Ready or Not?

Perhaps you're wanting to start a new ministry, perhaps you're wanting to apply to another job or perhaps you wanted to get serious with someone you really like. Whatever it may be, there are seasons that God may tell us we are not ready but then later on, He will let us know when we are ready. These are my common realizations in the waiting as I traced God's way of telling me or encouraging me to do something new or start stepping into the unfamiliar place.

If you're one of my closest, you know that I'm the type of person who won't do something if I know I'm not ready, or I didn't prepare myself for it. That's why I think carefully before writing this piece, because we have different personalities, levels of spiritual discernment, and of course God can speak to us in various ways. These realizations I share are based on my own experience, discernment, and meditation of The Word in connection of some events in the past where I strongly sensed God tells me to get out of a rut. 

1.) When we began to realize its less about arriving and more about continually growing, God could be telling us that we are ready. We'll know the babies getting ready to take their first steps when we see them testing out pre-walking skills like pulling up to stand, cruising, squatting with support, and standing unassisted. This might also be the same in assessing our capacity if God has advancing us to a certain season or place. It often starts with a God-given idea (or sometimes I call it promptings) to start the unfamiliar, this idea is fueled by desire and courage to take a few little steps as we navigate our pace and later on to choose whether we go to left or right as we're in-tune with His voice. We are better equipped to receive God's blessings when we realize it's more about the continual process of sanctification through the Spirit. 

2.) If God has shown us that we are fulfilling His Biblical standards on a consistent basis, this is a sign the Lord is saying to us we are ready. Having just emphasized the importance of continual growth in point one, we must also clarify the importance of taking God's Word at face value and simply obeying it. While it can sometimes see vague and confusing when we look at God's clear command in the Bible we can see with much greater clarity, none of us obey God's Word perfectly but there is an emphasis in what we consistently do in the Bible. The patterns in our life hold more value than the outliers in our life. As 1 John:5-7 states that "our God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. It means there is no sin or no false doctrine that God ever embrace. And our sign as Christians being in the light is how we walk even when everything looks dark, this often signifies what we normally do in our life as believers. As Christians we will sin, but a true Christian cannot live in sin. Repentance is part of our way of life as 1 John 1:8-10 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-10 makes it clear that 1 John 1:5-7 is not saying we must live perfect or else we are not a Christian. Rather, a true Christian is one who consistently obeys God (walks in the light) and repents when they fall short. If we are defined by this type of lifestyle, consistently obeying God and quickly repenting when you don't follow God, this is the best way to be prepared for whatever God has planned for the next. 

3.) If we've learned all we can without actually getting real experience just doing it. This often a sign the Lord is telling us that we are ready. Knowledge can usually acquire in basically two ways: through processing information mentally, and through experiencing real life situations. Jesus is our ultimate Teacher. He knows exactly which lessons will be learned best through simply giving us information and planting it in our hearts while also knowing which lesson that needs to learn through experience. As Isaiah 48:17 states, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go." Usually, God uses a combination of both types of learning to teach us what He wants us to know, this is how we gain the head knowledge first and then gaining the real-life experience next. I remember, before I own a car, I unintentionally hear a lot of information about dealers, registration, engines, car parts or even the coolest yet affordable tires to use from my all-men colleagues in our department. It was fun to learn those things. I don't yet have plans to buy a car that time because I am afraid to learn how to drive, but within that period God blessed me a car even though I do not know how to drive. I don't have a choice but to learn! I did not enroll in a driving school, instead I spend some time driving during weekends with my sister (she's a pro). I was scared but I was eager to learn, and it became less stressful whenever I start traveling short distance and gain more confidence whenever I do long drive. Stunted growth occurs when we want to learn just one means or the other. It is safe to just study from a far which is why Christians often gets stuck just studying rather than living sometimes. 

 

4.) If there has been a prompting in our hearts were waiting now feels more like disobedience, rather than obedience like it used to feel, this is often a sign the Lord is saying we are ready. As the book of Ecclesiastes teach that there is a time of waiting and there is a time of stepping out in faith. One way God is telling us that we are ready to stop waiting and start stepping out in faith is by giving us the conviction to do so in our hearts with the guidance of His word. I remember, I still wanted to stay at my first job because I'm happy with what I was doing. I love my counseling work (everyone knows that) and treasure the people I was working with. But deep in my heart, I sensed that I could do more, I feel like I want to give more. My spirit became restless searching for what was missing. So, I tried to look for another job, perhaps there are greater opportunities outside of my usual rhythm. Sadly, I couldn't find any. After a month of soul searching and praying, instead of finding a job, I found a school. I spoke to my Dad, then I filed a resignation from my first job. I can't even imagine how swift that transition was. I left my job without enough savings because resigning from work was not in my plan. But as I stepped in the Seminary it feels like an important piece of a puzzle was solved. God has given us His Spirit so we can walk with Him moment by moment through every day of our lives as Jesus said in John 10:27, "My sheep hear My voice." When we are sent to the Spirit's leading in our life, we are starting to sense in our hearts what God wants us to do or not do. God will certainly put us through a season of waiting, but eventually we will sense when God is switching the plan and then we'll hear Him say, yes, child, you are ready!