An MBA graduate's thoughts from a place of prayer, study and waiting on God…
Why did God speak directly to Moses i.e. face to face and not through dreams; plainly and not in dark sayings? Numbers 12:6-9 tells us that this is because Moses was "faithful in all His house." Sounds deep right? But what does this mean?
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!
Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness in the land of Midian before God called him to his life's mission. What on earth was he doing during all those years? How did he cope with going from being a prince in the most powerful country on earth to living life as a shepherd in the wilderness? What prepared him for this experience and what was God doing in Moses' life to prepare him for the mission ahead? Over the past few months, I've been studying a Bible guide on being in the crucible with Christ. Last week, I was studying about meekness in the life of Moses and got inspired to study his life a little closer, particularly his life before he received the calling that defined his life on earth and in death. As you might know, I only write when inspired to, and I thought my findings this time around were too interesting not to share. Happy reading!
This post covers developments immediately after Jesus' sermon on the mount and focuses on three dimensions of faith: 1) your faith, 2) the faith of your friends, and 3) when you're unable to exercise faith.
Tonight I just want to share two stories that encouraged me this week. 2020 has taken turns absolutely noone expected and it's easy for one to question everything and wonder if anything in this life is worth holding on to. For me, I continue to find that God is the one factor that remains unchanged. But why? How?
Noah and Lot were both saved by God before destruction was visited on the whole earth and on Sodom. But what are the similarities and differences we can find from the Bible about these two stories to help us get a clearer picture of the state of humanity and even righteous people in the end times? This study is critical because the Bible points back to Noah and Lot so many times that we Christians must study these stories in-depth and have them at the forefront of our minds as we navigate these end times.
Life. The journey we are all on. Different paths leading each of us on varied experiences. We rise, we fall and hope to share our story to the benefit of someone else. Mine is a story of persistence. Persistence in hoping and trusting in God, believing I could achieve what others thought impossible. The first was believing I could get into a top global business school without the ideal GMAT score. I sat that 2011 Saturday in Church with the MBA dream still in its infancy and I heard a voice - 'you will go for your MBA, free of charge'. Yes I did hear a voice. And so the journey began - a 5-year waiting season.
God didn’t intend for the Israelites to spend 40 years wandering in the Wilderness. In fact, God thought them ready to possess the promised land within 2 years of leaving Egypt. But right at the border of receiving the promise, the people succumbed to fear, rebelling against God, disobeying Him and lacking faith to step forward. Oh what a shame - right at the border! In God’s eyes, this was an exceedingly great sin and not only were the people who doubted destroyed, but the people were made to wander in the desert for another 38 years. 😞
Jeremiah 29:11 says God wants to “give us a future and a hope (i.e. an expected end - KJV)”. 🤔💭 Trying to make sense of this I noticed that NKJV/NLT equate KJV’s “expected end” with “a future and a hope”. But why, what could these mean? There is surely an end i.e. a future that God has planned for us, but God gives it to us through hope. The future and hope come hand in hand, like the fist to a glove. It is an end that we actively expect, a future that we hope towards. God gives this hope to us. He puts visions of the future He desires for us into our heart and wants us to hope, long and work towards it. This is corroborated in Phillipians 2:13, which tells us that when we walk with God, the desires of our heart and our resulting actions are of Him. Faith’s definition in itself is substantiated in hope (Heb 11:1).
Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve been praying to God for something, it looks as if it’s all coming together but then you end up with nothing? Sometimes it takes the form of there being a lot of activity which looks as if God is finally moving but in the end you still end up disappointed?
The Langford Files 