Prelude to Part 6 TOPIC:

 Prelude to Part 6 

TOPIC: 

 When God appears to be in waiting for mode, whilst we are running out of Patience😓😨😰😣!!

In previous parts of Recipies for Success, I have identified  8 phases within the season of waiting individually for the fulfillment of God-given promises in our lives.

Perhaps some await a Godly spouse turning up, others may be praying for a first baby within their married union, some perhaps praying for a better job, whereas the heart cry of others for a rare moment of peace, tranquility within their marriage!

8 Phases? Yes!

 That was a discovery I had made whilst studying the Israelites'  journey  within Joshua 6 of the Old Testament! 

Today I will like to highlight that each one of these 8 phases  is associated with a test or the trial of our faith! We need to undergo individual preceding tests before experiencing a subsequent phase. 

 (Phase 1) This is our starting point when like  Joshua we are overwhelmed by a sad event like a loss or bereavement are we wonder who to turn to? How do we swim instead of drowning in the ocean of depressing emotions?

 The Test Joshua had to overcome is similar to what anyone experiencing crippling emotions  is faced with. Joshua had faced dilemmas including:

Would he continue to indulge in grief and sorrow, even though he had clearly heard from God that he was to move forward?

 We know that Joshua chooses to act on God's word and in the process recovers from his grief and loss.

(Phase 2): Once Joshua responds to God  there is a calling to change old thought patterns, separating completely from the old! including the memory of past glories! One of the things He must have been grieving was the glorious manifestations of God during the life of Moses.

Now  he was being led into an absolute Surrender to God in order to die to the Old way. How was he to do this? This is a similar question anyone who is being called to move on from the loss of the past faces?

The way to do this  is by relinquishing  the next thought to the Lord! 

We need to do this 'one thought at a time in order to complete the process of surrender and death! '

(Phase 3): We know that we are done with the Past, even our Past glory when we no longer derive our motivation from relieving  past events! They no longer affect us either positively or negatively!

Joshua reached the phase of no turning back laying and surrendering his will and utter dependency on God's instruction! This is the place of death to his own dreams of self-preservation, the cross! This is the place where the individual acknowledges and has no doubt that there is nothing humanly possible to be done about one's situation. This is not only the place of death but of burial and entombing from the hope of living again. 

(Phase 4): The test is to embrace a new pattern of thinking and doing life! If relinquishing the Past leaves us empty, then embracing the new present will fill us! Because we cannot run into our future on empty!

So who am I if I am not who I used to be? This question opens a new door to the perception of life! 

For the first time, we can handle the revelation of our uniqueness to  Adonai. In the time when we are most aware of our helplessness and humanity, suddenly the Scales fall from our eyes and we behold our true selves in His light.

Some call this 'our Identity in Christ. Have you watched a documentary in which someone is looking heartily for their roots? Their biological parents? This is what a discovery about our true selves does!

We realize that we are Sons and daughters with a divinely imparted potential, to soar above our circumstances! Although we may be willing to believe God's revelation about us, others including our significant family and friends may take some persuading!

How do you persuade 'a chicken coop mindset' that you are not just one of the chirpy cheeks in a mother hen's brood but an eagle in the making! 

That we are anything other than how we have been perceived until now.  

We need to pass the test of not letting the opinion of our loved ones define us! It is never too late to embrace our identity in God,in Yeshua no matter how long we have wandered in the desert of someone else's approval! 

 (Phase 5): The test is to take a corresponding action of obedience to God-given instructions we receive! Unless we do, we will remain stuck in the same place. 

Have you ever heard the wise words that 'where God guides, He provides'?👶.Unless we 'follow His guidance, we wouldn't make fresh discoveries of provision' of the treasures He has placed within us 'Jars of clay'Please click to read2 Corinthians 4:7-9 TLV

 Phase 6:  In contrast to phase 5  when we were to leave our comfort zone, now the Lord presents us with an opposite challenge! 

When we are most aware of having come of age in skill and expertise we face a temptation to act independently of God or outside Godgiven boundaries.  We ate tempted to take God-given instructions for granted and feel they do not apply to us. 

This is the phase when the temptation of presumption is highest

The above challenges were faced by other Bible characters who worked in collaboration with Adonai to usher in His purposes on earth. 

Each of them was tested in their faith! during a season of waiting for Adonai to come through for them;they faced the temptation to carry out God's purpose in their own strength or expertise. Whenever they did it often led to disastrous consequences for them and their family until God's redemptive plan comes into effect. 

Thanks for reading, Part 6 will be out soon. Meanwhile, why not refresh your memory with Parts 1 to 5 of Recipies for Success.

Wishing you A blessed Passover feast and Season of the Celebration of the Resurrection of Yeshua.☺️🙌🏾