Are you feeling stuck where you’re at? Maybe at a job or in
a relationship that just doesn’t feel like it’s “God’s best.” Consider this for
just a moment, some of you aren’t seeing God’s favor the way you could because
you’re not passing the little tests. For Joyce Meyer it was putting grocery
carts back when she was done with them in the parking lot. For me, it was
traffic. You have to be careful not to let something small keep you from
receiving something big from God.
The bible says it’s “the little foxes that spoil the vine.”
God knows that if you won’t honor Him in little things then He can’t trust you
with bigger things. If you’re a parent then I’m sure you understand. You
wouldn’t give your child a raise in allowance if they haven’t proven they can be
responsible with what they’re already getting. We have to learn to be good
stewards of what God has already given us before we can expect to see increase.
You have to start disciplining yourself in areas where you
want to see improvement. Want financial increase? Begin managing what money you
do have more wisely. Want an increase of peace in your relationship? If you’re
coupled then you both need to be committed to improving yourSELF. Once you make
the honest, consistent effort to address your own issues, growing better as a
couple will come. If you’re single, patience my sweet :] Don’t get ahead of God
and choose poorly just because you’re tired of waiting. Take it from me, that always
ends in disaster. If you’ll trust in Him and let Him take this time to develop
your character and improve your relationship with Him and yourself not only
will He bring you that special someone but it’ll be more amazing than you ever
hoped for!
I mentioned that the area God chose to test me in was
traffic. I used to have quite a road rage issue. Realizing this and knowing God
didn’t want me acting like a raving lunatic when things didn’t go my way in
traffic I finally decided to address it. I put a big sticker on my back window
that says, “God’s Girl.” Every time I was tempted to lose my cool in traffic I
would just look in my rearview mirror, see that declaration to the world, and it
helped me control myself because I really didn’t want to dishonor God by
misrepresenting Him.
It didn’t happen overnight but eventually I got to the point
that I really didn’t mind the delays. In fact, I’ve come to see them as
possible blessings in disguise; saving me from being in an accident up ahead or
even just saving me from a ticket. Now I’m the most courteous person you ever
want to be in traffic with. I’m the one who lets you ahead of me. I’m the one
who stops to let you cross the road. I’m the one who just smiles when someone
curses me out, lol.
As a Christian, you are a representative of God. Most of the
reason people are turned off by Christians is because they see them come out of
church or make that claim and then act the exact same way they do (or worse).
Every other word is a curse word, or you gossip about people, or you
get drunk at every get-together, or you complain all the time. Ask yourself,
are you really doing all you can to improve your situation? If you’ll commit to
doing the part you CAN do, God will do the part you CAN’T do. Whether it’s your
health, your thoughts, your actions, your money. Think about it, are you managing
your life in a way that would cause God to believe you’re ready for increase?
I’ve chosen poorly in the past but at least it’s led to me
making better choices now. Not to say I’ve got it all figured out – far from
it, lol. I just know I have less struggle in life when I choose to go ahead and
pass the test I’m in. I’ve learned the hard way that God is always watching to
see if I’m ready to handle the next level of increase and I just don’t want to
do anything to put that off. For instance, I can’t complain about being with
the wrong person if I chose to ignore all of the red flags He gave me when I
began dating them. I
can’t complain about being broke if I partied away my bill-money. Know how I
prove that having a strong, healthy body is important to me? I put the time and effort into making it so. In the same way,
I know if I want to keep my relationship with God strong I have to put in the
time and effort.
I want to encourage you to look honestly at what you’re
asking of God. Is there anything you’re doing (or not doing) that might be preventing
it? The bible says God wants to bless you beyond what you can even dare to
imagine! But if you’re not passing the tests at your current level then that’s
like asking your boss for a promotion when you have yet to prove that you can
handle the position you’re presently in. Do the work to improve as much as you
honestly have control over doing so. Decide today to be better, decide to come up
higher. Trust that when God sees you choosing to put action behind
your words He will unleash favor and increase in your life like you’ve never
seen before!
No comments:
Post a Comment