let. us. be. violent. in. our. waiting.

It's occurred to me that waiting is a time of warfare. A time of perseverance. A time to kill, literally. To kill off your flesh, the enemy and all of his attacks coming against your life. When God tells you to wait for something- an answer- anything. When you don't know what to do in a situation, but you know you're supposed to wait, then I believe you are at one of the most vulnerable points in your life. The glorious thing about it is that it can also be the most spiritually rewarding.

Galatians 6:9 has become one of my new favorite verses. It says, "Let us not grow weary and faint in doing good, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap a harvest, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint or give up." What an amazing verse. We can't loosen our grip! Not even a little. It takes endurance to be a strong warrior.

Daniel 7:25 says that the enemy tries to "wear out" the saints of the Most High. We want to loosen our grip when we get tired. When we grow faint, we must fight against it. The words "wear out" in the Bible are translated to literally mean "to mentally afflict; wear down; to be spent, wasted." In this season of my life, when I am prayerfully seeking the Father with as much as I can give, I've never been more mentally afflicted. I take heart, because I know in due season I will reap the harvest.

I've learned that waiting isn't sitting around in mediocrity. It's binding myself to the Father so my grip will be as tight as a braid of three strands together. The enemy wants us to lose courage so that we will be casual in our prayers and not violent in action. Prayer is the most threatening weapon to our adversary. He wants us to get distracted, lose track of time, get too busy so that we can't pray. He wants us to lose focus on our mighty God. But lift your eyes to Heaven and lock your gaze on Jesus.

Sometimes we can get discouraged because we don't see results, we aren't getting answers, we aren't getting our instant coffee in a second from God. That, I believe, is a pivotal point in prayer. I believe it's when you want to give up that God is just about to unleash a powerful breakthrough on your life. He want to see you fight. He wants you to become strong. Getting immediate results wouldn't develop character. As cliche as it is, it takes time to build physical muscle. It's the same concept of being a spiritual warrior. Be consistent in your efforts and you will feel the strength rising up inside of you.

The Father has an APPOINTED SEASON for everything. We must earnestly seek His face, not giving up, so that His perfect timing can be displayed in our lives. When we take matters into our own hands, we give birth to premature life, develop late, or we murder the life God laid out for us. Don't miss it. Do not miss what God has in store for you because you lose heart, because you grow weary and give in, give out or give up. Be joyful in hope. Patient in affliction. Faithful in prayer. (Romans 12).

written 01.13.2008