"Promised"

By Paula R. Bryant

When God makes a promise, He keeps it. But unless He reveals exactly when He’ll bring the promise to pass, we need to wait until it is revealed, believing Him every step of the way. So, we must stay close to Him on our Path of Inspiration to stay on course—because when we arrive at the moment of the promise revealed, in spite of any doubts or fears that may rise or opinions that try to convince us otherwise, we’ll recognize God’s hand and step in to His promise. But too often, we listen to our mind, rehearse our doubts and fears, and decide to stay in our comfort zone.
       Let’s go back and review our “Inspire Journey” thus far. We each have moments of IncepSpiration when God puts us on a new path. We begin to receive His vision for that path as it unfolds, and continue embracing the process of Inspiration as we keep saying yes to God and taking action. Then the inevitable time of separation comes, when our path literally splits before our eyes, and we must choose to walk away from the familiar toward a new, somewhat unfamiliar destination.
       At that moment, we can remember everything God has shown us and decide to break away from the past. But if we hesitate, we’ll default back to old, familiar, comfortable patterns. And sadly, we’ll begin to find comfort running on what then becomes a daily “hamster wheel” of activity…running, running, and running some more, getting absolutely nowhere toward our destined purpose.
       This is exactly where I found myself that day at the office in 1995 when I received the call from my prospective employer (see my blog, “The Time of Separation,” dated 4/16/16). Looking back, I recognize that was definitely a new moment of IncepSpiration. God was confirming everything He’d shown me up to that point, so I would clearly see that my new path was unfolding by His hand. Because now, it was time for me to act again and shift onto it. That would prove to be very challenging for me, because as I said before the thought of leaving Houston had become bittersweet. After I hung up the phone that day, I called my husband and told him what had happened. He was stunned. And he definitely bore witness that God was confirming His will for us to return to Dallas.
       As the days passed and I anticipated giving notice to the best boss I had ever worked for, I prayed and prayed to overcome my racing thoughts and roller-coaster emotions. At times, it was grueling, heartbreaking. Then one day as I was seeking the Lord in prayer, He promised me a “100-fold return” if I would trust Him, let go of my “perfect arrangement,” and choose His path to return to Dallas (see Mark 10:28–30). At that moment, a divine light bulb illumined my spirit and mind. Peace flooded my entire being. And I received the promise. I knew that a much greater future was ahead of us, as I trusted Him, let go of what I knew, and received His promise. 

As we walk on our Path of Inspiration, it’s important to understand the balance between spirit and mind. The Bible teaches that our spirit desires the things of God, and that we must “renew” our mind by studying and meditating upon the Word, which is God’s truth. (See Galatians 5:16‒17, 19‒25; Romans 8:5‒6, 12:1‒2; Psalm 1:1‒3.) God leads us on our path toward our promised future by His Spirit directly to our spirit. Once we receive His direction, we can embrace the process, utilizing our mind to navigate through all the details. Our spirit receives divine vision and direction. Our mind handles the details along the way.
       Last week, I paused to share with you about the exhilaration of realizing when you’re in God’s perfect timing. Yet, there are inevitably times when knowing this, for one reason or another, is bittersweet. So, you must learn how to pause on your Path of Inspiration, refresh your perspective daily, and stay on track.
       With this in mind, take a few moments to pause and consider God’s promise in your life. How has your path unfolded as you’ve responded to His direction? How well have you embraced His process along the way, especially when facing a time of separation? Let me encourage you, in spite of your ups and downs, that as you trust God and keep moving forward you’ll discover time and again—He always keeps His promises!