Sometimes, in life, you may feel you are alone, and you feel no one cares about you. However, you are not alone and you can make it. God is with you even when it does not seem so to you.
Waiting for results is not easy. Especially in difficult situations when you are starving for quick response (or help). God assures us that “When we pass through the waters, He will be with us; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow us: when we walk through the fire, we shall not be burned; neither shall the flame scorch us,” (Isaiah 43:2).
Your faith will be tested by negativity, failures, sicknesses and evil. Not by God, but by Satan, to sway you away from God and from victory. Remember Job? God Himself acknowledged Job’s righteousness. Yet Satan tempted Job to make him renounce his faith in God. Even Job’s three friends believed Job was not completely sincere. But Job proved God right by his faithfulness. And God blessed Job for standing firm in his faith.
“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small,” (Proverbs 24:10; NKJV).
Someone said that God does not promise us a smooth flight, but He promises us a safe landing. (I don’t know who said that, but my experiences make me to agree with the person who said that). No matter how rough the storms you encounter, you will land safely at the harbor. God is in the midst of the winds that stir the storms to prevent the winds from destroying you. If you can see Jesus amid the storms, then you will see that you are actually riding on the shoulders of Jesus who will take you safely to the shore.
Not all the runners in the race make it to the finishing point. And in your endeavors, you, too, may consider giving up when the challenges become too many.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, “I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.”
Someone, referring to this passage in Ecclesiastes 9:11, on “the race is not to the swift,” wrote,“The race is not always to the swift but to those who keep on running.”
We all have time and space to work with the resources that God has bestowed upon us. You may have limited resources, or you may not have the financial and physical resources to begin with at all. But you have the desire to make it in life. Your desire to succeed may be the only resource that you have. And that, though limited, can be the springboard that you can use to launch out and manifest your success.
Many remain the same, without succeeding in life because, though they believe that God is always ready to bless, they give up when the going gets tougher as they climb the ladder of success.
Correct your mistakes and create new plans when you fail. Fight back the feelings of discouragement that get in your way. Though circumstances can make it difficult for you to progress smoothly, circumstances should not make it impossible for you to progress in life.
Some people have risen from grass to grace even when people doubted that they could succeed. Some started with nothing, but they worked hard and saved the little they made and eventually became rich. Some were considered too young or too old, but they proved the skeptics wrong. Though they encountered challenges, discouragements, and delay, they pressed on to achieve their visions.
Circumstances may slow you down, but you can still climb. When you cannot run, you walk. And if you cannot walk, you crawl. And you will still be moving toward your goal.
Many are waiting to get money before they start. Those people are still waiting. And they will continue to wait. Start something now. That will make anyone you want to help you have confidence in you. If you are doing nothing now, how will anyone trust you with money?
Pursue your goal and strive towards excellence. You will eventually succeed. No matter how long it takes you, you will eventually realize your vision. Like Joseph did.
People who persevere accomplish great things.
Success does not come easily. You will encounter challenges and rejections. Even though you pray that you will not encounter them. You may have worked diligently, prayed and believed in what you are doing. You know you are sincere in your endeavors. And you are honest in your dealings with people. Yet sometimes you feel alone and forsaken. You feel rejected by some of the people you place your hope on and only a few believe or help you. Besides, the more you try to convince people, the more you feel that some of them are skeptical about your intentions. And you feel that Jesus knows how sincere you are and why you will succeed.
Despite the fears and challenges, if you believe in yourself, you will achieve your goals. If you have faith in God, and you are diligent in your work, you will rise when you fall, (Micah 7:8), and you will stand among successful people, (Proverbs 22:29).
God knows you well. God will not forsake you. And God will not deny you success, if you are right with Him, (1 John 3:21-22). God promises you that, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame scorch you,” (Isaiah 43:12; KJ2000).
Be like the Cushite Joab sent to deliver the victory message to King David, (2 Samuel 18:19-21). After Joab had sent him, Ahimaaz came again to persuade Joab to let him also go. Joab had earlier refused Ahimaaz’s request. But this time, he yielded to Ahimaaz’s pressure and allowed Ahimaaz to also take the message to the King, (2 Samuel 18:22-23).
Ahimaaz was a faster runner than the Cushite. So, though the Cushite took off earlier, Ahimaaz passed him and reached David first with the message. The Cushite knew that Ahimaaz would deliver the message to King David before him. Yet he did not stop running! (Read the whole account in 2 Samuel 18.) People who are well resourced will always be ahead of you. But do not quit the race. God called you, and He has not given up on you.
Ahimaaz reached David first and delivered the message. But when David asked about the fate of Absalom, Ahimaaz had no information. That information was critical to King David. So, the King had to wait for another messenger to bring that information. And when the Cushite eventually arrived, he provided that part of the information. So, though you are still behind, do not stop running. You have an important part to play.
Achievers do not give up. Even when others have passed them and they are left alone, they continue running. When they are in hostile environments, or situations, they do not lose their composure and confidence, and they do not react violently or negatively.
They envision success, no matter the circumstances. They go to sleep thinking of success despite challenges. Even when they think some people do not believe them, they feed their minds with hope, visions and ideas of success. And they know that there are other people who believe them and will come to their aid. When they fall (or fail), they know it is temporary. They quickly rise and continue running the race.
When they don’t immediately attain their visions, they maintain the confidence that they are still relevant and that they will succeed. They continue renewing their minds to adapt to present situations and environments.
Moses was 40 years old when he first exhibited his vision of leadership qualities. But the environment was not conducive for him then, and he fled to the land of Midian. Forty years later, at the age of eighty (80), God called him and sent him back to Egypt. Fitted for the role that God had for him, even in that advanced age, Moses led the nation of Israel out of bondage. And he led them forty years, with Aaron as the High Priest.
Achievers are constantly transforming themselves into new personalities, allowing God’s Spirit to change them and adapt to the ways of God, (Romans 12:2).
Lack of adequate financial resources make it difficult to get the ideal (or the requisite) tools to work effectively. And so, what may take five years to achieve results may take as long as fifteen (15) years or more for you to obtain optimum success. Often, extended waiting periods delayed my work. You may be compelled to work with substandard tools (or work with tools that were not what you originally hoped for).
You may have limited resources. Or you may not even have resources to begin with at all. Your desire and determination to succeed may be the resources that you have to start with. And though limited, that can be the springboard for you to launch out and manifest success.
God is the one who calls us. Let us focus on Jesus.
