Pr. James Victor Lubwama
Ezekiel 22:14 (NASB)
“Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong in
the days that I will deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken and will act.”
What God has done in
your life so far is confirmation enough of what He is yet to do! Many people cry out
to God asking why He hasn't done this and that for them, and God’s response to such a
question is; 'My people still doubt what
I can do, yet what I have done so far is confirmation that I am going to do
much more'. If it is in God’s plan to work for you, He will surely do it because whatever He starts, He finishes. The bible tells us in Philippians 1:6 (NIV) that;
“Being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion”
Is there something you have seen as a miracle or breakthrough in your life? Take that as lesson that God who did it, will after a while do something more. Did God bless you with children? Be confident that he will educate them up to university because He is the Alpha and Omega!
Is there something you have seen as a miracle or breakthrough in your life? Take that as lesson that God who did it, will after a while do something more. Did God bless you with children? Be confident that he will educate them up to university because He is the Alpha and Omega!
We are different from God in two ways;
- His ways are not our ways and his thoughts or plans are not similar to ours.
- God’s timing is different. Just as the times zones are different even God’s time in his dwelling - heaven is different from ours.
Times
and seasons are under the sun , but in God’s kingdom there is eternity; there is
no day or night; He is governed by seasons not time. Our God operates in seasons and to Him everything has the right season. If
an undesirable situation arises, it may distress you and God will be vividly watching; but when your season dawns, everything that afflicted you will be no more, and a season
of God’s goodness is launched filled with the desires of your heart! God comes out in seasons, and if you have
prayed, He will come and deal with you in the right season.
According to Ezekiel 22:14, there are two things that grow weak before the right season - heart and hands (“Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong......")
According to Ezekiel 22:14, there are two things that grow weak before the right season - heart and hands (“Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong......")
1 - HEART
It is important to note that before your season, God will not show up! For most people, it is easy to praise, worship and seek God when life is rosy, but its very difficult of them to speak of the Lord when they are in the opposite state. It is very easy to praise God when all is well, but troubles, challenges and various problems weigh down your heart; even when God hasn’t worked for you or answered your prayers yet, you should continue to praise and delight in Him. God says that before He deals with you; before he works for you; before he grants your heart's desires, will your heart withstand the storms of life?
Ezekiel 22:14 (NASB) - “Can your heart endure....."
Why should your heart be strong? Because the challenges you face and negative words spoken into your life may break
your heart; make you feel downcast and even start to doubt God. It is important to note that before your season, God will not show up! For most people, it is easy to praise, worship and seek God when life is rosy, but its very difficult of them to speak of the Lord when they are in the opposite state. It is very easy to praise God when all is well, but troubles, challenges and various problems weigh down your heart; even when God hasn’t worked for you or answered your prayers yet, you should continue to praise and delight in Him. God says that before He deals with you; before he works for you; before he grants your heart's desires, will your heart withstand the storms of life?
God designed time, put in place
prophets who could read seasons and stars and planned that; at the time when Herod
is the reigning king, the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem; but time had passed and
messengers had prophesied but God was silent. Why? He was waiting for the right season.
The gospel too was already in existence but the time had not come for it to
traverse other areas, but at the right time, God poured the Holy Spirit unto the
apostles and revealed His mysteries unto them and thus they started preaching the good
news. Titus 1:3 (AMPC) says;
“And [now] in His own appointed time He
has made manifest (made known) His Word and revealed it as His message through
the preaching……..”
God works at the right time, in the right season. Your time may come to pass – as per your timing before God’s
season; but when God’s seasons dawns, He repays for all missed out in the past. You may be weak and
disappointed because of the bitter current state of your affairs but be encouraged, take heart and wait for your season. It doesn’t matter what you are facing or going through
today, the time is coming when you will enter into your harvest season and be
fulfilled, so don’t quit before your season. Remain in the right
place for your season is coming.
Will your heart be strong? It is your responsibility to help your heart to be strong. How? Bring your heart to church because when you hear the word of God, your heart will be uplifted and your faith will grow stronger; God has the right word for you - His word is medicine to your heart. Proverbs 4:20-22 (NLT) says;
Will your heart be strong? It is your responsibility to help your heart to be strong. How? Bring your heart to church because when you hear the word of God, your heart will be uplifted and your faith will grow stronger; God has the right word for you - His word is medicine to your heart. Proverbs 4:20-22 (NLT) says;
“My
child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to
my words. 21 Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, 22 for
they bring life to those who find them, and
healing to their whole body”
If you are wounded, the Lord
knows your wounds; and when you go to church, He sends the right word for you during bible study; when
you fellowship, you hear testimonies and, get encouraged and regain hope as
you wait for your season. There is a day when God will deal with you. Your time is coming but will your heart
endure? Before God works for you, do not give up, continue to serve Him as you wait for your miracle or breakthrough.
1 Kings 18:42-44 (NLT)
“Elijah
climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with
his face between his knees. 43 Then he said to his servant, “Go and
look out toward the sea." The servant went and
looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. 44 Finally the seventh time, his servant
told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the
sea.” Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your
chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!”
In the scriptures above, we see that
there was drought for 3 years and Elijah cried out to the Lord to cause rain to
come. He persisted in prayer until on the seventh time his servant saw a tiny cloud - Elijah stayed on his knees until he got results. Will your heart endure in prayer untill your season? Keep praying;
keep reminding God until he perfects that which concerns you, give Him no rest
until he makes your life a testimony. The bible says in Isaiah 62:6-7 (EXB) that;
“Jerusalem, I have put
guards [post watchmen] on your walls. They ·must not [or will never] be silent day
or night. You people who remind the Lord of your needs in prayer [or call on the Lord] should never be quiet [take no rest] 7 You
should not stop praying to him [give him no rest] until he builds up
Jerusalem and makes it a city ·all people will praise [of
praise/pride in the earth]”
Do not make a mistake and
give God an ultimatum, lest you will be disappointed. Remember,
God dwells in eternity where there is no day or night for evermore, and in the right season, He will deal with you.
2 - HANDS
Ezekiel 22:14 (NASB) - “Can your hands be strong in the days that I will deal with you?....."
Will
you continue serving God before he grants you the desires of your heart? Luke 1:8-13 (NLT) says;
“One
day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that
week. 9 As was the
custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord
and burn incense. 10 While the
incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah
was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the
right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah
was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But
the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your
wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You
will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
As we see in the scripture above, Zechariah had no child, but he continued to serve the Lord; if you leave
what you are doing for God - ministry because you feel that He has delayed to work for you, you will miss out on a lot of things. God expects that when your season comes, He will find you standing (on the rock - His word), praying and
still serving Him!
Your package is in the pipeline waiting to be delivered at the right season and God expects you to be patient, and continue serving and praying as you wait. Even when things don't add up; even when your prayers haven’t been answered; even when you feel like your life has hit a dead-end, let your hope remain in the Lord because when your season comes, He will wipe away your tears. Satan uses the surrounding circumstances to pierce and weaken your heart so that you stop doing what you are purposed to do, however, don’t quit. Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NIV) says;
Your package is in the pipeline waiting to be delivered at the right season and God expects you to be patient, and continue serving and praying as you wait. Even when things don't add up; even when your prayers haven’t been answered; even when you feel like your life has hit a dead-end, let your hope remain in the Lord because when your season comes, He will wipe away your tears. Satan uses the surrounding circumstances to pierce and weaken your heart so that you stop doing what you are purposed to do, however, don’t quit. Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NIV) says;
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
We should also remember that the word of God is a seed which does not die, and if you have received a Rhema word or prophesy, keep believing and confessing it until you enter into your harvest season. Luke 8:15 (MSG) teaches; “But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest”
We should also remember that the word of God is a seed which does not die, and if you have received a Rhema word or prophesy, keep believing and confessing it until you enter into your harvest season. Luke 8:15 (MSG) teaches; “But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest”
Your
season is round the corner, but will your hands remain
strong? If you had quit or become apathetic, go back and do what you used to do, for your season is
coming. What is it you used to do? Was it encouraging your friends, ushering or cleaning chairs? Whatever it was, keep serving God even though you see no cloud; don't be dampened or discouraged no matter how bleak your current season looks.
You may have been abused, despised or neglected because your season has not yet come, but when you enter into your harvest, you will be a head and all the tears and sorrow will be wiped away for the glory of God. One thing you must do is to bring your heart to church where you will hear the word of God which is the antidote to hopelessness and worry. God has neither left nor forgotten you - your season has just not come yet; before the right season, God will seem weak but when your season dawns, you will see his greatness.
