Build Toward The Promise - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 11, 2022

When God speaks a word to you, you might notice it takes a very long time to see anything about it to materialize. That can cause many to take that word, smile in gratitude, place it in a pretty box and leave it on a shelf to collect dust.

However, what you do between when the Lord gives you a prophetic word and when that promise is fulfilled is crucial. You can either sit back and wait or you can start to build on the promise.

Even if it doesn't seem like it, there is always something we can do during the interim period between receiving a word and its fulfillment.

A key thing is to spend more time with the Lord and deepen your relationship with Him. This can happen in many ways including more Bible study, more praising, more prayers, more fasting, and more obedience. Living a life that keeps the instructions of God in mind and seeks to please Him.

Sometimes, there are other practical steps you can take in the direction of a prophecy or conviction received from God. No, I'm not suggesting you help the Lord and go ahead of Him. You don't need to create your own Ishmael because your Isaac is on the way. Frankly, I haven't heard of anyone who did that and found success. Ask Father Abraham.

King David provides a godly example on how to build on the promises of God in a way that glorifies Him, not helps Him. In 2 Samuel 7, David expressed a desire to build God a house. However, the Lord informed him that task would fall on his son, Solomon, instead.

Having received that prophecy, David could have relaxed, satisfied with the knowledge received. Not content to put God's word in a box and leave it on a shelf, he began acquiring the materials needed to accomplish such a great feat. David saw himself as the father of the man who would build God's earthly Temple and devoted himself to making that happen.

Not only did David seek and receive the designs from God, but He had detailed plans made. The Lord revealed the materials that would be necessary and he took steps to get them. We are given some details of this preparation in 1 Chronicles 29:2, With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities.

David's determination to assist his young heir - notice, he wasn't helping His Maker - reflected His fear of God and full faith that the Lord’s promise would happen. You need to be the same. And to do that, you need to slow down, receive God's prophecy for your future, receive instruction on how to proceed, and in trust, build toward it.

Let me ask you a question, what promise has God made to you? Are you building toward it? If the Lord has told you you'll be a music minister, are you praying for God's hand to be on your future ministry? Are you perfecting your singing craft or learning about music production? If God has called you to be a parent are you studying His word to learn about parenting? Are you borrowing library books on the topic? Are you finding scripture to pray for yourself, your unborn children and the family that is to come?

How are you getting prepared to be who God sees you as? Even the smallest step counts and God will reward you for applying your faith through godly works.

I pray that if you are yet to receive God's word and vision of your future that you'll ask Him to show you today. I also pray that once you receive that vision from your heavenly Father, you will commit to take steps in that direction, IJMN, Amen.

See you later at noon EST for today's Praise and Pray (for others).