Delight in Him and Watch God Move!

A lot of people may be familiar with the following Scripture: Delight thyself also in the
LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Psalm 37:4) Some singles know
this verse by heart, and stand on it as they believe God for a mate. As I sign books
across the country, I often inscribe that very Scripture next to my signature. People
shout and praise God about it, because most believe it is saying that as long as we
praise God and have joy in Him, then He will give us our heart’s desire. However, this
Scripture is saying a lot more than that.

The word, “delight,” in the original Hebrew is anag, which means to be soft or pliable.
The definition of the word pliable, according to Webster’s Dictionary 1828 edition
means to bend, be flexible, and to be readily yielding to moral influence. The moral
influence that you, as a believer, would yield to in this passage of Scripture is God.
So delighting yourself in the Lord means more than being happy in Him, it means being
flexible and readily yielding to His authority as you seek the Lord in prayer. As you
obey and serve Him, and allow His will and not your will to be done, then will He bless
you with the desires, or secret petitions of your heart.

Also, the dictionary definition of the word, “give,” in Psalm 37:4 means to transfer,
to grant, and to impart. As you seek God’s face by reading and meditating His Word
(Joshua 1:8), by worshipping Him (John 4:23), and by praying consistently
(1 Thessalonians 5:17), your mind becomes renewed as you become more like Him
everyday as you continue to abide in Him. I believe in doing so, God will transfer,
or impart those desires in you – which are ultimately His desires- as you grow in your
relationship with God and desire what He wants for your life. And He desires to bless
you exceeding abundantly above all you could ever ask or think, according to the power
that worketh in you (Ephesians 3:20)!

Are You REALLY Trusting God?

Most of you are familiar with this famous passage of Scripture:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I can hear some of your thoughts now, “I know. I know. How many times do I have to
hear that Scripture?” But even though you may have heard it, and may even know it by
heart, have you really received it?

When I think of the word, “trust,” I think of an absolute confidence in. I have
absolute confidence in the fact that when I enter a movie theater and have a seat,
the seat won’t break underneath me. I trust so much that I don’t even bother to check
and make sure it’s firmly affixed to the floor. If I did folks would probably look at
me like I was crazy, because they trusted so much that they, too, sat right in their
seats without thinking about it twice as well.

The word, “trust” in the original Greek of this passage of Scripture means,
“batach,” which means to be confident, bold, or sure. As single believers, we must
learn to be confident, bold, and sure in the Lord about everything.

The Scripture also admonishes us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart. Not
just part of our heart. Not just one part which says, “I trust you Lord,” while
the other part says, “but what if I never get married?” or, “what if I never meet
the right one for me since the odds are stacked against me?” or, “what if I get
too old and men would no longer find me attractive?” These heart confessions are
filled with fear which is contrary to faith, belief, and trust. And we know that
God is not the author of fear, but that He is the author and finisher of our faith.

The second part of the verse 5 says, …and lean not unto thine own understanding.

The Message Bible states in its translation:

…don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Don’t try and figure out why you’re still single while getting yourself all stressed
out and blood pressure rising because you feel your time is running out or your
biological clock is ticking. Sometimes we put ourselves in such a rut feeling sorry
for ourselves -- thinking we must not be wife material -- or, “if only i looked a
certain way i would be married by now,” -- or, “if only I lived in a different city
I would be married by now,” -- or, “if only i went to a different church i would be
married by now,” -- and on and on and on…

Instead of chasing a man, we should be focused on chasing God and the perfect will
of God for our lives.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with desiring a mate; we just have to
be careful not to allow our “desire” to turn into an anxiety or care, because God
wants us to cast all of our cares on Him. He bore all of our cares for us when He died on
the cross. (Isaiah 53:5)

He wants us to be content where we are right now in our current station in life, and
He wants us to celebrate the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, not
just on Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter), but every day of our lives.

He wants to resurrect our joy. He wants to resurrect our peace. Jesus died so that we
might have joy, and that our joy might be full -- whether we’re single or married.
(John 15:11)

So instead of asking yourself if you’re really trusting God for a mate, instead ask
yourself if you’re really trusting God with your life.

Expectation Fuels Your Faith

Expectation fuels your faith.

Faith requires action, while expectation is the reaction to the action.

Faith is the belief in the unseen, and faith without works is dead.

Once you pray and ask God for His dream for your life, then obey His instructions,
and expect God to move on your behalf.

Just like a car needs gas in order to drive, your faith needs expectation in order
to drive you towards your destiny.

Webster’s Dictionary, 1828 edition, defines expectation as the act of expecting or
looking forward to a future event with at least some reason to believe the event
will happen.

Look forward to your future.

Look forward to fulfilling your dreams and expect them to come true.

Obey God, every step of the way, without wondering, “When, Lord, when?”

Don’t get impatient or anxious.

Continue sowing seeds of preparation, continue doing the work, continue helping
others with their dreams, and your set time will arrive in due season.

Believe it will happen for you.

There is a whole world out there waiting to be blessed and inspired by your gifts
and talents, so believe God will make a way for you.

He will open doors, and He will make it happen while you obey, in faith, expecting.

Expectation is an attitude.

Everyday, say to yourself, “I expect to win.  I expect to succeed.”  If you’re believing God
for a mate, say, “I EXPECT to be married one day!”

Even if years go by and you don’t see it, continue plowing, and
continue saying, “I expect to be used by God.  I expect the favor of God to rest upon me.”

Keep your faith charged up while expecting the manifestation of
God’s divine destiny for your life.

Scripture References:
Hebrews 11:1
James 2:17
Proverbs 4:18
1 Thessalonians 5:24