An often overlooked area in the life of a Christian is timing. In sports, warfare, dance and music, timing is everything. My former pastor once said, “Being outside of God’s timing is as bad as being outside of God’s will”. We who are in a warfare for the souls of men, must understand the importance of being on God’s timing.
Years ago I was at a service in which Tommy Tenney gave a simple illustration to try and show the importance of God’s timing. He had a person from the audience come up and stand a the top of the stairs, and said “stay here while I go and prepare something for you.” He walked over to the other side of the stage and said something like this, “while I am preparing this, if they get impatient while I am preparing what they need for their future or ministry or life and move from where I put them, when I return to that spot, if they are not there, they will miss what was for them in that season.”
Not only can we miss what is for us, we can miss what is for God’s glory, our brother’s welfare, and damage our destiny. There are many in the church who believe “what is for me is for me” without understanding that yes, what God has for you is for you, but you have a responsibility to honor and obey, or you will not receive all or any of the promise. Moses did not get to go into the promise land until after he was dead and thousands of years after Israel had possessed the land. You ask when did he get to go in, on the mount of Transfiguration, the scripture says,…
Matthew 17:1-3 – And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
The word also clearly warns us, …
Hebrews 2:1-3 — Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
So we can neglect an command of God, we can ignore or let slip a promise of God, and there will be consequences. We who live in grace too often rest in “our Grace” to the point of lazy obedience. “If I do not give God will still provide”, “I am too busy now to listen to you complain, cry or hurt” , “I got my own problems”. Doesn’t this sound like the excuses of those who were invited to the feast?
Luke 14:16-21 – Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse.
The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
It is important to be on God’s timing. I recently heard something from a seasoned saint, that I wish I had learned as a young Christian. “Be quick to forgive, quick to repent and quick to obey”. The great wisdom in those words cannot be understated. If we are quick to forgive, then we will not be hindered in our prayers, actions of love, or hearing from God. If we are quick to repent, we can stay close to God, ready for His presence, direction and further correction. If we are quick to obey, we can be on point, in the battle field of life to do the commands God gives at the moment they are needed.
In my experience, I have made phone calls at God’s direction, and those on the other end had just mentioned my name, or stated they needed a service like mine to help. But I have also seen those on the other end, stop the flow, sit on the next step and kill what should have occurred. Why is this? Why would God allow us to work with Him, or allow man to stop what He has purposed?
As God is manifold in His wisdom, and neither I nor the worlds greatest minds of all time can conclude why God chooses to do anything that He does. God does reveal to His children some of His purposes. One of those is to train us.
Luke 16:10 – He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
God wants to train us how to trust Him. If we can do little commands, on His timing, then one day we may grow to the point of obeying Him when it is a matter of life and death, my life or someone else’s. If I cannot obey in the little things now, how can I grow to greater works, greater territory, greater responsibility in the Kingdom of God.
God also wants us to have faith in Him. “The Just shall live by faith.” The older I get, the more I see that this scripture is not only that we are saved by faith. But that our entire life is to be completely absorbed into a faith relationship with God. We are saved by faith, obey by faith, trust by faith, endure by faith, submit by faith, needs are provided by faith, we endure temptation by faith, and may one day be martyred and will have to overcome by faith.
God wants us to see His handiwork, and watch God work in the middle of the perceived disappointment of God’s purpose…
Romans 8:28 — And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God will still accomplish His will, even the disobedience of His people does not reduce God’s Glory, and He may want us to work with Him, but He does not need us to fulfill His will. He told Moses that he could raise a nation to obey him from Moses if the rebellious nation of Israel, traveling through the wilderness would not obey. Jesus said the rocks would cry out and give Him praise if the people would not.
Luke 19:40 – And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
God also wants us to see that we are totally dependent upon him.
II Corinthians 12:9-10 – And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
In our weakness, in our failings and the failing of those around us, we will still see God’s mighty hand at work. But although we know that we could do nothing without Him, that does not absolve us of our responsibility to do God’s commands, when and where He says. It is in obedience that we open the door for greater access to God. Remember, the devils believe God is real and they tremble in fear of God. But the big difference between us who believe and a devil is that the devils do not obey. Do you?
A great man of God wrote about our common perspective on Grace, and the error of our lazy grace perspective this way. Instead of living at the low levels of Grace; doing the least necessary, perform nominal prayers, just enough church attendance and have occasional devotions with God. Hoping that God’s grace will cover our great flaws of lazy love and half hearted relationship with God. Why not draw as close as we can to God. Spend time with the lover of our Soul, the beauty of the Universe, the Great I AM. Why not do His every command, Love His children His way. Then we live completely to God, and let God’s grace cover our small failures and push us even higher into His presence. That is God’s desire for each of us.
I have failed in God’s timing, through fear, doubt, laziness, and just not caring. I too have been chastised by God, seen my inactions hurt my brothers, my church, hinder my ministry and damage my future. We all still reap what we sow. We may be free from sin, but do we still sin? We may be free from the judgement of Hell, but we are not free from the judgement seat of Christ. We will all have to give an account of every deed done in this this body. History, and personal experience is full of stories of those who did not do what they should have, and ministries, churches, nations were affected.
Years ago, while thinking about the specific attacks that the enemy does to different ministries. Adultery here, pride there, favoritism, homosexuality, gluttony, materialism, the list goes on and on, God showed me on attack that affects every ministry and every Christian. It is hinderance. The devil cannot stop me from doing God’s will, but if he can hinder me long enough, cause me to delay in the commands of God, I will stop myself. It is not the enemy who stopped me, I stopped myself.
Now I know some of you are thinking, “what about when God is the one doing the hindering?” Yes there are times when it is God who hinders us from moving forward. But lets us just think about that for a moment. God hinders us, because we are either out of His will, out of His timing, or not doing the details of the command correctly, or with the right motivation. So we really are violating the verse;
Ephesians 5:17 – Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Because we are not walking close enough, listening enough, obeying correctly, we are off track. The angels do not have that problem. They are never hindered by God. Why, because they abide in God’s presence. They do not take trips away from God’s sovereignty, holiness or obedience.
Now this message is not for those who are already drawing away from walking with God. When God puts His finger on our sin, weakness, or favorite lust, we will either repent, and give it to God. Or draw back away from God, embracing our sin. Or justify the evil and fight the good. We are called to fight the evil and justify the good. Which are we doing?
So there are three persons who can hinder you for doing God’s will on God’s timing. God, you, and the devil. God will hinder when we are not really in alignment with him. We hinder because ultimately we do not fully intend to do God’s will. We do not want to be that holy, do what it takes, or to love God that much. “…If God be for us, who can be against us.” That verse makes it clear that outside excuses do not count in this. “It is me oh Lord, it is me.” And lastly the enemy. But he is on a leash, he does not have power over you, can not do anything to you, that does not have to come through Gods presence, to get to you. That is if you are abiding in His presence. God will allow the enemy to touch you, but only to strengthen you, help you, and drive you closer to God. Again, this only applies to Christians who are obedience to Christ. If you are playing outside of God, with “lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, pride of life.” Then pain and sufferings will follow all acts of sin. “Be not deceived God is not mocked, what soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” and “The wages (paycheck) of sin is death”. And again, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
We are in a war, but ultimately the greatest enemy may be ourselves. We must draw closer to God. Obey His commands, seek His timing. Do what He says, even if it hurts. He loves us and knows what is best not just for me, but for my brother also. And my obedience, will require something of me. As it did for David:
II Samuel 24:24 – And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
This obedience of David was to save his nation from destruction.
In Malachi 3:16-18 – Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
God cares that we serve him. That is what divides us from the wicked. Are you obeying God?
Lord, help us, to obey you, to serve you, to do your will, when you want. Forgive us, for all of our past mistakes, laziness, and errors in judgement. Lord we will serve you. In Jesus Name. Amen
