God’s about to do it completely
I was an adolescent at the time and my mentality surely reflected this. I didn’t have a whole lot of life experience, so I was both idealistic and unrealistic, which is common among the inexperienced. Let me explain.
One day, I was at home with my parents when I heard my dad having a conversation about his limited financial resources. Some bills were overdue and he didn’t have the money to cover them.
When I spotted a checkbook on his dresser full of unwritten checks, I picked it up and asked, “Daddy, couldn’t you just write some checks?”
In my mind, I assumed he wasn’t aware that he had a bunch of blank checks that could be used to dig himself out of that financial hole. I didn’t have any financial literacy. I didn’t know you had to actually have the money in the bank to cover the check amount. I thought a check equaled money, plain and simple.
From the looks of it, we had plenty of resources!
But it wasn’t that simple. There was no surplus in our house. We were in a deficit. There was no cash in the bank. Nothing in the checking or savings account, which meant those checks on Daddy’s dresser, unless somebody put some money in his account, were essentially worthless. Though Dad didn’t bother to give me a detailed explanation about how the process of writing checks actually worked, I could tell from his response that what I assumed was wrong.
At my naïve suggestion, Dad laughed and said, “Man, I wish it did work like that. You’re young. You don’t get it.”
He returned to his conversation with my mom and I slunk out of the room feeling deflated, wishing I could do something more to help.
With the passage of time and a lot more experience under my belt, I can look back and see just how uninformed and clueless I was. Some answers don’t come easy and some problems are very complicated.
Over time, I’ve also come to know that every victory doesn’t manifest immediately. There are phases. That’s not negating the fact that you and I already have the victory through Christ. However, the manifestation of the triumphs the Lord has already secured for us, comes in phases. Breakthrough doesn’t show up all at once every single time.
There are times when God will let us fight an intense battle and go through some serious warfare, only to reveal victory incrementally. We see progress here and there. He’ll answer one prayer and challenge our faith a little more as we wait for other prayers to be answered.
“Although God is challenging your faith, don’t doubt for one minute that He’s going to bring you out. He’s up to something good. He’s going to work a miracle for you!”
God in His sovereignty, though He can do things instantaneously, doesn’t always.
To make this plain, the Lord drew my attention to the blind man who was brought to Jesus in Mark 8:22-25. When the Messiah came to Bethsaida, these folks were begging Jesus to touch and heal the man. The Bible says Jesus spit into the man’s eyes and placed His hands on the blind man, then asked him, “Can you see anything now?”
The man looked up and said, “I see people. They look like trees walking around.”
As you can see, the man wasn’t blind anymore, but he was a work in progress. He wasn’t able to immediately see clearly. The restoration of his vision happened in phases. The work obviously wasn’t completed. Jesus wasn’t through with this man yet.
So He placed His hands on the man’s eyes a second time and this time around, something awesome happened: the man saw 100% clearly. His sight was totally and completely restored. Not only could he distinguish people from trees, but he was also able to see things from a distance.
But what if the man had gotten discouraged when he could only see men as trees? Consider what would have happened had he walked away with his head hung down, doubting that Jesus could finish the work He started. Now think about yourself. There are some things you are trusting God to do completely. Perhaps He has made a way and opened a door, but there are some things you still need God to fix and work out. You don’t have a clear view of how He’ll do it.
If that describes you, I’ve got good news for you today: God’s about to do it completely.
While you wait, you have to remind yourself that God doesn’t half-do anything. Although the answers you are praying, hoping and believing for have not been fully revealed, the Lord will complete the work in your life. He will not forsake His word. He will not leave you hopeless. He will not let you go down. He will not fail you. He is faithful to fulfill every promise.
God didn’t bring you this far, to only bring you this far. He won’t to leave you where you are. He will finish what He started. God’s about to do it completely.
I know you may not see the full picture now and the enemy is toying with your thoughts and showing you visions of disaster. You don’t have all the answers and Satan wants you to believe they won’t come. But he’s a liar. The answers will come. God will make the way. He will sustain you. And He will complete the work.
I know you want more clarity and insight. You’re tired of not having the security of certainty. You feel like you’re walking around in the dark, stumbling and groping for answers. Don’t be defeated in your mind and down in your spirit. The same God who took the blind man through his two-phase process of healing, breakthrough and deliverance, is carrying you through your phases of victory. Just hang in there. Trust not only the process, but most importantly, the One who controls the process. God’s got it.
Whether He answers you by degrees or all at once, either way, you know He’s able. There is no failure in Him. So keep your head up. On days when a thick fog covers the road, making it nearly impossible to see where you’re going, know that the Lord is with you. He is directing you and guiding your footsteps. In due time, you will clearly see His amazing and miraculous plan unfold. You will stand back, shake your head and declare, to God be the glory for the things He has done!
In the meantime, to encourage you, I’m stirring Philippians 1:6 NIV into your cup of inspiration, which says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, know that it’s not over. God has a good plan for your life that will be revealed at just the right time. Through dark days, keep believing. Keep pressing. Keep trusting. Keep confessing His promises. Keep expecting. Most of all, keep declaring His word that calls you victorious through Christ Jesus.
God will finish what He started, guaranteed.
God’s about to do it completely.
Now let’s pray.
God, I don’t see the full picture yet. There are some prayers I have before You that still remain unanswered. But I know that You are a God who never fails and You didn’t bring me this far to leave me. So I thank You for sending this word to strengthen my faith and renew my confidence in Your good plan. You are faithful to complete the work You began. You can be trusted. And I put my total confidence in You today! In Jesus’ name, I decree and declare that it is done by faith, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
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