How Long Are You Going to Wait?
“How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?” Joshua 18:3
How long are you going to wait? This is the question Joshua posed to the seven tribes who had not yet been allotted their grants of land that God promised them. “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?” (Joshua 18:3)
In other words, “What are you waiting for?! GO GET YOUR PROMISE!”
I had to ask myself the same question.
How long am I going to wait before I put 100% into bringing to fruition the vision God has given me? How long am I going to willingly allow myself to lack discipline? How long am I going to allow myself to be distracted by fruitless activities? How long am I going to allow myself to be intimidated by God’s promise (and the work, discipline and time it requires)?
I had to really consider whether or not it was due to the fear of failure or due to the disbelief that I have greatness living on the inside of me. Am I really scared of walking in my purpose or am I in disbelief that God would use me in such a way? Am I in disbelief that my voice matters so much that God would give me a platform? An audience? Influence? A ministry? A business? A vision?
The list goes on.
This doubt then opens a door for the enemy to step in and FEED the disbelief. And this “enemy” isn’t coming in the form of “haters.” Oh no, the devil is much smarter than that. This enemy is the negative thoughts…
The reminders of your upbringing. Don’t you remember where you came from?
The reminders of your lack of resources. Who’s going to fund that dream? Where are you going to get the money? Do you even know how to run a business? Where are you going to find the time to put in all that work?
The reminders of your lack of popularity. Don’t you remember the type of child you were? You never spoke up. You were never popular. Who’s going to listen to you now?
Even the enemy knows poverty is a mindset. Even the enemy knows in order to take you down, it has to come for your thought process by attacking your SELF - self-esteem and self-identity.
But here’s how you combat those negative thoughts and go after all that God has promised you.
Remember what God’s Word says about you. Romans 8:15-16 - “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. INSTEAD, you received God’s Spirit when he ADOPTED you as HIS OWN. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” You are the daughter and son of a king. When you look in the mirror, you’re looking at royalty. Jesus carried a cross so you could wear a crown. You have too big of a God to continue playing small. You are not an imposter. You are a child of God and your Father said if you ask you shall receive. Be bolder in your prayers.
Remember what lives on the inside of you. Romans 8:11 - “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, LIVES IN YOU.” You have the power of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you and all it takes is faith to activate it. Those negative thoughts have no power over the Spirit inside of you. It gives YOU the power to speak authority over this enemy. So, don’t be afraid to talk back to these thoughts. When you find yourself thinking, “Who do you think you are?” Respond with, “I am the daughter (or son) of the King and I will carry myself as such. The bible tells me I am God’s workmanship and His masterpiece. The bible tells me that His Spirit lives within me.”
Stop focusing on the big vision and start DOING the small steps. Sometimes a goal as big as starting a business can seem like an overwhelming feat to take on. A business isn’t going to magically be up and running in just a week and don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself. Commit to doing at least one thing every day that gets you one step closer to your goal. So, Monday the goal is to start writing or typing the goal out. Tuesday you research the industry/market you’re about to interrupt and so on and on. After awhile, it will go from one task a day to two tasks to three tasks. The point is you don’t always have to just take off running. All you have to do is just starting walking in the right direction, step by step.
Actively work to change your mindset. This is so important. So much of our upbringing, childhood experiences, past failures or shortcomings shape our mindset and the way we think. We have to be intentional about changing our perspective. I challenge you to watch a motivational video or sermon or listen to an inspiring podcast every morning while you’re getting ready or enjoying a cup of coffee. I promise, you do this long enough and it will reignite a fire in you. Any time I start thinking about sleeping in instead of getting up and knocking out one of my tasks, I’ll hear Eric Thomas telling me to “Wake up!” I’ll hear Les Brown reminding me that I woke up before my alarm clock because my purpose woke me up and it’s time to get to work.
Replace one bad habit with one productive habit. We can all think of at least one thing we spend time doing every day that’s unproductive, meaning it adds no value to our life. It doesn’t get us any closer to the life we envision for ourselves and our family. Replace that one thing with something productive. For me, I’ve decided to limit how much tv I watch. I’m replacing at least one hour of television with reading a book that either contributes to a positive and successful mindset or that contributes to me becoming an expert at my craft.
I pray you find your confidence to GO GET YOUR PROMISE!