What we do not learn by revelation we must learn through experience. God has a way of reminding us where we ought to be. Life has a way of making us comfortable in our situations and circumstances, even when they are not the best or God‘s choice. God’s window of opportunity has a time limit to it. In His own timing and season, the window of opportunity He gives us eventually closes. The children of Israel were in a place where they had become comfortable and were getting close to forgetting that they were called out of Egypt into Canaan, the Promised Land. They had come to believe that the place was their destiny because they had been there long enough and became comfortable. It is easy in life to get comfortable even with or in abnormal occurrences because that is all you have been around for long. The enemy starts to lie to you and you forget your destiny. The Lord is, however, saying that in this season, it is time to move on; you have been on this mountain long enough. God wants you to move on; it is time for you to move on from this mountain. Maybe it is a mountain of grudge-keeping, bitterness, gossiping, taking offense, laziness, prayerlessness, unhealthy relationships, procrastination, blaming, addictions, strife, discouragement, lack, poverty, financial difficulty, average Christian living, never accomplishing anything, or never pressing through to completion of what you start in life. It could also be a mountain of comfort; you are in a place where all needs are being met, but you know that life is more than just that.
When the Spirit of God tells us we have been in a place for too long and we need to move, He is not asking us to do it by own effort or strength. All He is asking from is our obedience to make the move. It is always good to obey God because His promises to us are based on our obedience to Him. When He says move, you need to do it because there is a time limit to your window of opportunity. He sends you to the next place, normally a place prepared by Him and a place where He has ordained for you. This place will not be without challenges, but He will guide you through it. God is supposed to be your God always, and He works His purposes in our lives through His leading.
As I write this article I am reminded of Prophet Elijah the Tishbite, he declared to Ahab: “As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word” (I Kings 17:1). Then the Lord spoke to him and told him to go hide himself by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan. Here in his hiding God met his provisions. “The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook” (I Kings 17:6). In today’s world if God sent a bird to bring you bread, you will want to look at the brand name, whether it is whole wheat bread, when it was baked, the company that baked it, the expiration date, the ingredients of the bread and so on. What about the meat? This will freak you out. You will want to know which animal meat it is, how it is packaged, or whether it is some left-over from the ravens’ meal. However, this scripture reminds us of God being the Father and knows what we need, and will provide.
Nonetheless, the window of this provision for Elijah stopped at God’s time. I love the way the Bible describes this; it simply says “that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land”. I believe that God is able to make streams and rivers in the desert. If it was not His timing for the brook to dry up, He could have made it continue to issue water. We have been in circumstances or situations where God put us, and suddenly His timing shifts on us, His provision stops, and the “brook” dries up. However, unlike Elijah we try to make things work out. We say to ourselves, ‘the bird stopped bringing food?’ No problem! We start a fast for that bird to be released to us, and pray and command that bird to bring the food. If it was today, we could have started calling that brook by name and commanding it to bring forth water. However, realize that when the brook dried up, the Lord spoke. We too need to wait for the Lord to speak after our brook stops. Remember that when the brook dries up, it is time to get ready to move on to your next place of provision. Do not be stuck looking at the dry brook or binding the devil and his demonic agents for a brook that God himself has dried up. Get up and get ready for your next assignment, you cannot dwell in hiding anymore. Maybe you have been in hiding for too long or maybe you have been binding the devil for tool long without realizing that though the devil is the author of all confusion and trouble, he has nothing to do with this mountain you have been dwelling on for too long. On the contrary, God is saying it is time to move on. God wants to move you to another place.
Friend, has the Lord been telling you that you have been on this mountain for so long? It is human tendency to get comfortable where God has placed us, with just an experience that He allows us to have with Him. Even with the hardships we go through, we try with our won ability and strength to make things work out. When God opens a door it is human nature to try to get comfortable. In the book of Matthew 17:1-4 we read, “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.””. The disciples were getting comfortable, they wanted to dwell on that mountain, it felt good up there with the Lord Jesus, but that was not why they were there. Friend, it might feel good where you are right now, but is this where you are supposed to be?
In the book of Acts, the Bible says they met from house to house and provided for each others’ needs. However, they become comfortable; life was revolving around the believers. It must have felt good to provide and be provided for. They stayed there for too long, doing what started as a God thing, but with time it became their thing. They lost the passion to reach others, and God allowed persecution to come and they were scattered and as they did the Gospel was preached. God got glorified. So this week get ready to move on.
If you are in the Silicon Valley (Bay Area) this weekend, please pin us on Saturday, June 6, 2013, for our Monthly breakfast meeting. We have a gust speaker, Apostle Martin; come hear what the Lord will say to us. If this article has spoken to you, please drop me a line and let me know.
Yours in the service of Christ,
Evangelist Isabella Mwango
http://www.vesselforhonor.org/
Inspiration: You have been on this mountain for so long
