Do you find yourself in a dead end place where rescue is your only option? Is the fire growing hotter with no exit door in sight?

Nobody likes these fiery trials in life. No one wakes up seeking dead end situations with no way out. No one desires this, but let me assure you God dwells in this!

God abides in the place of the impossible. God inhabits the too far gone. God resides in the hopeless, dead end destination you’ve tried desperately to avoid. But here, you will find God. And you will find his power on full display like never before.

There’s a story in my bible titled “Four Men in a Furnace”. But reading the story, it really seems it’s about 3 men, not 4. The fourth doesn’t appear until the worst unfolds. Let’s read it together in Daniel 3.

King Nebuchadnezzar built a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet thick. A herald then proclaimed in a loud voice: “Attention, everyone! When you hear the band strike up, fall to your knees and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Anyone who does not kneel and worship shall be thrown immediately into a roaring furnace.”

The band started to play … (but there were three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to worship the gold statue.)

Furious, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the three men to be brought in. The King asked, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t respect my gods and refuse to worship the gold statue that I have set up? I’m giving you a second chance—but from now on, when the big band strikes up you must go to your knees and worship the statue I have made. If you don’t worship it, you will be pitched into a roaring furnace, no questions asked. Who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the King, “Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Flames from the furnace killed the men who carried them to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?” (You see, he thought this was a story about 3 men too.)

“But look!” he said. “I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!”

Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire.

All the important people gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn’t so much as touched the three men—not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them!

We read and think this is a story about 3, but it’s not. It was a story of 4 men in the furnace. The fourth just didn’t appear until the fire.

You live your life and think this is a story about you, but it’s not. This is the story of you and God TOGETHER. Maybe you just aren’t aware of his presence until you find yourself in that impossible place where God abides. And maybe you haven’t been brought here to be ruined, but to be rescued. And, Sis, if the fire is only growing bigger and hotter, then that means God’s rescue is going to be that much more impressive!

Life is habitually unexpected. If you’re trying to avoid the interruption of the unexpected, you’re letting a whole lot of living pass you by. Opportunities are flying right by you because you’re not sure. You think once you’re sure, you will dive in, but you won’t, because, Sis, you will never be sure. There is nothing so uncertain as a sure thing. Yeah, think about that for a second.

What have you been waiting on before you move forward? What flashing sign of confirmation have you set as a requirement before your commitment? How long have you been standing here on the shore, thinking about setting sail, but girl, your feet aren’t even wet. You bought the workout clothes, but your butt ain’t working out. You signed up for the class, but you aren’t so sure you’re going. You made that connection, but now you’re not connecting. You had the inspiration, but you’re not taking action. You bought the book, but you’re not reading. You said you would, but you’re still waiting.

Girl, what are you waiting for? Ahhhhh, let me guess. You’re waiting for better timing. You’re waiting for things to calm down. You’re waiting for the next thing to come and pass. Here’s the problem, you set those goals in a good mood, but then you’re waiting for that good mood to return before you follow through! You don’t have to be in a good mood to do good today! You say, “ahhhhh, not today, I’m not feeling it.” Oh crap, where’s that going to lead?

Ecclesiastes 11:4 “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”

Most of us aren’t real life farmers, but we’re standing here with seeds in our hands. Seeds of potential. Seeds that must be planted in order to become what they could be in our lives. But we’re waiting. Waiting for what? Perfect weather. We’re like the farmer watching the weather channel, consumed by what could be coming their way, while their fields go absolutely untouched. That farmer has no right to ask why nothing is growing in their fields … they were worrying about the weather instead of planting their seeds.

You’ve been trying to prepare yourself for the unexpected. You’ve been analyzing the details, stacking the odds against yourself, counting your hardships before you even do anything hard.

I mean really, how do you know you can’t do it? How do you know you would fail? How do you know it would be too hard for you? How do you know you wouldn’t be good enough? HAVE YOU FREAKING TRIED? Have you tried again since the last time?

You’re so desperately trying to avoid an encounter with the unexpected, that you only expect bad things. You expect the worst weather possible, so you don’t head to your fields. You expect failure, so you don’t give yourself a fair shot. You expect disappointment, so you no longer get your hopes up. You expect to be too tired, too stressed, too overwhelmed, too busy … so guess what … YOU ARE!

And let me tell you what your loving Creator who sits in Heaven thinks about all of this … He thinks, wow that was unexpected.

I thought I promised her I would always be with her. Why does she question if I’m with her now?

I thought I assured her I was holding the whole world in my capable hands. Why is she trying to carry it on her own?

I thought I already proved her value when I gave my Son for her. Dang, why is she hellbent on believing she’s not good enough?

I thought she heard me when I said I am working all of this together for something good. Why is she still refusing to let me have it so I can use it?

When God miraculously causes the sun to rise on a new day of life, he kind-of expects us to be amazed by it.

What can God do in this valley where you find yourself? What can he bring back to life? What can he begin again? What can he make new? What can he restore? Girl, I have no idea … but we should start talking about it!

Seriously, it’s time to start talking about what God can do!

We’ve been focusing on how hard it is down here in this valley that we can’t seem to climb our way out of. We’ve been talking about how much we hate it and doubt it’s ever going to change. We’ve been consumed with how unfair it is, how difficult it is, and how nothing seems to be changing. But God is calling us to talk about something different!

It’s time to talk to your valley of dry bones about the life they could have!

Yesterday we talked about the fruit that only grows in the valley. Today, we talk about a few things that have died down here in the low pits where we don’t want to be for another day. Scattered remains of what used to be.

Yes, that wedding ring on your finger that reminds you of the day you made that commitment, as you stand in the remains of a messy relationship you’re not sure can be saved … or if you even want to save it.

Yes, that job you were so excited to start, now you hate dragging your butt in for another day where you exchange precious hours of life for a paycheck that doesn’t seem to be worth it any more.

Yes, that child you had such hope for, and they have successfully trashed every detail of their life as if it were their sole purpose.

Yes, your body that once worked for you, now it just seems to work against you. Everything hurts and nothing looks like it used to look. You don’t even recognize yourself in the mirror any more.

Of course this isn’t limited to marriages and careers, wayward children, FUPAs and saggy boobs. This is everything. Everything you thought was going to be, and everything it ended up not really being. Everything you hoped it was becoming, and everything it stopped short of. This is your valley of dry bones. Reminders of that which used to have so much promise, but now it’s wasting away.

What do you do in your pit where it’s all lost hope? Oh girl, you start talking to it!

Check this out, Ezekiel 37: 1-15:

“The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

4Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old,

You think just because you’re going through a valley, a low time, a hard time, that you’re under attack. Oh but Sis, what if this isn’t an attack at all? What if this valley has been designed by God for a greater purpose. A purpose you do not currently see, but you will.

We all like mountaintop moments. We like standing high atop what we have just overcome and knowing we made it. Oh, the exhilaration of being on top of it all. We have one mountaintop experience, and that’s all we want. We rebuke any hint of coming down off the mountain. No Lord, I don’t want to go through a valley again. Leave me up here. I just want to stay up, don’t bring me down.

But, have you ever been on top of a real mountain? I’ve climbed for hours to get to the top of a mountain in Colorado. I did the hardest climb of my life at our Utah Retreat to stand above the clouds. We all cried because we made it! These are experiences I will never forget. But you know what I noticed on top of the mountain … nothing grows. There are no trees at the top. And that got me to thinking, if there are no trees, there is no fruit.

Hmmmmm, no fruit on the mountaintops.

All we want are mountaintop moments, but all God wants of our lives is to produce fruit. And my friend, God started showing me, the two really don’t go well together.

You know what does go well together? Valleys and fruit.

Valleys. These are the low times of life where the shadows of the mountains overwhelm you. You struggle in the valley. It’s in the valley that you work harder than you think you should have to work, for a result that doesn’t measure up to the effort it required. But things grow in the valley. Trees produce fruit in the valley. And my sister, it is here in the lows of life that you grow best. It is here where you want nothing more than to get out of the valley and stand atop those mountains, that God allows your life to produce fruit.

Jesus said in John 15:8 “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

And if you only produce fruit in the valleys of life, then guess what … God gets the most glory when you’re going through your greatest struggles. You grow through the low times.

Now, maybe you are under attack. Maybe the forces of Hell really have come up against you and are fighting over where you have the potential of going next and what you have a great calling to do. That’s real. But maybe, just maybe this low time in your life isn’t an attack, maybe it’s a valley where you will grow.

Life is full of ups and downs. It’s literally like a roller coaster ride. You’re climbing and climbing. Click, click, click, click, click and then that glorious moment where you’ve arrived. You’re here! Yessssssss!!!!!!!! But girl, you know what comes next. The drop. Always. We would like one perpetual high life of good times and great views, but God in his great design knows you gotta come down again so you grow more.

Nothing grows on the mountaintop. You aren’t growing to your greatest potential when everything is easy. And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, God is far more concerned with your character than your comfort. So ease goes right out the window, and the mountaintop isn’t your home forever. Back down in the valley you go.

Not as punishment. Not because you’re not good enough. Not because God’s good plans for you were limited and you’ve maxed out on your allotment of goodness. No, exactly the opposite … because God has so much more for you, so he brings you back down to grow more into that potential!

Now, I know, I know, I know, you’re not going to like it. Heck, I can’t even get myself to like it. But you know it’s the truth.

Do you call it an accident, or is it a divine mystery? Did you stumble here on your own, or were your steps being direct by the Almighty all along? In life you have a choice. A choice of how you view the details of your unfolding journey. Is everything a miracle, or is nothing a miracle? It is your chosen perspective that either allows you to see the hand of God, or leaves you to only discover the random coincidences.

Set your perspective now on this day. Is this all random, or is it divine? Is everything a miracle, or is nothing a miracle? Did you stumble here solely by your own effort, or were you guided here for a purpose greater than your awareness has captured?

I choose to see everything as a miracle. Every detail of my life has the fingerprints of God on it, because it’s all passed through his hands and come into my existence. He’s working ALL things together for my good, and when God says ALL things, he literally means ALL things. Nothing is left out. Nothing is over-looked. Nothing has slipped through the cracks and made it into my day that wasn’t first permitted by my Creator.

Knowing this, I don’t want to miss a single detail. It’s all God revealing himself and his good plans throughout my ordinary day. Sweet blessings are found here. Holy direction is received here. Open doors of opportunity are found here. Next level dreams and visions are given here.

Whew girl, that’s what this day is for you too. Blessings, direction, opportunity, dreams and visions … set your perspective now to find them, see them, and receive them!

On Saturday, I received a text from a special little gal who used to be a podcast listener. I say “used to be”, not from a sense of she no longer listens, but she is now so much more. Since last December, she has come to 2 retreats with her 3rd retreat already scheduled, made life-changing connections, and asked me to be her mentor. I see this girl’s potential and I know my role in her life is to continually remind her of that potential and encourage her with the next step. She’s fresh and new in her journey of faith, so the girl is hungry. She text me on Saturday and asked me to explain a specific scripture to her.

Now, here’s the cool part … the scripture she asked me for, and the scripture I gave her, were totally different scriptures, not even in the same book of the Bible. But 3 times I looked at her text, and every time I saw Psalm 27:6. I’m reading from the MSG translation:

God holds me head and shoulders

above all who try to pull me down.

I’m headed for his place to offer anthems

that will raise the roof!

Already I’m singing God-songs;

I’m making music to God.

Ohhhhh, I thought … I would love to break this scripture down for you, Sis. So I did. But, this isn’t what she asked me for. This isn’t what she was searching for and questioning, but didn’t we just establish God is in every detail? Didn’t we just agree our stumbles are more like a clumsy response to a graceful guidance? God gets us where he wants us, even when we have to stumble our way there.

This scripture was what she needed, and she didn’t even know she needed it. But here’s where God moved my heart … the study on this scripture was for you too! Sure God will come chasing after the 1 that is lost, but he will use that 1 to impact the other 99 at the same time. So while this was meant for 1, it will impact the entire herd of sheep gathered here today to hear what our great Shepherd might be saying!

So, what does this scripture from Psalm mean? It means we can be confident regardless of circumstances. We can know with 100% certainty that God’s plans for our lives are good, ridiculously good. Even when it doesn’t look good right now, God will do what only he can do to use it for good.

What if you already have what you’ve been searching for? What if you literally woke up with the very thing you’ve been seeking, but you just don’t realize it? What if your life is already overflowing with purpose and you never have to go out and hunt for it or dig for it again?

It is, Sis. You are living in your purpose today. But here’s the problem … you’ve become so “next” focused, that you miss the land of purpose you dwell in right here, right now.

I’m naturally a hype girl. I will pep you up for the rally. I will boost your confidence, introduce you to your potential, and push your little hiney out on the field to taste what you’re really capable of in your life. Several years ago I began praying a prayer that radically changed the way I see people. I began asking God to help me see others with through his eyes. And God started showing me potential. Unmet potential, untapped potential, unbelieved in potential. Everywhere, potential.

I could meet you and see the result of all your excuses and delays; I could view your current reality with my own eyes, and above it all, I would see your potential. I would see the power that resides within you to change. I would sense the ability you don’t even realize you have. I would envision your life free of the chains that have held you back. And I would absolutely ache for you to step into the freedom Christ came to give you.

So, I just call out that potential. I lovingly gift swift kicks squarely in the arse that say “girl, you’re better than the choices you’ve been making, reclaim your power now.”

This morning, I knew I was supposed to come here to this audience of global women with over-flowing, God-given potential, and talk to them about the purpose they seek. Yes, your purpose. This is what God has asked me to address this morning. You’ve been asking God about it, haven’t you? You’ve been seeking the purpose of your life, wondering what rock it is hiding under and how you’re ever going to uncover it.

Well, here it is … this is your answer. You should take notes, because this is about to get personal.

God has already given it to you. Yes, you. You already have your purpose. The potential to walk fully in that purpose is already within you. You simply don’t see what you already have, and where that would lead you. So, let me help.

Purpose comes in the form of seeds. Seeds planted within you by your Creator. Seeds that take root and begin to grow bigger and produce fruits. You already have the seeds, now you simply need to become aware of what you already have and partner with God in the process of growing them.

Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

This scripture is two-fold, and both parts of it are intertwined and dependent upon one another. The first part is the way we often read it, God will give you the desires of your heart. He will gift you with what your heart wants when you find your fulfillment and joy in him. Is that true? Absolutely. Does it mean he will magically give you the winning lottery numbers when your heart most wants to hit that jackpot? Nahhhhhh girl, because jackpots aren’t your focus when you’re finding your fulfillment and joy in God. Get your priorities right with your source, and yes, the desires of your heart will be given to you.

But, here’s the twist on this scripture that was a total ah-ha moment for me. God will give you the desires of your heart, meaning the desires deep within you are placed there by God himself! He is the author of your dreams. You didn’t make these desires up on your own … those are seeds planted within you by your Creator to grow the purpose of your lifetime!

Now, I’ve taught this dual perspective on this scripture countless times.

Can you make peace with having what you have, and not having what you don’t? Are you content with life as is, or is there something more you cannot bare to live without? What is it that you want, and what are you going to do about it?

David wrote in Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

Cool … but what if you still do want? What if you’ve taken an inventory of your life, and there are still things you really want that are missing? Does that mean the Lord is not your Shepherd? Does that mean you haven’t learned to follow him the right way yet? Does that mean you’re being stubborn, or punished, or misled?

I wrestled with this scripture yesterday. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. I shall not want. But if I’m still wanting, I must not be following the Shepherd well. What am I missing here … because maybe you feel like you’re missing it too.

Jesus declared himself as the good Shepherd. A shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. Every moment of his life is invested in guiding, protecting and caring for his sheep. If a sheep wanders off, the Shepherd sets out to find it. If a sheep is in trapped, the Shepherd frees it. If a sheep is hurt, the Shepherd cares for it’s needs. He continually guides them past dangers into safety. He leads the sheep into what is best for them, where they will get everything they need.

This is exactly what Jesus does for us. His entire life is given to guide us, protect us, save us.

If Jesus identifies himself as the GOOD Shepherd, could that mean there is a BAD Shepherd? Is there one trying to harm us? One trying to lead us astray and get us lost? Absolutely. My sister, be careful who you follow! Jesus said in Matthew 7: 15 “Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” If their fruit is chaos, if their fruit is division, if their fruit is hungry applause, that’s a Shepherd that will lead you astray. Not all who say good things are up to good things. Examine the fruits. Don’t be fooled.

Jesus can always be trusted. Always. If you are seeking his guidance, he will never fail you. He will always rescue you. Yes, even if you’re that one that continually wanders off and gets herself into trouble, he will come and get you. He will leave the 99 and come searching for you, just you! Why? Because you’re that valuable to him. You’re that precious. You’re that loved.

Sis, when you get that truth down deep in your soul, all the guilt and shame you’ve been carrying around with you finally gets dropped. And without that extra weight, you likely get lost a little less. Oh that good Shepherd, how he cares for you!

David also writes in Psalm 77: 19-20 “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

He is remembering how God led his people. How he took them through impossible territory to delivery them. So when David says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”, he is declaring what God did for them, he will do for me. What he was trusted with then, is what he can be trusted with now.

He is MY Shepherd. This is personal. He is here with me. He is personally guiding me. I am not alone. Although I may not know the way, I am not lost because MY Shepherd is with me and he knows exactly how to get me from where I’ve been stuck, to where is best for me now.

So, when David says “I shall not want”, he is saying, “I will not flip out here!”

I will not act in desperation. I will not allow my mind to wander off into dark gutters and get stuck there. I will not allow my spirit to become weary and my heart to become burdened.

Once you know who you are and why you’re here, the days of your life begin to fall into place.

The question is, do you know who you really are? Have you become friends with this gal God created you to be? Is the gap between how you’re living and how God says you could be living growing less and less? Is your potential building within you and beginning to crowd out your doubts and fears?

That’s the journey you’re on. That’s what is happening here. You’re understanding who this girl is that God designed. You’re understanding how all of your quirky uniqueness is anything but random, but rather it is for the intentional alignment of your purpose. That’s why you’re here. You’re here to be fully who God wanted you to be, walking the divine path he has for you, living this one and only precious life as only you can.

This is what brings him glory: You being fully you, fulfilling the good plans he has for you.

And this is why anything less than this leaves you feeling unfulfilled and empty. That yuck you have at the end of a day that wasn’t lived to it’s greatest potential … yeah, that’s the way you’re supposed to feel at the end of a day like that. The yuck isn’t there to condemn you, it’s there to alert you to crappy living and remind you that you can do better.

Crappy living will not bring you to the fullness of God’s good plans for you. Crappy living simply leaves you doubting who you are, questioning your value and worth, and dismissing yourself from the goodness God has planned for you.

Does God get any glory in that? Nope … but he sure will when you let him help you turn it around!

Girl, it’s time to turn this around. It’s time to begin living your days in a way that glorifies God. That means no more playing little. No more dismissing yourself and assuming you’re not good enough. That means no more buying your own lazy, lousy excuses. There’s greatness within you. There’s an unstoppable power dwelling inside of you. You have a partnership with a mountain mover, chain breaker, wall tear-er-down-er. (yes I said that) God didn’t co-sign on your dreams, he is the author of your dreams. He put those dreams deep within you so that you would believe that’s what you’re actually capable of! And because it won’t come easy for you, you will need to continually seek him. Yip, that’s genius design there!

Imagine the glory God gets when he helps you turn this crap around! Imagine the testimony you walk away with when you and him make some impossible things happen. Yes impossible things. That’s what your partnership with the Almighty qualifies you for. Remember Jesus promised in Mathew 19:26 ” With God, all things are possible.”

Are you with God on this? Great … then it’s possible! Maybe not easy. Maybe not instant. Maybe not in any way you imagined. But when you’re with God in it, it’s possible!

Ephesians 1: 11-12 in the Message translation, “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”

This is how we find out who we are and what we’re living for. It comes through Jesus. And before you ever even knew to get excited about this, Jesus had his eye on you and he had the designs for you to live gloriously. That means while you were still off doing your own thing, screwing things up and making a mess, Jesus still watched you to work it all together to bring you into his best plans.

This promises we haven’t missed his good plans. This promises it’s not too late for us. This promises even the messes we’ve made ca...

How do you rest when there is so much to do? How do you find rest when things are in complete chaos?

Girl, if you’re exhausted and worn out, overwhelmed and unsettled, God has a word for you today! If you’ve prayed asking how in the world you’re supposed to get through what you’re going through, you need to know God has heard every word of your prayers and he has every intention on showing you the way through. Now listen closely for your answers.

You will find rest in the Father’s hands, when you leave the rest in the Father’s hands.

Your unrest comes from trying to control the things you cannot control. Your overwhelm comes from worrying about things that aren’t even happening today. Your exhaustion comes from not settling into the place that is perfectly fashioned to carry you through this. The Father’s Hands.

I mean what … you don’t think he is capable of handling this? You know those hands formed all of creation, right? You know those hands hold the entire universe, right? You know every care and worry you’ve been dragging around with you are covered by his hand, right? Okay then Sis, why are you still trying to carry it? You can leave it here in his hands. His hands have been proven mighty, powerful, capable and caring.

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

What does it mean to humble ourselves? Humble under God’s mighty hand? To be humble means you are fully aware of your inability to do this on your own. Humility recognizes, he is God, and you are not. A proud person thinks they can handle life and tries to control everything. A humble person realizes they can trust God to handle every issue in their life, as they partner with him.

So where are you? Are you still trying to control all of this? Are you still trying to force things to happen the way you think they should happen? Is your refusal to bend ultimately going to lead to you breaking?

I bet you’re feeling pretty anxious aren’t you? You feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, because honey you’ve been trying to carry what was never yours to carry.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but I’m just going to say it … Girl, you are not Jesus. You can’t save them. You can’t fix them. You can’t heal them. You can’t change them. The weight of this burden was never intended for your shoulders, but you’re the one keeping it there. And you know what keeps it there? Ultimately it’s pride. Pride thinking you can do this.

Whew, and here you’re being humbled.

Humbled not for the purpose of being broken, but humbled for the purpose of being held.

You will find rest in the Father’s hands, when you leave the rest in the Father’s hands.

Yes, the rest. All the rest of this mess that you can’t fix. The rest of this chaos that you can’t understand. The rest of the details you were never given. The rest that is beyond your understand, beyond your ability, and beyond your calling. This is what causes your anxiety. This is what causes your hopelessness. This was never meant to be carried by you, it was always meant to be cast into the Father’s hands.

There was a time in my life when I had no idea just how much God cared for me. A time when I didn’t understand his hand was in every detail of my life. A time when I felt like if it was going to happen, it was going to happen because I made it happen. A time when I placed all the weight squarely on my shoulders … and my knees buckled.

You know what happens when you try to carry a weight that isn’t yours to carry and your knees buckle … you naturally fall to your knees.

Are you waiting? Waiting for God to reveal to you what is next. Waiting for something to happen, something to change. Well, what are you doing while you wait?

I believe it’s what we do while we’re waiting that can make a radical difference in our lives.

Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

So, what does it look like to properly wait for God?

Does your couch and Netflix qualify? Does saying no to everything that doesn’t have a flashing sign declaring “I AM FROM GOD”, qualify as proper waiting? Waiting for a knock on your door? Waiting for your phone to ring? Waiting for someone to pick your name on the list, but you haven’t even applied for the list? Is this how you wait?

Some of us are allowing the most precious years of our life to pass us by as we sit around waiting on God. And some of us have created complete chaos in our lives as we ran ahead and rushed into things we had no business in. So where’s the sweet balance between sitting it out and messing it up? How do you wait for the Lord, without becoming passive about your own life?

This is a question I often get. I’m waiting, but what do I do while I wait? I’m looking, but I’m seeing no signs. I’m asking, but I’m hearing no loud booming voices with my answers. So what do I do now?

Is that you? Are you wondering how exactly to wait for the Lord? How do you stay strong, and how do you take heart as you wait? How do you wait and not waste?

Here are two words for you, Sis. Are you listening? If you’re wondering how to wait for the Lord without wasting the time you have been given, ACTIVELY WAIT.

Just because you’re waiting doesn’t mean you’re supposed to be sitting around on your hands. Just because you don’t know what God has for you next, doesn’t mean you’re staring at blank walls waiting for magic signs to appear. Just because you aren’t clear doesn’t mean you reject everything else in your path.

Waiting is an action. This isn’t passive. This isn’t checking out. This isn’t dismissing yourself from what you can do, where you are, with what you have. You’ve been looking at waiting all wrong.

Are you ready for a perspective shift? I’m telling you this will blow your mind and change the way you see waiting for the Lord. Ready?

What did we used to call servers in a restaurant? Think about it … they were waiters.

Yes, a waiter took your order. A waiter filled your cup. A waiter brought your meal. A waiter wouldn’t lean against a wall and wait. A waiter wouldn’t plop down in the next booth and resign themself to that position until someone with authority told them exactly what to do next.

What was a waiter doing? They were serving!!!!

And girlfriend, this is how we wait for the Lord! We actively wait. We serve!

I heard this earlier today while listening to an old Elevation Church podcast and it was like the heavens parted and the angels began to sing! Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa THIS IS HOW YOU WAIT!

You find what you can do, and you do it. You find how you can serve, and you serve. You find what is needed, and you meet that need. If you’re waiting, then be a waiter.

Waiting can be exhausting, but God wants you to be strong! Let me tell you something, strength is never found sulking on your couch. Strength is never dug up doing absolutely nothing. Yes, faith can move mountains, but don’t be surprised when God gives you a shovel. Sometimes God says, “my girl, we’re going to move this mountain together, and your job is one shovel full at a time.”

What if waiting has absolutely nothing to do with inaction, but everything to do with doing the next right thing even when you don’t know where that step will lead?