Today, we continue our series entitled “Laser Focus,” emphasizing living with a Laser Focus on the Fixed Purpose God established for us before the world began.
Scriptures we have been looking at all year:
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
(James 1:2-4 TPT)
2 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, it stirs up power within you to endure all things.
4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.
(Ecc 3:1 ERV)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.
Focus for today:
Setting the Stage. (From 2 Samuel 3:1-5)
Before I took a break for Thanksgiving, we saw how a foolish decision made by the military commanders of both Israel and Judah led to a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those loyal to David. The good news is that David did not press the issue. God originally told David to move to Hebron, so since God had not spoken again, David simply waited in place. David had been waiting for the throne for years, and while he was already the king of Judah, he knew in his heart that he was destined to be the king of the entire nation of Israel. But instead of making the mistake he had made in the past (when he got out ahead of God), this time, David had the patience to wait on the Lord, and he actually enjoyed the season he was in.
While David was in this waiting period, he had six sons: Amnon, Daniel, Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatiah, and Ithream. David was enjoying life, and the Bible says, “As time passed David became stronger and stronger, while Saul’s dynasty became weaker and weaker.” I am sure it was taking longer than David wanted, but little by little, day by day, David was getting incrementally closer to taking the throne that was destined for him.
I will admit, from personal experience, that waiting on God for something you know He already told you is yours is not always easy. But like anything else, God equips us to do whatever He expects us to do. In other words, just like the Lord gives us grace to fight, advance His Kingdom, and stand in faith, the Lord also gives us grace to wait. The prophet Isaiah said it this way, “He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak. Even young people grow tired and become weary, and young men will stumble and fall. Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the LORD will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired” (Isaiah 40:29-31).
Before I get into the message, I want to share something personal. This message ministers to me in a powerful way because I can identify with David. I know what it’s like to have a promise from God and believe with all your heart that it will come to pass while simultaneously feeling powerless to MAKE it happen because God has revealed to you that other people have to make decisions that will impact your life. This is where David was. This is where I am.
When you’re waiting on others to make decisions that affect the manifestation of God’s promise in your life, and God is telling you that you can’t make it happen – you have to wait – it can be challenging. Like David, who was already king of Judah and blessed, but knew there was more, I understand what it’s like to be blessed while waiting. The key is learning to enjoy your “now” while waiting on your “next.”
So, what does this mean to you today? It means that you must learn to wait on the Lord. What do you do while you are waiting on the Lord to manifest something you are certain He promised you? Let’s talk about it.
1. Stand on the Last Word You Heard.
If you are where you are because of a Word you heard from the Lord, and He has not spoken to you to tell you to move, you must remain in place. The Last Word you hear will keep you until He leads you to move again. Too many believers grow impatient and wind up getting ahead of God. Once again, the right thing, at the wrong time, becomes the wrong thing. Wait on the Lord; don’t move until He tells you to move.
David remained in Hebron because that’s where God told him to be, and he had not received new instructions. When God gives you a Word, that Word will sustain you until He gives you new directions. The last Word you received from God has the grace to keep you until the next Word comes.
How this applies to you:
— Review and stand firmly on the last instructions God gave you.
— Resist the urge to move without fresh directions from God.
— Remember that partial obedience is still disobedience.
— Trust that God’s silence does not mean His absence.
— Allow God’s last Word to anchor you while you wait for the next one.
— Learn to be content while remaining expectant.
— Make the most of your current season of blessing.
— Don’t let the expectation of your tomorrow cause you to lose the joy of your today.
— Trust God’s process even when you feel powerless to make things happen. Everything is going to happen at just the right time.
2. Tap Into God’s Grace to Wait.
Just like the Lord can give you grace to fight, grace to stand in faith, grace to operate in the supernatural, and grace to win the lost for Him, the Lord can also give you grace to wait. When you know you are waiting on the Lord to give you something He clearly destined you to have, and you know it is only going to come if He moves, then wait on the Lord, but don’t wait with human ability alone. If you wait with just human ability, you will grow tired, weary, impatient, and frustrated. Wait with supernatural ability. Wait with spiritual strength. Wait with divine grace. This way, while you are waiting, the Lord Himself will renew your strength.
How this applies to you:
— God has already given you the grace to wait for what He promised. When you tap into this divine grace, you access the supernatural ability to wait without growing weary, discouraged, or frustrated.
— When you’re waiting with God’s grace, you’re not just killing time; you’re accessing divine empowerment to remain steady until God’s timing manifests.
— Consciously rely on God’s grace instead of your human ability to wait.
— Ask the Holy Spirit daily to help you tap into the grace to wait.
— Recognize that waiting with grace is supernatural, not natural.
— Allow God’s strength to sustain you while you wait.
— Remember that God’s grace is sufficient for every season of waiting.
— Ask God for grace to enjoy your “now” while waiting on your “next.”
— Resist the temptation to daydream constantly about the future, if your daydreaming is stealing valuable time, energy, and effort that God wants you to apply to your current season.
— Learn to balance expectation with contentment.
— Guard your heart against hope deferred, making it sick.
— Maintain your joy during seasons of waiting.
3. Maximize Your Current Season.
Waiting on the Lord to tell you what to do next does not have to be a bad experience. If He led you to where you are right now, then enjoy the season you are in. David had six sons while he was waiting to become the king of Israel. He did not sit around and pout while he was waiting on God in Hebron. He enjoyed himself, he maximized the season, and he continued to grow while he was waiting on the Lord to open the next door.
How this applies to you:
— David didn’t waste his waiting period daydreaming about tomorrow. He lived fully today while maintaining faith for tomorrow.
— David built his family, strengthened his position, and continued to grow in influence while he was waiting for God to make him the King of Israel.
— Every season has a purpose, even seasons of waiting.
— God expects us to be productive while we wait on His timing.
— Find ways to be fruitful in your current position.
— Resist the urge to put your life “on hold” while waiting.
— Focus on what you can do now instead of what you’re waiting for.
— Look for opportunities to grow right where God has planted you.
— Create meaningful memories and experiences in your waiting season. This is a lesson I have learned over the years. I am enjoying my current season, even though, for me, in many ways, this is a waiting season.
— Remember that how you wait is as important as what you’re waiting for. Furthermore, HOW you wait can impact HOW LONG you wait.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me to enjoy my “now” while I wait for my “next.”
I declare that Your grace empowers me to wait for my tomorrow without losing the joy of my today.
I am blessed where I am, and I am growing stronger as I wait for what You have prepared.
I access Your divine grace daily to maintain both contentment and expectation.
I walk in supernatural patience, refusing to let hope deferred make my heart sick.
My waiting season is productive and purposeful because Your grace is sufficient for me.
I declare that I am positioned for Your perfect timing and positioned for Your promotion when that time comes.
I live in the fullness of today while maintaining unwavering faith for tomorrow!
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it, and prosper!
