How to Carry a word or Promise of the Lord, part 4

Part 4: What are you circling? What promises are you praying and believing the Lord for? HOW YOU CARRY THAT WORD or PROMISE MATTERS GREATLY.

The Lord has taken me on a journey over the last several years to carry the words or promises that I’m believing Him for.  I’m guarding the words and trusting God to be faithful to His promises. I want to share a few things that I have learned and am continuing to learn. 

I’m going to use my daughter, Lindsay, as my tangible example, along with those in Scripture who have carried a word or a promise. 

Part 1:  ABIDING, Part 2: AGREEMENT, Part 3: ATTENTION.  If you haven't read those blog posts, it may be helpful for context. 

In the 4th & last part on this theme, I’m going to share the next KEY WORD that matters in carrying a promise/word.   The next key word is: ACTION (meaning, how will you prepare for the Word, Promise or Scripture?). Faith is active.  When we believe God, we begin to prepare for what He tells us to prepare for. What is the Lord telling you?  Next question, What are you doing about it? What action is needed? How can you be faithful to prepare?

From the moment Lindsay found out she was pregnant, she began preparing ~ doing the best to have everything ready for Weston to come into the world.  This required action.  Taking care of her physical body, which was preparing for this little new life. Preparing her mind emotionally for this new life, spiritual preparation~ praying for Weston from the moment of conception.   Not to mention all the natural preparation of a new baby.  Lindsay & Jeff did not wait until Weston was born to make changes and take action. 

When we receive a word/promise or Scripture from the Lord, we too need to take action~ begin to prepare for it.

Sometimes people don’t prepare or take action for a word they have received from the Lord.
There are several reasons for the inaction:
1st is Unbelief: They don’t really believe the word.  I can tell whether or not someone believes a word they’ve received by what they’re doing or not doing. Look at these examples from Scripture. 
Noah~ Noah believed God and he began to build an ark.   He built for 120 years!  He believed the word the Lord gave him. “And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him,” Genesis 7:5
Hannah~ After receiving the word from Eli that she would conceive a son, she stopped crying and went home expectant; her face no longer downcast. “…then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast,” I Samuel 1:18
Abram~ Abram (later, Abraham) believed God about having a son and becoming a father of many nations, even though he and Sarai (later Sarah) were both O-L-D. He knew if God said it, He would do it! Scripture says of Abram, “He believed the Lord and He credited to him as righteousness.”  Genesis 15:6 and It is recorded in Romans 4:18-21, “Against all hope (natural hope), Abraham in hope (supernatural hope) believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘so shall your offspring be’. Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead~ since he was about 100 years old~ and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. YET HE DID NOT WAIVER THROUGH UNBELIEF REGARDING THE PROMISE OF GOD, BUT WAS STRENGTHENED IN HIS FAITH AND GAVE GLORY TO GOD, BEING FULLY PERSUADED THAT GOD HAD POWER TO DO WHAT HE HAD PROMISED.” 

Have you received a word from the Lord?  Do you believe it?  If you do, what action have you taken? How are you preparing for the word to be manifest in your life?

2nd is Not wanting to do the hard work of faithfulness in small things. When the Lord gives a big Word, it is key to be faithful in small things.  Do not think small things are beneath you or not worth your time? There are times when the Word the Lord gives speaks to something great that you will accomplish or be a part of.  That word may need to grow in the seed of your heart before it is made manifest.  You may not be ready for that word to come forth yet~ heart issues that the Lord will work on in the meantime.

God is looking for faithfulness while you wait. Small things are faith in action.  Let’s look at these examples from Scripture. 

David: When David was anointed King by Samuel, David went back to the fields to shepherd the sheep and serve his father, and then serve King Saul.  He held the Word and carried it in his heart, but stayed faithful to the Lord, knowing God’s timing is perfect.

Joseph: Joseph had dreams from the Lord about his future, but he maintained faithfulness in the small things of prison, then Potipher’s house, then the palace.  He trusted God with the dreams He had given him. He maintained a right heart posture toward the Lord and others while he waited. 

Is there a BIG dream, word, promise that God has given you and you are not doing the small things to move in the direction of that word?  If you are not sure what the small things of faithfulness are, look at your life:  who are you serving? Can you do anything more to be faithful to his/her leadership?

3rd is Indecision. Not wanting to do the wrong thing, they make no decision at all.  But, no decision is almost always the wrong decision.

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the parable of the bags of gold. The wealthy man goes on a journey and gives 5 bags of gold to one servant; 2 bags of gold to another and 1 bag of gold to another.  The servant with 1 bag of gold buries it/hides it in the ground because of fear.  The other servants put that money to work so each doubled their original amount. The wealthy man returns and those who had been entrusted with the 5 & 2 bags of gold, brought their gain to the wealthy man.  The master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.”  (Verse 21 & 23).  To the servant who buried the 1 bag of gold out of fear, the master said, “You wicked, lazy servant!...” (vs 26). The master took the bag of gold from that servant and gave it to the one who had 10 bags of gold.  “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (verse 29)

God loves it when we step out in faith.   He meets us in the place of faith. Engage with what God has spoken to you.
Have you ever been paralyzed so you do nothing? You don’t know what to do, so you don’t move; don’t act.  Ask the Lord if there is a first step of movement toward the word that He is asking you to do.

The 4th reason that people do not move in action of preparing is the Fear of Failure. We seem to think that failure is the worst thing ever so we set our lives up to never fail. Go after the things God has spoken to you, even if its scary!  Don’t let the fear of failure paralyze you from acting on what God has said.  The difference between men and women of God who made an impact on history and those who didn’t is that those who made an impact weren’t afraid to fail for God.

Even if it doesn’t work out, you are still moving forward, stepping out in faith and that pleases the Lord!  Can you think of those who have made an impact on history who weren’t afraid to fail for God?  Read through Hebrews 11, the hall of faith.  These are the heroes, who are just like you and me, who stepped out in faith, willing to risk “failure” for God.  What are the qualities you see in them?  Ask the Holy Spirit to stir this kind of faith in your heart.

How do you carry the word or promise of the Lord well?  Let the word ABIDE in your heart and thought life. AGREE in your prayer life and in your speaking.  Do not speak contrary to what God has spoken.  Pay ATTENTION to the word by making it your main focus.  Keep it before you in prayer.  Lastly, take ACTION!  Do something to move toward the word being manifest in your life!   And watch God move!!!!
 

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