Is God holding out on you?

Have you ever wondered that?  Wondered if there's another way, a better way than God's way? I sure have. In the middle of a hard season, of just trying to be obedient to God and wondering how long will it take for Him to do something in this situation.

The enemy has worked since the beginning to convince us that God is holding out on us.  He did it with Eve and he does it with you & I today. Think about Eve. Satan’s message of, “Oh God doesn’t want you to eat that tree because he knows you’ll be so wise if you do. God’s holding out on you.  Life is better when when you do it your own way, not God’s.”  The Bible is filled from cover to cover of examples of the temptation that something outside of God’s will is better.  The world today is filled with those same messages, making sin look so tempting.  Through music, movies, television, sin is glorified. Lust is luring.  We hear, “Why wait on God’s will, when you can do this right now and have pleasure today?  God’s just holding out on you.”

The Bible is also filled with examples of what happens when we make one of two choices:  

1. to stay within God’s will, or  

2.  to turn our back on God’s will for something we’ve come to believe is “better”

Saul thought pleasing people would be better than pleasing God.  David had to have another man’s wife.  Jonah thought going his own way was better than God’s. Sarah thought God’s promise was taking too long, so she took matters in her own hands.  Even the prodigal son thought taking his Father’s inheritance, leaving his father and doing his own thing with it now was better than just being with his Father.  They were deceived to believe that something was better than God’s way. Saul lost his kingdom and his mind; David lost his son; Jonah got swallowed up; to this day the world suffers for Sarah’s choice; and the prodigal son found himself living with pigs.  

The enemy is still working today to convince you and I that a different way other than God’s is better.  He desperately wants us out of the will of God.   What better way for Lucifer to get back at God, the one who kicked him out of Heaven, than to convince us, the ones God gave his own son for, the ones he laid down His life for, not trust Him and His ways.  We are surrounded by temptations every day.  The enemy whispers, “God’s way is not the best way.  This way is better, quicker and more satisfying.”   The enemy is a good liar, “for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

God is so good, he loves us so much and His ways are for our benefit.  He loves us and longs to bless us, just like we love our own children and want to be good to them.  That’s why it’s so hard when our own children make bad choices, because we long to bless them.  But when they disobey,  we can’t give them the great rewards that we are wanting to give them.  We are teaching them, for their own good, so we have to wait until they obey us to reward them.  Can you imagine your child running and playing on an Interstate and then you running out there and giving them a bicycle and balloon?    Ridiculous, right? Yet we sometimes expect God will do that very thing when we are living recklessly and disobediently.  We give our children boundaries and when they stay in those boundaries, they are safe.  We can then bless them with more freedom and things when they are obedient and honor us as their parents.  God is a better parent than we could ever be.  He gives us boundaries.  He tells us the consequences of our choices before we make them. Then he loves us enough to let us make our choices. “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live”  (Deuteronomy 30:19).  He wants us to choose life and blessings, but he still gives us the choice.  

I’ve yet to see an example of choosing something outside of God’s plan work out as better.   I’ve seen brokenness and I’ve seen pain. I’ve lived the brokenness and lived the pain of choosing my own way.  We all see the consequences of selfish choices.  We see it within our own families, on the news, and even in the division within our  country.  The pain of living outside of God’s will.  The consequences of hate, lust and greed. His will for us is good, yet so many don’t know him or even for those of us who do know him, we are tempted to believe our own will is better than His. We are tempted to believe He really can’t be fully trusted. And then we and others suffer for it.   

He’s such a good father to us that even when we blow it big time, he’s waiting to welcome us back.  Like the prodigal son, when we realize we’ve really messed up and find ourselves knee deep in our own shattered life, surrounded by pigs, we turn back to Him and there he is, arms open wide, looking right in our eyes, not with shame or disgust, but with limitless mercy and joy to have us back.   Joy.  With us covered in pig dung, he looks at us with mercy and joy.  He takes our hand, puts his coat on us to cover our shame, and walks with us on the journey to restoration.   This is the beauty of the love of our Father.  He loves us big.  He teaches us Truth.  He gives us his Spirit to convince us of His ways and empower us to walk in them. He lets us make our choices, even if it means turning our back on him.  He also lets us walk in the consequences of our choices.  But, at any moment we are ready, he welcomes us back to him.  He’s a good, good Father.  

Have you seen the blessing of obedience in people’s lives?  Growing up, I was surrounded by family that loved God and had chosen to follow Him.  The Bible talks of generational curses and generational blessings. “ …and showing lovingkindness unto a thousand generations of them that love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:6).  I’ve had the joy to walk in a generational blessing because those before me chose the Lord and his way above all.  They paved the way.  It made my journey easier because I could see the blessing and had examples of how to walk that way.  But in reality, not everyone starts out in a life of blessing. We have no choice in the family we’re born in or whether we grow up knowing the love and blessing of God or knowing only brokenness and pain. 

Those in a family who are the first to make a decision to trust & follow Jesus - they are the warriors. They are like brave explorers and pioneers entering an unknown land.  A land covered with thorns and thistles. And yet, they believe it can be a land of promise, prosperity and blessing.  With their minds determined and their heart set, they choose blessing and obedience when all they’ve been surrounded by is curses and sin.  They embrace the promises of God, one by one, day by day.  They clear the land so that a new life can begin. They uproot the unholy things that surround them (Ecc. 3:1-8).  They tear down the golden images of greed and lust that have been worshipped.  They do demolition to the things of the past.  I see them as warriors, suited up in the armor of God and carrying the sword of the spirit, the Word of God, doing some serious battle.They begin to build altars to the Lord.  Where there was greed, they uproot it and choose to sow generosity.  They give big. Where there was pain and hard hearts, they break down those walls and choose forgiveness and allow God’s love and word to break up the hard ground in their hearts so faith can grow unhindered in this place.  They love big and choose peace.  Where lust had taken over like vines weaving through every growing, living thing, they cut them at the root, pull them down, and look up to see the beauty of what’s before them, pure and true. They can see clearly now.  They make a decision to not allow any wicked things before their eyes in this new land.  Daily they feed on the Word of God, not taking for granted its power.  Then they sow faith and love and wait expectantly to see the harvest of this holy seed.  At first it’s only soil and seed.  No fruit to see.  Just dirt. But they keep their eyes looking to the one who has promised.  They sow and wait.  Sow and wait.  While they wait, they go back to the word and build their faith. Patience keeps them. Day by day. Then one morning they awaken to tiny sprouts of new life in this place they have toiled over.  It looks so small, but watch out because it’s growing.  Life giving fruit is growing in this once treacherous land. This is new life.  This is our choice. This is the power of the blessing. This is only the beginning. 

They keep embracing the Word of promise as they wait. Keep sowing and watering with faith and love. Because in time, those seeds  will grow fruit that will be packed with ten times the seeds that they started with.  Soon, as far as the eye can see there is life-giving fruit. Blessing surrounds them. People will come and see and wonder how this happened.   People will eat from this fruit as it is shared with all who come around. They have the opportunity to tell them of the goodness and plan of the Lord. These are the warriors that change future generations.   These are the people who are convinced that the Lord is worthy to be trusted; that his way is best.  They have made a decision.  They won’t look back.  

You have been called out of darkness, into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). You are called to know him - really know HIM (Phil 3:10). You are called to trust him (Prv 3:5). You are called to wear the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17). You are called to walk in blessing (James 1:25).

My prayer for you is that you know the love of God, how unfailing his love is for you.  That you know his will for you is good. That you love him with all your heart, soul and strength. That you trust him and trust his heart for you.  That you trust any boundaries he gives you is for your good.  That you choose him. Every day, over and over. That you reject the whispering lies of the enemy that God is holding out on you, that there’s something better.  I pray you are strong in the Lord and the power of his might.  I pray he surrounds you with people who will walk alongside you & fight with you. That you tear down that which needs to be tore down and that you have the strength to sow new seeds of faith and love, to build a godly legacy.  And lastly, even when you forget all that and blow it big time, that you remember how great His love is for you and that He is still waiting for you with open arms and so are we, your family of God.