This pic shows the look you just may have on your face when you see someone doing exactly what you know God told you to do, but you made excuses not to.
There will be a season of grace from God that He will give you to use what He has given you. After that season is up you will begin to see it and hear it from others. This is going to hurt your heart. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem at the time that you put off doing it, once you see someone else going forth with it, it may just mean the world to you, because as small as it seemed at the time, you did acknowledge God for giving you the idea. You're going to remember the notes you wrote on it, the plans, all of it...all of the strategies that He gave you that you did not use. You're going to remember the times that you kept it to yourself for fear that someone would "steal" it, and you're going to wish with all your heart that you had done what you were supposed to do. Coming along after the fact and saying, "God gave me that years ago" or "months ago", makes you look like someone who is all talk and no action (which might actually be true). It won't do anything but prove that you didn't move forward in faith when God clearly gave you His blessing to do so. You need to understand that He gave you His blessing when He gave you the idea and the plan. Once you're clear that He's doing the talking, be clear on the fact that He's got your back. You waste precious time waiting for people to come along and support you without understanding that when God gave it to you to do, He was letting you know that you had HIS support, And if God be for you.... (Romans 8:31)
Saying, "What God has for me is for me", is not always true. Some things He has to do because it is a matter of helping you to fulfill His ultimate purpose in you. Other things He will promise only as a condition of your obedience to His instruction or leading. In those cases you can't walk in disobedience and still lay claim to the blessing that was a condition of obedience.
Many years ago, as I was going through one of the hardest times of my life I began to write poetry. The Lord let me know that His plan was for me to publish books of that poetry. He gave me the name, The Parchments, and the scripture that I based the title on (I Timothy 4:13). I was also to publish a book of romantic poetry, but The Parchments was supposed to be published first. The Parchments was going to be a ministry tool to help and encourage people. I was excited about the idea of publishing but I had to wait on God's timing. In the meantime though, in order to keep me from becoming relaxed about what I was to do, the Lord gave me a dream. I dreamed that I was watching television, and saw a man being interviewed about his project, The Parchments. In this interview he was talking about the things that the Lord had given me to do! My heart sank! I realized that I hadn't done what God had given me to do and now God had given it to someone else who had taken it and run with it, and here he was on television talking about it! That was supposed to be ME! When I awoke from that dream I still had that sinking feeling, but I was determined that no one would get a chance to go forward with something that God had given me but I refused to go forward with.
More recently though, it happened in real life. There was something that the Lord had given to me years ago when I thought I was going to be over a particular ministry. I had come up with the name and the slogan, had made plans for activities, meetings, discussions, all of it. For whatever reason that didn't happen, but I still had the slogan which, although was originally for that ministry, could be used in all of life. I never used it or shared it. Honestly I felt small compared to so many others and felt that it might be taken and used by someone with more notoriety. You see, I knew it came from God. I knew and know that my gift is strong and that I am anointed by God to do it. I know that there is power in my words. I just felt that my platform was too small and that any following I'd have would be too small, or just big enough for someone more popular to get hands on it and get "credit" for it and leave me sitting somewhere saying, "He/She got that from me". So for years I held it back waiting for the time when I thought I could go forth with it without having someone more popular taking it from me. (Did I not say this was a moment of transparency?)
Years passed and then one day it happened, I heard someone on the radio using it. Now let me be clear; this wasn't someone on the radio in another city who I didn't know. The Lord gave it to someone close to me, who I hadn't shared it with. The next time I saw it somewhere was online. Someone in my connections who I hadn't spoken to about it (remember I was afraid to share it with anybody for fear that it would be taken) was using it while talking about their new project. Again, not someone I didn't know. It goes to show that the Lord will let you see how He doesn't have to go far away from you to find someone who will focus on doing what He gives them and not who will get credit for it. The truth is, HE gets credit for it. The glory is not ours, but HIS. Is He not the one who gives the idea and strategy in the first place? So my attitude was all wrong anyway! I was a vessel trying to make sure I got credit as if I was the creator. Upon seeing this, I was reminded of many other things that God has given me to do and was also reminded that I'd better hop to it because you know, this is not a good feeling.
There are many of us who are born and chosen of God to be leaders in all we do. The calling and anointing is there. The gifts are there, and the favor of God to support those gifts is also given to us. Some will do all that God has placed in their hands to do while others will do only some of it, and others still will do nothing but make excuses. For everything that God gives you and for every excuse that you use not to do it, you will come to regret it. He will give it to someone else, and He will allow you to see it.
No matter what you may have to do to make it happen, just remember something that my oldest brother said years ago while he was preaching, "THE POWER TO SUCCEED IS IN THE COMMAND TO DO". This means that even if you don't have the ability or the means to accomplish something, the moment God speaks to you to do it, the power and means for you to get it done are in His words and if you agree with His words, they will not return to Him void, (Isaiah 55:11), but they will be accomplished. God cannot lie, so if He gives you instructions, your ability to carry out those instructions are in His instructions.
God has promised to prosper what you do, so Whatever He
is giving you to do for the kingdom, do it. (Psalm 1:3)
Refer to Matthew 25:14-30, especially vs 28
LIFE
LESSONS:
1. You’re
bigger than you think you are.
2. People
you admire and look up to admire and look up to you.
3. You may feel
unimportant, but people are waiting with bated breath for you to speak or do
whatever it is that you are supposed to do.
4. People
with lesser talent or ability will be used by God because of their willingness
while you, with greater ability, sit on the sidelines criticizing them, all
because you made excuses.
5. You are waiting
for the “right time” when in actuality, the right time is now. The Lord will always let you know when you need to wait a
while. If He doesn’t say WAIT, you need to be MOVING.
6. REMEMBER:
Just like the Lord gave it to someone else because you didn’t use it, He probably gave it to you because someone
before you didn’t use it.
7. You, the created
vessel should never try to take credit for something as if you are the creator.
8. God won’t
give you anything that can’t be a blessing to others and that He can’t get the
glory out of.
10. What God
gives you to do is great. It is a big deal. It is important. People will
want to use it and share it, because it is good. That’s the whole point!
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