Un-pause and keep moving

I have felt the burden to bring your attention to the unnecessary pause in the life journey many of us are currently facing. We had something we were building or attempting to build, but then COVID happened with all of its gloominess in 2020, and we were thrown into the woes of uncertainties and the unknowns of life.

What that has left us with is a life of stagnancy and stillness, where we are constantly on edge and waiting for this storm to pass so we can get back to our normal life and continue the journey we were on. It seems reasonable to pause everything we were happily building before lockdown, right? After all, the restrictions in various places leave less room to manoeuvre and near impossible to get anything done. Depending on the severity in your area, you may not be able to do anything outside the confines of your home, just like what Noah and his family had to deal with during the flood in their time.

Nonetheless, I’ll like to interrupt your busy schedule today and announce that:

God wants you to keep moving because He factored in this season of your life when He sent you here on earth! Yes, this season with everything that has come with it didn’t come as a surprise to God and He doesn’t want you to live your life like that. God doesn’t want the lockdown and the restriction to keep you stagnant, but you have to get back on the path He had you on before the storm.

When the Israelites left Egypt with the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, Exodus 3:17 NIV, they met with a similar plight. You see, even before they left Egypt, God knew they were going to have to deal with crossing the Red Sea. I believe if God had warned them of all the torrential experiences that lay ahead of them on their journey to the promised land, like what we are experiencing right now, they would have been hesitant to leave Egypt in the first place. It’s no surprise their immediate response when faced with the first obstacle, the Red Sea, was fear and anxiety, Exodus 14:10-14 NIV. All they saw was an impossible situation; the Red Sea they couldn’t possibly cross. They felt totally handicapped, which was further worsened when they saw the Egyptian soldiers and their chariots racing after them.

There is much to learn from the Israelites, because like them, if God had warned us of what we would be facing in 2020 and 2021, we would have been hesitant to live and dream the life He had planned for us or even panic and try to escape somewhere like Jonah. We would have lived a mediocre life full of limitations and hopelessness.

Remember what God said to Moses when he cried out to Him? God asked him what he had in his hand, Exodus 14:15-17 NIV. My friend, today God is also asking you the same question, “what have you got in your hand?” What is in your hand right now that God wants to use to keep you going in this season? Moses used the rod in his hand to accomplish the impossible because He trusted in what God had said to him, and the Israelites were able to move on to the other side of the Red Sea to continue their journey to Canaan. You are also encouraged to get hold of your own personalised rod and keep moving in your own life journey.

The move

God placed all the dreams in your heart, knowing fully well these obstacles will be coming your way. He gave you the desire to start building that business or job and make the most of your life in full view of what lay ahead of you. That means that there is a work-around available for whatever you have put on hold. God does not want you to live your life like He had no idea of what was ahead of you when He sent you on this journey. He wants you to still live your life to the fullest because He has equipped you with all you need to fulfil your dreams. You may be thinking that there is no workaround for your dream or purpose, but God has an answer for you. This will take a lot of reflection, praying and asking God questions, and He will direct your path, Proverbs 3:6 NKJV. Be ready to listen, and you will come to that place of realisation, like Moses; you have a rod in your hand to do whatever He has assigned you.

Joseph was given all those dreams of glory with no knowledge of the journey to their fulfilment, Genesis 37:5-11 NIV. Nehemiah was commissioned to keep re-building Jerusalem’s walls amid immense opposition and persecution, Nehemiah 2:17-20 NIV. Daniel kept on fasting until he received the breakthrough 21 days later, Daniel 10:12-14 NIV.

Today, you are being urged to get back on track with your life. You aren’t supposed to put your life on hold whilst this storm passes. You are supposed to walk through the storm because Jesus is with you. Jesus told the disciples to go onto the other side of the lake, and they faced a raging storm that almost tore their boat apart. When they cried out to Jesus, he just rebuked the storm, and they continued their journey, Mark 4:35-40 NIV. God wants you to talk to him about what you have put on hold. He wants to direct your steps in this season so you can still accomplish the plans and purposes He has for your life.

Our church services have been totally transformed. Children workers especially have found creative ways of engaging with children online on Sundays. In our church, Reading Family Church, the kids totally have a blast on Sundays learning about Jesus and having fun at the same time. In some countries, this was totally impossible some years back, but then here we are, enjoying church services online, even if it means we don’t get to meet and chat with people physically. The Holy Spirit’s move in our church meetings online has been amazing and engage us in wonderful ways we never thought were possible some years back. Several companies who had no idea how to work online have been thrown into this frenzy, and now people can effectively work from home, with some companies even adopting this new way of working.

Interestingly, though, we have looked up to our churches and organisations to put measures in place so we can still have a place of worship and a means of carrying out our jobs remotely. On the other hand, we seem content to put a pause on our lives on a personal level until this storm passes. But God is urging us now to put our creative cap on, and with His grace and guidance, we can get our lives moving again.

Why the urgency?

I will encourage you to go through this season as God intended for your life, so you will be better placed in a position to handle the next season of your life. Everything God will be doing with you in this storm of life is preparing and leading you to “the next” of your journey. By pausing and waiting for the storm to pass, you are holding out on your development and preparation. There are treasures and lessons you can receive only when you are right in the middle of the storm. Well, we know of Moses, who was raised as a prince but had to spend forty years in the wilderness shepherding the flock of Jethro, so he can learn how to lead a stubborn group of Israelites. The virtues he needed to lead them could only have come from his time with the flock. Likewise, we know Joseph had to learn managerial skills that could only come from serving under Potiphar and prison. He could not have received this back home where he was being pampered by his father, Jacob. Many more inspirational people in culture have similar stories, but that will be for another time.

From history, every time our God has had to take people through various storms, it is so He could birth the greatness that lies on the inside of them to accomplish His purpose. You are reading this today because the Lord want to birth something great out of you. You are the only one designed in the world to do this.

Let’s get to work

What have you put on hold because of this lockdown and restrictions, and physically there is no way to keep it going? I want to encourage you to go back to the originator of the idea, and He will direct you on how to get back up again.  Take a good look into your life and ask the question, “what can I still keep doing, and how can I do it?” God is resurrecting that dream He put in your heart, give Him the space and time in your life and let Him set you back on your life track. Avoid jumping on the bandwagon of the woes of lockdown and restrictions but join in sharing His hope and promises for this season.

You have been armed and equipped to be all you are destined to be in this season. I have given so many excuses for the stuff I have put on hold, so I have been personally challenged to get back on routine. I challenge you to question the excuses for everything you have put on hold and let God give you creative ideas to pick it up again and finish what you started. The future that you greatly desire is on the other side of this storm; un-pause and keep moving!

Prayer

Father, I thank You for today.
Thank You for my life and how You have sustained me this far.
I pray that You revive the dream You put in my heart to accomplish Your purpose.
Give me wisdom, knowledge and understanding this season Lord.
Help me trust and believe that You are with me every step of the way.
Thank You, Lord, in Jesus name, Amen!

May you be filled with the Fullness of God and the Power of His Love!