Hebrews 6:11-12
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Are you one of the many Christians who take record of God’s promises and take a hold of great prophesies over your life but never seem to see them come to pass? Do you have a specific word you are holding on to this year or this season of your life? How do you go from a Word from God to seeing the manifestation of that Word? It could be a word for your health, your spiritual life, your health, your finances, your mental health etc.
First, let’s establish the fact that as a child of God, you believe in God’s ability and power. You trust in God’s ability to do anything He has promised. Hopefully, the reason we come to God is because we believe that He is truly Supreme, He is God over all, the Almighty, all knowing, wonderful and faithful God.
You might be saying to yourself, “I’m praying, but it seems God is very far, so how do I connect with Him?” Here is God’s assurance to us:
“and you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jer 29:13;
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” Prov 8:17;
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul” Deut 4:29;
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Heb 11:6.
We see through all of these scriptures that God requires diligence on our part in order for Him to reveal Himself to us.
The Word of God does not come to pass automatically in our lives. We have to work the Word, in order for the power in that Word to be released. This is what we refer to as manifestation. The mistake we’ve made as believers is that we think because the Word of God is powerful, we don’t need to do anything in order for the Word to come to pass in our lives (Heb 4:12). We have wrongly assumed that the Word disregards our cooperation. God does not override our will to bring His Word to pass. We are called to “fight the good fight of faith” and also to “lay hold of eternal life”. Neither one of these comes easy; fighting requires effort and energy and you also need energy to lay hold of something as well, especially if what you are aiming for is of any eternal value, those things don’t come cheap and sometimes not quickly.
One of the reasons we don’t see results in our lives is because of laziness. The enemy has tricked us into lazy and slothful lifestyles that bring shame and disrepute to the name of God. We blame God when we do not see results. Prov 19:3 NLT says, “People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.” The walk of faith is not a walk for the lazy or slothful. Time and again in the scriptures, we see God condemning lazy attitudes and lifestyles. (See Proverbs 13: 4; 12:11; 10:4). We are often impatient to go through the process. Anything in life that has any kind of value and worth requires time, effort, growth, maturity, because success does not just happen suddenly, it is the result of a process. Hebrews 6:11-12; “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” We need both faith and patience to obtain what God has in store for us.
Jesus Christ our perfect example while on earth was always working; he did what he saw the Father doing. Jesus operated with such an urgency when he walked the face of the earth. There was never a moment where he was just relaxing for the fun of it. He was on a mission preaching, teaching, delivering or healing. The scriptures also tell us that Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed (Acts 10:38). Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4) Until we address the issue of laziness in our lives, we cannot experience the impact of what God has planned for us. Jesus was able to turn water to wine because the people obeyed Jesus’ instruction to fill the pots with water. The blind man was instructed to go to the pool of Siloam to wash. Naaman was asked to wash in the Jordan River seven times for his healing. What instruction has God given you? Do you consider time spent in God’s presence a waste of time? You need to be with the Father to hear His voice and instructions for your life. Revelation comes from the place of intimacy; you need time and concentration to build an intimate relationship with God.
Let us examine the parable of the sower in Mark 4:14-20.
“14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
The reason it seems our faith is not producing results is that the enemy has tampered with the Word we are holding on to. Remember, Satan is not intimidated by the Word you know or quote, what defeats him is a combination of that knowledge, and your understanding and revelation of the Word. If the enemy can’t get the word out of our mouths and hearts, he cannot stop us from fulfilling God’s plans. Examine your life to see the state of God’s word in you. As a hen sits on its eggs until it hatches, is the same way we are to sit with the word of God until it produces result. This process is known as meditation. Like any seed that is planted, you need to care for the seed until you see the harvest.
How do we nurture the seed sown in our hearts? What is our responsibility in this process? God has placed certain expectations on us as his children, one of which is hard work. I don’t mean self-effort or trusting in our own abilities to make things happen but rather in doing what God has asked us to do, in obedience. What we do with the Word determines the result we see in our lives. We are called to labour in the Word, the place of labour is the place of discovery, a place where God gives you specific instructions and direction for your situation. It is the entrance of God’s Word that gives understanding and enlightenment. (Psalms 119:130)
Go back to God. Go back to the last instruction He gave you and pick things up from there and if you don’t have any Word you are holding on to yet, my encouragement to you will be to start by seeking God’s face diligently, put aside all distractions and focus on Him. Your attitude must be like that of Jacob, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” Gen 32:26. You must make up your mind to stay in God’s presence until you receive a Word from God for your life.
God sees our desire and sincerity and he honours that.