An MBA graduate's thoughts from a place of prayer, study and waiting on God…
How many times have you asked out of frustration: does God see my hard work? Or should I continue working faithfully for my employer/boss who doesn't seem to notice my hard work? The simple answer is YES. God sees...and in fact, He will honor your hard work. Like you, Jacob must also have asked himself similar questions. In Genesis 31:36-42, Jacob gives us a perspective on what qualifies as diligent hard work that God sees and ultimately rewards.
The price of staying indolent/slothful, lacking in diligence/excellence, failing to practice great faith in God, is too steep to pay - it's the attainment of your destiny, discovering your God-given purpose. A man that is only diligent in prayer but is not diligent in the tasks nearest at hand, the daily realities of life, fools only himself. God is not mocked. In this post, we look at a story you've probably never thought about this way before. It is the story of Saul and how a combination of his obedience, diligence in the small things, and faith - despite his natural inclination to give up - combined to lead him to the doorpost of his purpose i.e. to become the first King of Israel.
You’re believing God for something but you haven’t gotten an answer or the answer you desire. How do you respond? Do you give up and walk away or do you persevere, confidently trusting that God will come through for you? There are only two people that I’ve come across in the New Testament that Jesus said had “great faith”. Both were gentiles. Great Faith is something that Jesus wants us to have. Most, if not all the people that Jesus described as having “no or little faith”, were either His disciples, His followers, or people who were very familiar with Him, including those He grew up with in Nazareth and the Pharisees. The people who were ‘closest’ to Christ were often the ones who exhibited the least faith and this is unfortunately still the case today, even in the Churches. This post focuses on the great faith of one who was far from Christ (and the Jews), a Canaanite/gentile woman, and the lessons we can all learn from her. God bless and keep the faith!
“I believe that there is a God! I’ve faced lucky situations in my life before but with you, it’s always so miraculous!”. That's what the assistant said when she experienced live with me how God instantly turned around a highly stressful visa situation. I encourage you to keep trusting Him and know that: 1) God hears your prayers (even the silent ones); 2) don't stop trusting Him, particularly when you've seen Him come through for you before; 3) when God moves, it's the perfect move; 4) always back up your faith with works. I hope you're encouraged. God bless you!
Today, I want to explore a theme that struck me recently while reading The Awe of God by John Bevere (chapter 36). This theme is that despite God having made promises, we often still need to contend/ask/plead for those promises to be fulfilled on earth. I'm not trying to answer the question of why God wants us to persist and plead in prayer despite His already stated/revealed promises, but emphasize the spiritual realization that we humans need to pray persistently and meditate on God's word to bring His promises to pass in our lives. Happy reading!
Paul says in Acts 17:27 ERV that "God wanted people to look for him, and perhaps in searching all around for him, they would find him. But he is not far from any of us." Since the day I read this verse a few weeks back, I've been eager to write about all the findings from my study as this idea of God wanting to be sought out was quite intriguing. I mean why does He want to be actively searched for? Is he playing hide and seek with us or what? What I do in this post is try to answer five pre-emptive questions that you the reader may naturally have on the topic: 1) Why does God want us to seek (search for) Him?; 2) Is He far? So far that He cannot be found?; 3) What are the rewards of seeking God, if any?; 4) How are we to seek God?; and 5) When are we to seek God?
Waiting on God. What does this really mean? Twiddling my thumbs till my prayers are answered? While waiting on Him, what should I be doing? How do I know that He'll answer me? How will I cope with the disappointment if He doesn't answer when or how I expect? What should I do when I've exhausted all my options? What will people think of me when my life hits a rough patch? I've been through a number of trying times in my personal life such as struggling with exams, applying for admission and getting rejected, spending over a year searching for a job and dealing with over 200 rejections etc. What I do below is highlight some of the most important lessons and principles that I've learnt from my life's waiting journeys, share some personal stories, and hope that these help you navigate your own waiting seasons. I share some thoughts on the following areas: 1. Why is God making me wait? 2. Should I pray and just wait on God? 3. Dealing with disappointments. 4. What will people think about me? 5. When you feel lost, confused, anxious or fearful. 6. Search your heart and confess your sins. 7. Don’t forget to change and live your life!
The more I understood Prov 16:3 & 9 and lined it up with other verses in scripture, the more confident I got in Christ. Simply said, we are responsible for making a plan for our lives and God will direct our steps in how we achieve it, as long as our plan is in accordance … Continue reading Should you just pray and count the stars while waiting for God’s move?