Why the wait?

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“But those who wait on 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.” – Isaiah 40:31, NKJV

God is a repeat promise-maker. Just take a look in the Bible for evidence. In Deuteronomy 31:8, God promises His everlasting presence. Another well-known promise is Jeremiah 29:11. God promises good plans for our lives. God also makes personal promises. He promised to give Hannah a child (1 Samuel 1:15-20), deliver Rahab from destruction (Joshua 2), and bring fame to the woman who anointed Him (Matthew 26:6-13).

Excitement runs high when we anticipate the manifestation of God’s promise. We fantasize about the details. What will the promise look like? How will it happen? And, most importantly, when? We often underestimate the amount of time it takes to fulfill a promise. Years can pass before we receive it. If our faith is not firmly rooted in Christ, fear can easily tempt us to try to fulfill the promise through our works. 

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God Said Otherwise

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“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3, KJV

We receive advice daily. Solicited and unsolicited. Wise and foolish. We cannot control the advice we are given, but we can control how we respond. As Christians, we have to be mindful of the counsel we receive. We should only take guidance that aligns with the Word of God. The advice might not be wrong per se, but if God said otherwise, follow His instructions.

1 Kings 13 shows what happens when we value the counsel of people over God. Read it here.

The man of God from Judah was sent to Bethel to prophesy against a corrupt and idolatrous kingdom. God gave him specific instructions to follow after completing his assignment:

For the Lord gave me this command: “You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.” – 1 Kings 13:17 (NLT)

The man of God from Judah began to follow these instructions. He took a new route home. But on that road home, he met an old prophet who deceived him into consuming a meal. 

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No Shortcuts

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“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”
Proverbs 21:5, NLT

Everyone enjoys a good shortcut, especially when running late. While shortcuts take us where we need to be faster, they can sometimes do more harm than good. Is a route worth taking if the road is rugged or has too many twists and turns? You risk having a car accident that can delay your arrival or prevent it altogether. Sometimes you are better off taking the established route.

Similarly, there are shortcuts that you can take in life to help you achieve your goals more quickly. Some are efficient, but others compromise your integrity. Christian women must accept God’s established route for our lives even if it takes longer than we desire. Our work should be pleasing to God because He will judge it. Read 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 with me:

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Faith To Succeed

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But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’” – Deuteronomy 1:42, NIV

Has God given you a God-sized assignment? Maybe He has called you to start a new business, minister to a unique group of people, or make an unconventional career change. When you consider the skills you lack that are normally required to be successful, the assignment can seem overwhelming. In these moments, have the faith to succeed instead of fearing failure.

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How To Release Your Burdens

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“God will never put more on you than you can handle.”

We have all heard this saying, often to encourage Christians to grin and bear life’s hardships. Many falsely believe that it is a Bible scripture. This saying is a misquote of 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV):

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

This scripture is about overcoming the temptation to sin – not mustering the strength to carry our own burdens. God’s will for us is quite opposite as detailed in Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV):

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Prayer Journals

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“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”- Psalm 77:11-12, NIV

In Joshua 4, God gave the Israelites a special set of instructions. He told them to take 12 stones, one for each tribe, and set them in a specific place. Read Joshua 4:21-24 with me:

Then Joshua explained again the purpose of the stones: “In the future,” he said, “when your children ask you why these stones are here and what they mean, you are to tell them that these stones are a reminder of this amazing miracle—that the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground! Tell them how the Lord our God dried up the river right before our eyes and then kept it dry until we were all across! It is the same thing the Lord did forty years ago at the Red Sea! He did this so that all the nations of the earth will realize that Jehovah is the mighty God, and so that all of you will worship Him forever.” (The Living Bible)

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should keep “stones” for the same reason the Israelites did: to remember what God has done. It would be difficult for us to collect a stone each time we encountered God. My solution: Prayer Journals.

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Quality Time

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“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” – Mark 1:35 (KJV)

Would you consider someone your friend if they refused to spend quality time with you? What if they only spoke to you when they needed a favor? Hardly anyone would call this relationship a friendship. By today’s standards it would be labeled toxic!

As Christians, we often treat Jesus this way. Jesus calls us His friends (John 15:13-15) and desires to speak with us daily. Instead of communing with Him, we rush into the busyness of our day. Then, when facing hardship, we run to Jesus, begging Him to save us. If we only knew that spending quality time with Jesus would prepare us for life’s trials or prevent them altogether. 

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13 Scriptures for Weak Women

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“For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

Weak women find their strength in God! We learned in the previous blog post that it is okay to be weak. God’s strength is perfected through human weakness. We must surrender ourselves to God and allow Him to work through us.

While you may acknowledge that God is all-powerful, it can still be hard to resist the temptation to work in your own strength. How can you build your reliance on the Lord? The answer is found in His word. It is alive and able to transform your mindset. The Word of God will deliver you from the desire to do life without Him.

Today I am sharing 13 scriptures for weak women. Read these scriptures and write them down. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand and believe the Word of God. Journal any revelations you receive while meditating on these scriptures. Most importantly, recite these scriptures out loud daily as if you are taking a vitamin supplement. Each time you declare the Word of God, your spirit will become more receptive to relying on His strength.

13 Scriptures for Weak Women

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Weak Women

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“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

How would you describe yourself? Grab a pen and take a moment to write down a few adjectives. Your list may include words such as:

Loving
Adventurous
Giving
Resilient

While these are beautiful qualities, have you ever described yourself as weak? WEAK?!

I can see you cringing. Most women do not want to be called weak. It is an insult. We want to be seen as strong individuals, who are confident and capable of handling whatever comes our way. Our culture affirms the strong woman stereotype and we are led to believe that we should always exude strength.

Thankfully, the standards of this world are not God’s. As His daughters, it is okay for us to be weak. No one is purely strong. There are areas of our lives where God has blessed us with the ability to thrive. Similarly, there are also areas where God has purposely allowed us to struggle. God does this to build our dependence on Him and prevent us from making idols of ourselves.

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Seasons of Hardship

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“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” – James 1:12 (NASB)

“I just want this to be over!”

I am sure we have all expressed this sentiment during tough times. Unemployment, grief, illness, heartbreak, and other seasons of hardship are uncomfortable and painful. We would love for them to be over with the snap of a finger. The reality is that the only way out of hardship is to go through it.

God’s timing is not our own, so we cannot place a time limit on a season of hardship. The end of one week, month, or even year does not guarantee the start of a new and better season of life. We may very well remain in the same season or enter a more difficult one. 

Being a Christian does not exempt us from life’s hardships. In fact, God intentionally uses hardship to discipline us. This form of discipline is not meant for harm. Rather, God uses it to reveal His character and build ours. 

You will no longer anticipate the end of a season of hardship when you embrace God’s purpose for it in your life. How can you accomplish this? Ask yourself these four questions: 

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