This past season of my life has been so good but tough. Every week is different and not everything has gone the way I thought it would. It’s really been a season of transition where I’m waiting on the Lord and believing in His specific promises for my life. A lot of times, I have to shake off striving, doubt, discouragement and unbelief. My circumstances definitely aren’t perfect but each day I have to choose to continue to feast on the Lord’s goodness and believe His promises are always “yes and amen” for me.

I’ve found that most people really love and cherish the sweet promises of God for their lives but dread and struggle with the process that always comes attached with the promise. Although our God is the God of the now, He is also the God of tomorrow. He is the God of the journey. You see, the process is a completely Biblical concept. Take a look at Abraham and how God came to him when he was 75 years old. God promised Abram a blood line that would cause him to be the father of the nations. Although it seemed impossible, I’m sure Abraham rejoiced in this! I’m sure he was eager to see that word and promise come to pass. The truth is that Abraham and Sara didn’t have Issac until 25 years later but He was counted as righteous before the Lord because he simply believed (Genesis 15.6). How often do we think that when God speaks He is going to do every single thing He promised immediately? I want to challenge you to find joy in the midst of waiting on God and trusting Him. Trust and believe Him with all your heart and delight in the midst of the process. Don’t fool yourself – God has intentionally put the desires of your heart in you for a reason! Delight in Him as you go and as you wait and the process will be a whole lot easier. Enjoy the journey and the process – embrace the time of growth (even when it’s so stretching and tough) that you will go through as you wait on the Lord. Don’t lose hope if God’s prophetic promises don’t come to pass right away – we must continue to build ourselves up in faith by declaring what He has said! Find God in the midst of your transition and seasonal shifts. He is who He says He is and He is nothing but faithful to fulfill His word!

            I want to change gears here and talk about how to fight off discouragement, despair and striving while we are in the midst of the journey and process with God (because it’s so vital). 

            I think the main reason why we so often get discouraged is because we focus on what God isn’t doing more than what He is doing and who He is! We take our eyes off of Him and when we do, we fall into unnecessary discouragement, despair, depression and hopelessness. We let our vision for the future and for our destiny/calling shrivel up when circumstances test and challenge us. As sons and daughters of the Most High we must know what our Father is doing in our lives in the current moment and we must continue to experience His goodness in the present moment to continue to walk in faith and stay encouraged!

Ask yourself – How is God wanting to move in my life now/today? What testimony/act of God has happened in the past that can fuel me and encourage me to keep pressing on in the journey? What lies am I believing about where I’m at now and where I’m going? Are there any areas in my life that I need to allow God to penetrate with His love, goodness and faithfulness? What situations/circumstances in my life do I need to change my perspective on?

             Too frequently we let our circumstances and experiences shape and mold our faith, theology and beliefs. While God does want to shape the way we think and see Him through experience, the thing that should have the ultimate influence on our faith and beliefs is not our experiences, feelings or earthly circumstances but the Word of God, which reveals His truth and reality! Don’t always let your experiences and feelings sway, dictate and overly influence your faith. Let your faith (rooted in the promises of God and His Word) influence and impact your circumstance and feelings! Don’t let what God meant for your good, growth and transformation become a “dry season” or “wilderness” where you don’t experience or grow in God at all. I think too often we stumble into unnecessary “dry seasons” and “wildernesses” because we aren’t truly connecting with will and heart of Heaven. This often happens because we take our eyes off of the goodness of Jesus and the heart of the Father in the moment.

            Seriously, where did the concept of spiritual “dry seasons” come from? I’m absolutely sure that the Gospel proclaims that we are never lacking anything, no matter where we are! The key to staying encouraged, built up in faith and living in the overflow of His abundance in whatever season you’re in is to continue to “fix your eyes on things above.” This is an exhortation that Paul gave the Church of Colossai in Colossians 3.2.

            Paul also states several times in the Epistles that we aren’t citizens of this earth – we are from another realm/world. We are seated in Heavenly Places with Christ because that’s our home (Ephesians 2.6). The key to living a life filled with never ending joy, peace, love, etc is to always stay connected and aware of our source (Heaven). Remember – our model is Heaven, not earth. We live out of Heavenly Places! The things of this world don’t have the final say on how I live – Heaven does! That’s why Jesus told us to continually pray that His Kingdom (Heaven) would come to earth and invade our lives. If we are constantly tapping into what the abundant resources of Heaven then we will never ever be lead into a spiritual dry season here on earth! Love, peace, joy, etc never run out in Heaven! The truth is that there is no such thing as a “dry season” in Heaven! It’s an insult to think that the River of Living Water that flows from the Throne of Heaven into your very heart would ever run dry, run out or cease from flowing (John 7.37). I think these are exactly the keys to what we need to thrive in the midst of waiting on God’s promises to be fulfilled.

It is true that wildernesses may come in this life here on earth, but I think we’ve had the wrong idea/view of what a wilderness really is. Scripturally a wilderness just means that our earthly circumstances will be challenging and stretching. A wilderness does not mean that my Heavenly resources will be lacking or that my Father will depart! I’ve talked with a lot of people that think that the wildernesses of their lives are times when God is withdrawing His goodness and presence from them in order to test them. I don’t think this is the case at all – Because:

1) the Father will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13.5, Matthew 28.20) – it’s His promise to always be near to us

2) Look at the promise of Isaiah 35: “Waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. And the scorched land will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water”. This prophetic passage reveals that even in the wildernesses and hard times of our lives we will be able to thrive and walk in the abundance of Jesus!

Simply look at how Jesus handled His 40 day wilderness: every time he was tempted to be discouraged our doubt the faithfulness of the Father and His promises…he boldly declared the truth and that released victory and strength in the midst of the challenge (Luke 4.1-13). I love how Scripture specifically says that as Jesus came out of the wilderness he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit  (Luke 4.14) – that must mean that he left better, stronger, more filled up with the power of God than when he started!

I think the key to thriving while being in a season of tough times, transition and waiting on the Lord is to have the Father’s perspective (Heaven’s view). Look at where you are and see how God is using every little thing for your good (Romans 8.28). So continue to learn how to fix your eyes (or awareness) and mind on things above! This is the key to seeing the River of God flood your life even in the midst of trials, tribulation and extended processes. Dare to believe and trust God for every word and promise He has ever spoken to you. Stand on the Word of the Lord and claim and declare each of His promises specifically for you and watch them transform your mind and change the way you view your situation! Persevere in faith and continue to walk into the fullness of what God has for your life!