A good friend shared what I am sharing with you below and got me reflecting on the idea of how we prepare ourselves. Well in this Julien McDonald Crystal Embellished dress you would be VERY prepared to cause some major havoc...I love!!!You know the drill, click here for the link. Its on sale for $2320.50, 50% off.
Moving right along. So I was just sitting around today when Trix sent me this thought provoking email. I have been struggling with the idea of planning and time management since Saturday. As I mentioned before, I am someone who likes things very planned out. I can go with the flow, but I PREFER to know where the flow is going.
Watching the Suze Orman on Saturday almost drove me into depression. I was seeing people my age with "savings", 401ks etc. etc. and I am sitting with squat to my name. Not having a job and all the problems that come with over qualifications and legalities, suddenly hit me again. Panic set in and the questions started up, should I abandon ship in search of better lands (and possibly lose the man) or stay and invest time in him and not quit on this land of supposed milk and honey? Then I thought, what if he isn't the one and 4 years down the way I am kicking myself because of missed opportunities...(yeah and YOU thought you had issues lol).
What if, what could, what, when, why, where questions have just been racing through my mind. So you can see how the reflection below was quite timely. If I say and truly believe that everything good happens in God's own time, then my fretting is just the Devil working on overtime. He gets a pass for now but by tomorrow its game over...I need to let it go and leave it all in God's hands. I have tried to prepare myself to the best of my ability, the rest I leave up to God to fix, make new or make better :). How prepared are YOU?
How to Prepare Yourself
“So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife.” Ru 4:13 NKJV
Look at the instructions Naomi gave Ruth for approaching Boaz, her future husband, and you’ll see that there’s a certain protocol involved in walking with God. Once you understand it, the things you’ve been waiting for begin to happen.
So:
(1) Be sure it’s God’s will for you. Ruth wasn’t looking for just any man, she had a specific one in mind. And because Naomi had done her homework, she was able to tell Ruth where to find him: “He is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor” (Ru 3:2 NKJV). Research what you want from God before you start claiming things in prayer. Be sure it’s what He wants too! If your name’s not on it, don’t pursue it. Don’t go after something because it looks good in someone else’s life. God has a plan for you—one that’s unique and specific. Seek Him and He will reveal it to you.
(2) Deal with your past. Naomi said to Ruth, “Wash yourself” (Ru 3:3 NKJV). In order to gain acceptance with Boaz, Ruth couldn’t approach him looking and smelling like Moab, the famine-stricken place she’d come from. She needed to settle her past so it didn’t sabotage her future. God will open the door for you, but until you’ve resolved your old issues you won’t be able to walk through it. You can’t receive what He has for you now if you’re still contaminated by what you went through then. Whether it takes six months or six years, sort out your emotional baggage. God says: “Forget the former things…I am doing a new thing…I am making a way” (Isa 43:18-19 NIV).
Observe two more things Naomi taught Ruth, in preparation for meeting Boaz:
(3) Make sure you're in the right place. Naomi told Ruth, "Go down to the threshing floor" (Ru 3:3 NKJV). Why? Because that's where Boaz was! To receive what God has for you, you must be in the right place spiritually. Satan will tell you you're unworthy. He will try to convince you to stay where you are and to listen to those who'd keep you from where God wants you to be. He will make you feel out of place even when you're in the right place. Don't believe his lies; when God calls you He equips you, empowers you, and uses you for His glory.
(4) Understand the importance of timing. "Do not make yourself known to the man until..." (Ru 3:3 NKJV). Ruth had waited a long time for this moment; now she had to learn to be quiet because the person God planned to bless her through was sleeping. It's hard to be all keyed up about something nobody else is excited about; you want to get them excited too. But sometimes God says, "Wait." Stop working to make things happen before their time! Don't try to promote yourself. "The vision is yet for an appointed time...Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come" (Hab 2:3 NKJV). God may not respond when you think He should, but His timing is perfect. He has blessings with your name on them, and no matter how many others want them, when the time is right He will give them to you.
This is seemingly directed at finding someone but I think we can apply it to a wider situation. We can make this very useful advice apply in different contexts. Let's think about this, in every move we make, how much better will the move be if we are sure it is God's will and not our own.? How better will it be also, if we leave all the insecurities of our past behind and go forward in God's way? ...Think about it and apply it.
God says: “Forget the former things…I am doing a new thing…I am making a way” (Isa 43:18-19 NIV). Let's believe this and see a new way come about...:)
Look at the instructions Naomi gave Ruth for approaching Boaz, her future husband, and you’ll see that there’s a certain protocol involved in walking with God. Once you understand it, the things you’ve been waiting for begin to happen.
So:
(1) Be sure it’s God’s will for you. Ruth wasn’t looking for just any man, she had a specific one in mind. And because Naomi had done her homework, she was able to tell Ruth where to find him: “He is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor” (Ru 3:2 NKJV). Research what you want from God before you start claiming things in prayer. Be sure it’s what He wants too! If your name’s not on it, don’t pursue it. Don’t go after something because it looks good in someone else’s life. God has a plan for you—one that’s unique and specific. Seek Him and He will reveal it to you.
(2) Deal with your past. Naomi said to Ruth, “Wash yourself” (Ru 3:3 NKJV). In order to gain acceptance with Boaz, Ruth couldn’t approach him looking and smelling like Moab, the famine-stricken place she’d come from. She needed to settle her past so it didn’t sabotage her future. God will open the door for you, but until you’ve resolved your old issues you won’t be able to walk through it. You can’t receive what He has for you now if you’re still contaminated by what you went through then. Whether it takes six months or six years, sort out your emotional baggage. God says: “Forget the former things…I am doing a new thing…I am making a way” (Isa 43:18-19 NIV).
Observe two more things Naomi taught Ruth, in preparation for meeting Boaz:
(3) Make sure you're in the right place. Naomi told Ruth, "Go down to the threshing floor" (Ru 3:3 NKJV). Why? Because that's where Boaz was! To receive what God has for you, you must be in the right place spiritually. Satan will tell you you're unworthy. He will try to convince you to stay where you are and to listen to those who'd keep you from where God wants you to be. He will make you feel out of place even when you're in the right place. Don't believe his lies; when God calls you He equips you, empowers you, and uses you for His glory.
(4) Understand the importance of timing. "Do not make yourself known to the man until..." (Ru 3:3 NKJV). Ruth had waited a long time for this moment; now she had to learn to be quiet because the person God planned to bless her through was sleeping. It's hard to be all keyed up about something nobody else is excited about; you want to get them excited too. But sometimes God says, "Wait." Stop working to make things happen before their time! Don't try to promote yourself. "The vision is yet for an appointed time...Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come" (Hab 2:3 NKJV). God may not respond when you think He should, but His timing is perfect. He has blessings with your name on them, and no matter how many others want them, when the time is right He will give them to you.
This is seemingly directed at finding someone but I think we can apply it to a wider situation. We can make this very useful advice apply in different contexts. Let's think about this, in every move we make, how much better will the move be if we are sure it is God's will and not our own.? How better will it be also, if we leave all the insecurities of our past behind and go forward in God's way? ...Think about it and apply it.
God says: “Forget the former things…I am doing a new thing…I am making a way” (Isa 43:18-19 NIV). Let's believe this and see a new way come about...:)
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