A Willingness To Wait

There are a lot of circumstances in life that require patience. Since moving to Minnesota, I have taken up hunting, and I have gone fishing more than at any other time in my life. Both of these sports require patience. You can't expect a fourteen point Buck to walk directly towards your deer stand at daybreak on the opening day. You can't sit over a spear hole, inside your ice house for five minutes, and then expect to have a fifteen pound Northern staring at your Sucker fish decoy. It just doesn't happen that way. Both activities require immense waiting.

I have learned that good things come to those who wait. I am in the middle of a season right now of waiting. I am seeking the Lord's direction for future ministry. One part of me wants to have an instant download, and for the Lord to give me a clear picture of what He wants for me to do. However, I know that He doesn't roll like that. I know from past experience that God wants me to lean in, to pray, soak up Scripture and to seek His face. In doing that, He wants to refine me and take me to new places with Him. Through this process of molding and developing, then I will be in a place to know His perfect plan.

We have become so use to having whatever we need whenever we want it. We have gotten use to having fast food, smartphones, Wifi, and on and on. Because our culture has engulfed us with instant gratification, waiting on the Lord goes against every fiber of our being. We want to put things in a microwave when God wants us to use a crockpot. 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we must develop a willingness to wait. God's Word confirms this truth. Here are a couple of my favorites: Lamentations 3:25 says, "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." 

Knowing the faithfulness of God, helps survive the waiting. God's ways and His timing are always perfect. Even when revelation doesn't come in our timing, we can know that God is still at work, even in the season of waiting. In His time, He will make our paths straight. Just be patient.

Wanting to Dream Again

It has been far too long since I have posted a blog article. One reason that has kept me from sharing my thoughts in this forum has been the inability to dream. When you are not able to dream, the thoughts don't flow too easily.

On this day, the day we celebrate and remember the life of Martin Luther King Jr, we remember his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. He told the many gathered there that day, "I have a dream." That quote is one that resonates with me. It's one that will forever be attached with Dr. King. Well, for me, the last few months, I have been unable to dream.

I want to dream again. I am at my best when I can think clearly, hear God's voice and respond to His leading. When this happens, the Holy Spirit activates my creativity and the thoughts begin to flow.

When you are not able to dream and the thoughts do not flow, it is important to take time to evaluate and determine what is causing the blockage. So that's what I did. When I sought the Lord for direction and to find out the reason for my inability to dream, He pointed out two areas: sin and stress.

Sin will ruin any ability to dream. As I mentioned before, in Christ, the Holy Spirit activates our creative ability. Whenever we choose to sin, we are pushing the Holy Spirit out of our life. A holy God cannot tolerate sin in a person's life. That which is holy does not operate in the same room as that which is holy. Isaiah 59:2 says, "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that he does not hear." Wow. Those are heavy words. I have students all the time who come to me asking why it seems as if God is distant. I say, "Hello, have you done an inventory of your life?" When I sought the Lord, He pointed out that I had been carrying some sinful patterns in my life that had not been dealt with. In that very moment, I laid there fully exposed. I repented of all known sin and received the cleansing of Jesus.

The second and final area the Lord showed me that had been clogging my dream ducts was stress. I am just coming through a season of heavy stress. In anyone's life, there are many factors that cause stress: family, physical health, finances, the work place, other relationships, and I could list many more. Stress will affect a person's body, behavior, feelings and thoughts. In my case it was keeping me from dreaming. I was so consumed with the factors causing my stress that it was not allowing me clarity and creativity. The Lord is leading me through this. Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God." As we deal with stress, may the Lord bring the peace that is promised in the following verse.

All throughout Scripture, we read of people who had dreams and visions. God spoke to Abram in a dream and told him of His presence with him. Jacob had a powerful dream of a stairway to heaven. God led Paul several times through visions and dreams. This is still common today for those who follow Jesus. I have personally experienced this in my own life. The Lord is leading me back to that place again.