Laura had believed God for an addition to her house. It
was going to be the answer to their problems when it came to needing more room
and storage.
Every aspect of the plan was vivid in her mind and Laura
knew exactly what the finished product would look like. She believed in this dream so much that she
posted the layout in her yard as to where the new foundation was going to be.
At first her husband didn’t say anything and let Laura
have fun plotting out where each window and door would be, the size of the
rooms and even the colors for the addition. After all, what could it hurt …
dreaming doesn’t cost anything.
It wasn’t long before Laura’s husband got tired of moving
markers to mow the lawn. He complained to her how it was a nuisance and never
got in on her vision for the addition.
In discouragement, Laura got stuck on his “no” answer and
pulled out all the stakes, She gave up on her dream and never got the addition
she wanted.
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See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Turks
and Caicos Islands; Bangladesh; Dominican Republic; Malaysia; Denmark; Kuwait;
Malta; Guadeloupe; Myanmar; Latvia;
Grenada; Mozambique; Papua New Guinea; Hungary; Brunei.
USA – Gastonia, NC; Lakewood, NY;
Hartsville, SC; Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania & King George, VA; New Castle,
PA; Orange, TX.
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Our Belief on Daily Favor. (DFB -
Daily Favor Blog) Living
my life before God and man, by sharing experiences as I walk out my faith.
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Don't miss
out on this week's challenge (below).
Dreams Need God’s Favor
I’m what some would call a visionary, meaning I can see
something before it even becomes a reality. I think that most parents, teachers or leaders
have that quality and it’s a gift from the Lord.
When I think about how I want a project to go, I prepare
and lay out all the things I’ll need. For
example on the home front, there really isn’t too much of a waiting time, and I
don’t hear a “no” from God when it comes to picking what veggies or flowers I
want to grow. The vision is already set in my mind, so in the natural I go
about doing the things I need to do to make it come to pass.
Dreams and life vision on the other hand are a whole
different ball game, and that is where I need a supernatural touch of favor in
order for things to come together. In my
heart and head I may have a huge vision of something I’d like to achieve or
have, but all my plotting won’t make it happen.
It will come to pass in God’s timing and only if my dream is big enough
for His plan.
Part of the reason why God doesn’t say yes to our requests
is that we aren’t thinking big enough or we fail to allow the Lord to be a part
of the dream.
No one can take what God
sets as yours.
Did you realize that God thinks about you and the dreams
He has for your life? He has already set
in order everything you need for that vision to become a reality by putting
people and things in place ahead of time.
“How precious
also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is
the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17 NKJV)
He has said yes to the good things that are the desires
of your heart, but most refuse to believe God’s promises when their prayers
don’t get answered according to their will.
“Yes” is in the future of every believer, but before God
grants that go ahead sign, we have to go through the closed doors of no’s or
wait. Like so many I was discouraged when
looking for a teaching job and it seemed like I’d never get one.
To keep my foot in the door I made myself available for
anything in my field. After several
years of substitute teaching God finally said yes and I got a position I
absolutely loved. The schools where I
subbed got my name out to the proper people.
The day came when I heard those glorious words, “Yes, you’re
hired!” During the interview I told the
principal that he couldn’t give the job to anyone else if that position was set
for me by God.” I still can’t believe I
said that, but it’s true for anyone who believes in the power of prayer.
Was it the third grade post I wanted so desperately? No it wasn’t, but a high school position
where I was able to flourish and grow as an instructor.
I had put limits on what I was going to teach, but God
didn’t. He has allowed me to teach levels
from pre-school handicapped to college including religion.
From that first teaching job God opened doors of favor
for me throughout the entire state, where I received many teaching honors and
awards locally and state wide. My
credentials and positions took me into writing curriculum and behavior
modification programs for the district, county and state. I never imagined the bigger things God had
planned, but I’m thankful for those closed doors in the beginning years.
There are times when we will have to trust God that the
answer no was the best one, and that yes is on the way for a better position.
Lights of Hope
It’s early fall here in America and the weather is going
to be changing soon. As some of you know late September is when we put our
garden/yard to “bed”, and hang our outdoor Christmas lights in preparation for
the winter holidays. Even though we don’t
turn them on until after Thanksgiving you may still think it’s a bit premature.
Putting up Christmas lights in autumn is a way of keeping
our faith and hoping for our plans to come to fruition. We’re acting as if the door is already opened
and God has granted our desires.
I know what we have planned and believed for in the
future (plus I don’t want to put lights up in the freezing cold). Getting the lights done frees up time for
walking out other plans, bigger plans where God opens the door changing some of
the no’s we’ve experienced.
What if you knew that you had to wait for 30 days for
something before it arrived, would you give up on waiting after a week or
two? If you really believed that
something was coming your way, the waiting period would become steps to
eliminating one day at a time. We do
this at Christmas time or any other holiday as we anticipate the coming
festivity.
Why can’t we do the same when we receive a “not now” or “no”
while waiting on God to say yes? Knowing
that yes is only a few no’s away, we would be encouraged. The problem is that we get so beaten down by
the multiple no’s in a row, that we lose heart and give up on our dream or vision.
Keep Believing
How can we know that God will one day grant the desires
of our heart?
His word tells us that to
those that believe Him, the promises of God are yes and Amen. Every time you see that word, Amen it means “so
be it” or “it is done.” If you truly believe, you know in your heart that the
petition is granted. (see 2 Corinthians 1:20)
“But I prayed and believed God to heal my mother, but she
still died… I believed that the job was mine … You don’t know how long I’ve
waited for my house, but nothing is happening… Will I ever get a husband?” These requests may be a few of the things you
have prayed and your prayers didn’t go as you expected.
Have you been overlooked on your job and someone less
experienced got the higher position?
When you looked at that new home was it out of your price bracket? How many years have you actually been waiting
for a child of your own anyway? This may
be a “no” period in your life, but you don’t have to get stuck there. Believe that “yes” from God is in your future
and don’t get discouraged but encouraged, because it’s closer than you think.
Instead of getting emotionally down by the delay for the
promotion, waiting on a spouse, hoping to get a house or a loan to go through,
we need to be reminded that with each no, it brings us nearer to our yes from
the Lord.
Why didn’t things work out the way you wanted? I don’t
know, but I do know that God has promised that there will be a good end, so
don’t quit on your belief now because you may be one “no” away from God
granting a “yes.”
I’ve Heard Yes Today
Every morning before I get out of bed I thank God that I
can move my limbs, I thank Him for my bed, air conditioning, a new day and so
much more. Why do I do that? I am very aware that so many cannot move
about freely, others have no cooling in their home, some have no bed at
all.
The main thing I am so grateful for is that I was granted
another day. Simply waking up is a big yes from God that He isn’t finished with
my journey here on earth. Starting my day in thanksgiving reminds me that the
Lord heard my prayer from the night before and said, “Yes.” This means that there are more yes’ in my future,
so I need to be ready for when they are granted.
Getting stuck on No
I once read that 90% of first time businesses fail, but
90% of second time businesses succeed.
However 80% never try again, because they were so discouraged they let
the “no” defeat them. In actuality that really means only 10% went on to live
their dream, because they didn’t settle on “no.”
Have you given up and thrown in the towel, because you
have had so many no’s to your dreams?
What if you gave up right before God was about to say yes, wouldn’t that
really make you feel awful? Well, it’s time Christians realize that no isn’t
the final answer, and that with every passing denial it brings us closer to our
yes’.
Understanding that yes is coming, our outlook on life should
be much different and our attitude brighter.
For example, if you’re a writer you would keep submitting manuscripts
waiting for all those rejection slips, knowing that “this one is the last no,
the next one will be a yes!”
Think Yea not Nay
Perhaps you’ve been waiting for that loved one to come to
Christ, keep believing and don’t give up now … yes is a prayer away. How do we
know this? We know this to be true because God is faithful.
“Let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for
He who made
the promise is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 NKJV)
That house you wanted just sold, but don’t fret, it’s not
the one. God is going to give you that yes soon and it will be the right house
for you.
Stop thinking or saying, “I’m never going to get married!” Don’t settle on that man or woman
who is looking mighty fine in your eyes about now, because they are not the one
God has set aside for you. Your yes
man/woman is waiting in the wings, so don’t commit to someone else thinking
you’ve missed your chance at marital bliss. You haven’t.
It will take only one “yes” word of favor from God and
your life will change forever, but you have to believe it will happen. Your actions dictate whether or not you
really do believe God will do what He promised.
Stay focused and persistent. God hasn’t forgotten your dreams, as a matter
of fact, His dreams are bigger for you than you can imagine. You may want to settle for something smaller,
when God is thinking a greater thing for you that will take you to levels you
never dreamt.
Try one more time. Don’t let setbacks, closed doors or
time passed convince you that it won’t happen.
Stay in faith no matter what it looks like. Never forget yes is the promise
from God. Talk like it is so, think “Amen”
like it is done and believe before it happens.
God already has the right person for you, the right job
and home for you. Don’t let family, friends or naysayers talk you out of your
dream. Separate yourself from that
negative thinking or it will destroy your dream from ever coming to pass. These are strongholds from the devil. You have to believe that God has removed the
strongholds and the path is being cleared for you to move forward on the
desires of your heart.
When things don’t work out and you keep getting a no to
your dreams, believe there is a yes on the way. Stay in faith and believe
instead of doubting it will ever happen.
All you need is one yes from God and your life will change.
It’s time we get this in our spirit …
When I began college one of the things that stuck in my
mind was failure. I’ve never been
lavished with positive compliments from friends or family, and an aunt of my
husband’s didn’t like that I wanted to be a teacher. She thought it was a lowly
job and that I should do something else.
For the most part I’ve heard no’s from practically
everyone saying, “You can’t do that” or “You’ll never be able to have this or
that.” I say this in humility, it didn’t
stop me and I pressed forward graduating from two colleges in 2½ years (which
should have taken six).
Despite the odds and negative input, I kept going achieving
more degrees, diplomas and certificates knowing that one day I would become
what God destined me to be. That journey
isn’t over and I’m still facing closed doors.
The difference this time is that I know there are more doors yet to be
opened, because I’m still waiting on some yes’ that are promised to us here on
earth.
Set the Yes Tab in Your Brain
For those who have come through the years of waiting,
hearing not now or later, God has seen that you have stayed in faith and your
yes is about to happen. Favor is about to explode in your life. I declare it will happen and you will say,
“This is the
Lord’s doing; it marvelous in our eyes.”
(Psalm 118:23 NKJV)
Health and finances are going to be restored, new levels
of favor will be opened to you and you will see the goodness of God in the land
of the living.
“I would have
lost heart (hope), unless I had believed that I would
see the
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living
(that’s here
on earth folks).” (Psalm 27:13 NKJV)
God delights in keeping His word and longs for us to
believe His promises are for us now and forever.
It will take God’s favor to make this dream come true. He
will put people, things or whatever it takes in your path to help you succeed,
but you have to believe Him. God’s favor
will surround you like a shield so this “dream” is accomplished.
“Everything is
possible for one who believes!” (Mark 9:23 NIV)
This Week’s Challenge:
Preparing for Our Yes
The greatest thing we can do for God is to believe
Him. When we do that, it pleases Him to
grant us the yes we long for in fulfilling the desires of our heart.
“Delight
yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of
your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 NKJV)
If we really believe something is going to happen we
prepare for it. What are you doing to
prepare for when God says “Yes” to your dream? By faith through prayer and
action, start doing things as if you already have your yes.
Ladies, you want that gorgeous husband; get yourself
ready to meet that hunk of a guy by becoming physically fit and organized like
a wife.
Men, do the same, but more of it. (Just a friendly tip fellows
on the other “fish” out there. We really do notice.)
Do you want to move into a better location? Have you started packing or began fixing up
the place where you are for the next people?
Fresh paint and yard sales are a good place to start. So tell the kids to go through their stuff
now.
What about that job you need? Suit or outfit pressed and ready to go? Is
your paperwork all in order for your new boss?
Get going.
Waiting for that sickness to leave? Believe you’re healed. Sick people don’t stay
in bed and do nothing. Can’t get up yet?
Try doing what you couldn’t do before …
something to show God you haven’t quit or given in to defeat. Give Him something that will give passage to
your yes.
You won’t receive if you don’t believe! Do something by
faith that shows you are moving forward and aren’t stuck on no.
Maybe you’re discouraged by all the people around you who
don’t see how you can ever accomplish your dreams. Don’t listen to them or let
them talk you out of it. They are trying
to put limitations on what God can do through you. Just because they can’t see or believe for it
doesn’t mean you can’t.
Our beginning story told of a woman that gave up on her
dream by believing her husband’s “no” over God’s “yes” when it came to giving
her the desires of her heart. Don’t let
that be you. Take the limits off, God is
in control. Get excited, get ready …
when Jesus says yes, nobody can say no!
If that desire is still in your heart after so many
years, it’s because God put it there. If God started it, He will fulfill it. It’s
His promise!
Be encouraged, if the Lord promised it, there will always
be hope. Keep honoring God by believing. Your faith will give you the Lord’s
favor and you will hear Him say, “Yes!”
“May the God
of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing (through the experience of
your faith) that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and
overflow with confidence in His promises.” (Romans 15:13 AMP)
Until next
time, prepare for God's "yes" favor!
“Believe I will say yes when I see your faith.”
Jesus Christ
Note:
The words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we give him
no place in our lives.
Disclaimer:
Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical
issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness.
What’s New This
Week: Click on book or link.
by Wayne Kirkbride
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Scripture
reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible GatewayImage credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified.
Image: House Addition Stakes John 1:16 30 Days 2 Corinthians 1:20 Dream
Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.