Jubilee of Abundance: Waiting on the Lord

As many of you know, this is the year of Jubilee, the year of abundance. However, when problems arise, sometimes it is easy to wonder… “Jubilee, really?” However, this questioning is actually doubt and disbelief that creeps in to try and steal the very blessings that God is bringing on our behalf. At Curt Landry Ministries we know how hard it can be to wait for the promises of the Lord to be realized, but we encourage you to stay focused. Here are a few ways in which you can combat the enemies of fear, doubt, and unbelief. Stay Positive! “Caleb told the people to be quiet and listen to Moses. Caleb said, ‘Let’s go now and take possession of the land. We should be more than able to conquer it.’”—Numbers 13.30 When problems arise DO NOT begin to speak negatively. Instead take every thought captive, spend time in the Word, or listen to leaders you trust who are speaking out words of faith amidst trying circumstances. Ask, like David did in Psalm 19.14: “‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
 be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.’” Avoid Toxic Relationships… “But the men who had gone with him said, ‘we can’t attack those people! They’re too strong for us!’ So they began to spread lies among the Israelites about the land they had explored. They said, ‘the land we explored is one that devours those who live there. All the people we saw there are very tall. We saw Nephilim there. (The descendants of Anak are Nephilim.) We felt as small as grasshoppers, and that’s how we must have looked to them.’”—Numbers 13.30-33 There were twelve spies altogether that spied out the promise land, but ten of them allowed fear to frighten them away from the promise. They even went as far as to lie to others and themselves. It is important to spend time with likeminded people who will encourage you—strengthening you to stay strong and to trust in the promises that God has given you. Allow God To Do The Work! “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, ‘See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.’ And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.”—Genesis 16.1-4 Sarai had a promise, but because she did not see an immediate return she decided to make something happen in her own strength. The result of that decision placed Hagar into a position that was not rightfully hers—ultimately destroying her relationship with the family of Abraham. It also created Ishmael, whose descendants, still to this day, despise the descendants of Isaac. Take seriously the decisions you make as they can affect those around you, your own life, and the lives of the generations to come. Treat Others The Way You Would Like To Be Treated…  “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.”—Genesis 37.3-4 Israel allowed his feelings for his second wife, Rachel, to trump that of Leah, which made his love far greater for his sons, Joseph and Benjamin—the sons of Rachel. His favoritism was deeply resented by the sons of Leah, and stirred up hatred and jealousy between the two groups. Although Laban had deceived Israel when Leah had been given to him as a wife, Israel had the opportunity to move forward. Instead, he continued to dwell in the past. Rather than see Leah and their sons as blessings from the Lord, his hatred for what Laban had done to him pursued him the rest of his life. Because of this, his sons felt that disconnect and made terrible choices based out of their own wounding, including selling their brother Joseph into slavery. Share Your Heart With Trustworthy Believers… “Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. So he said to them, ‘Please hear this dream, which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.’ And his brothers said to him, ‘shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?’ So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”—Genesis 37.5-8 Although God has made some very serious promises with you about his plans and purposes for your life, it is important that you guard these promises very carefully. Not everyone is meant to know the secret things God is sharing with you at this time. Sometimes, when we share with the wrong people at the wrong time, it can take us down paths that we might not have had to travel had we only allowed the Lord to open the doors for us. God Is On Your Side! “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”—Philippians 1.6 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”—Romans 8.28 God is doing a great work in all of our lives. Rest in the assurance that He is diligently working out good things on your behalf. Press into Him, especially in moments of weakness. Allow Him, and Him alone, to strengthen you in this time of waiting. He will do ALL that He has promised, but greater still. In the waiting you will have developed a greater need for the Lord. This place of intimacy and trust will carry you through every future situation—and you will FINISH, AND FINISH WELL!