it happen, but my actions (moping, walking around looking dejected) showed the opposite. Eventually acting like I didn’t believe God caused my assurance in him to waver. I started questioning if he really would do what he said he would do.
Ways To Stand Firm In Your Faith
- Don’t turn away from God in the waiting season. Draw closer to him.
- Remind yourself of his past faithfulness
- Remind yourself of what his word says
- Don’t wallow in your sadness and impatience
- If needed, don’t be afraid to be like the father in Mark 9:14 – 24, who said to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
6. BE ENCOURAGED
KNOWING THAT THE SAME KINDS OF SUFFERING ARE BEING EXPERIENCED BY YOUR BROTHERHOOD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD:
God does not hate you and he is not singling you out to “be without”. Find comfort in knowing there are other people who have and are going through a waiting season. Seek help and advice from those who have been there before. Look up sermons specific to the waiting season. Speak to your pastor, family, and friends. Look at forums. Whatever. Just find some encouragement from somewhere to make this waiting season less unbearable.
Some sermons I’ve watched while in my waiting season:
- Waiting on God is Hard – Pastor Landon
- While I’m Waiting.. – Stephanie Ike
- 3 Ways to Heal a Disappointed Heart – Toure Roberts
7. RECEIVE GOD’S PROMISES
AND AFTER YOU HAVE SUFFERED A LITTLE WHILE:
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for (LOL)!
I think we can agree that the waiting season definitely does feel like suffering. But God wont keep you there. Keep holding on. We can do this!
THE GOD OF ALL GRACE, WHO HAS CALLED YOU TO HIS ETERNAL GLORY IN CHRIST, WILL HIMSELF RESTORE, CONFIRM, STRENGTHEN, AND ESTABLISH YOU:
This verse shows us just two things that God did for us because of his grace:
- While we were still sinners, God gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life and access to God (John 3:16 & Ephesians 2:18)
- God called us to Christ, so that we may receive that gift of eternal life (John 6:44)
Its through this same grace, that God will bring us out of this waiting season. So rest assured that whatever you are waiting on God for, he WILL deliver. Then when you get it, know that it was God HIMSELF who gave it to you. Remember to give God all the glory when you receive his promise.
I hope this encouraged you, like it did for me. May God bless you beyond measure 💕. Below is a review of what we went over. Also, what is something that you are waiting on God for? Share in the comments below!
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