Hurry Up and Wait Part 2
On last weekend's FORREAL RADIO BROADCAST, Chief Apostle HC Gunn continued the message "Hurry Up and Wait." Chief has always taught us that it is important to not move ahead of God or out of God's timing or will. In order to maintain our salvation and stand strong against the conditions of the world we live in, now more than ever it is important that we learn to wait on God. Let's get started with today's recap.
Chief began the message by reading from Psalm 130:6: "My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning." Chief explained that this verse puts you in the mind of the military or security industry. Think of it like this: Soldiers and security guards are assigned to watches at various times, and while they are on watch duty they must devote full attention to it. They must walk, they must watch and they must wait.
A soldier or security guard can't take their precious time to get to their post to begin their watch. They must not only be on time but be there in a hurry and when they get there, wait and watch patiently and consistently. Imagine what would happen if a soldier or security guard took their precious time arriving to begin their watch or did not want to wait the whole time. There would be a calamity, attacks of the enemy, thieves breaking through. Their lives and the lives of others would be in danger, and more.
When we don't wait on God, then we can allow these things to happen in our own spiritual lives or in the lives of others. We are leaving the door open for destruction. Sometimes that enemy can be ourselves or that thief could be a thought or habit that doesn't belong. But the only way to stop it is by learning to wait on God. Ok, back to this life-changing message God has given Chief Apostle Gunn: Chief continued with reading Psalm 130:5: "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." He said when you're waiting and watching before the Lord there is a cleansing that takes place in our lives. When we are before Him in our wait and in prayer, we can be unstopped and unclog our lives by moving ourselves out of the way. This allows us to become what Jesus died for us to be, and waiting on Him allows us to experience the fellowship that we truly have in Christ Jesus. He asked: Have you ever had a business decision you needed to make, but you needed to wait and to ponder before you made your next move? Well, life is like that business decision. You need to take time to wait things out, and the only way to do that is by waiting before God. In waiting on God, you can go over what you know in God and in the Word and you can pour your heart out to Him. And as you pray, praise and seek Him out, you will begin to truly learn to wait patiently and you can begin to get so familiar with God that he will know you're tuned in to him and ready to listen. He will know how to answer you. Remember: You will never be late for anything when you wait on him. That decision you need to make will never be late when you wait on him. But don't wait on him just for the answers you seek, wait on him to listen to what he has to say, what he wants to do, how he wants to direct, who he wants you to help. Wait on him simply because in his Word he tells us to wait. In his Word, he tells us to be steadfast and patient. God does not move in our time. He made time, so we need to move with him. Sometimes we say, all I could do or can do is pray. Well, prayer is really the most powerful thing you can do. Prayer is bigger than money. Prayer is bigger than any problem. Sometimes we are missing what God wants us to do or know when we are praying because we aren't waiting. Sometimes while we come to him focused on our needs, he is wanting to redirect us toward someone else's need first. But we will never know that if we don't wait before him in prayer. The most important thing about waiting and praying is to seek his will. We need to remember that prayer is not just for us to tell God what we need or think, but to also see what he needs us to do, just like a good solider. Good will use any situation to draw you closer to him, to draw you in just so he can talk to you and experience you. Never retire from waiting and watching for God.
He can remind you in
your wait where you have stopped. Where you have stopped talking about him, where you have stopped expecting him and his return. We can get so caught up in our needs and the decisions that we need to make, that we stop expecting the joy of His return and being with Him forever. Waiting in prayer helps us to slow down and remember what's important. We are supposed to be praising, worshipping, singing and joyfully awaiting His return, not bogged down with the cares of life. We are supposed to be reminding one another about Jesus coming back for us. If we are bogged down and stopped up, we won't remember to do that. So waiting before him cleanses us, our hearts and our minds, so we can realize what's important, the reality of his return, his covenant, even the healing he has for us. Don't leave it to others to pray for you, you pray.
For example, you wait before God. If you need healing, you can ask God what you need to do, don't just ask others to pray for you. You take the initiative to wait before God. Ask God what to do, tell him what the doctors say, but ask him what he's saying. Don't tempt God. In your waiting and praying, if God unveils to you what you need to do to be healed or to change or manage a situation, don't tell him you're going to do it and not do it. Don't promise to change next week. Do what he says now because if you don't you have lied to God. Hurry up and wait also means turning over your soul, your mind, your will to God when you come before him. It's as Jesus said: Not my will but thy will be done. His will is perfect, his will is best for us, his will is not out of order. His will works. His will works for our bodies, for our well-being. But we won't know his will without hurrying up and waiting. Chief read: Romans 12:1-2: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Waiting on God through praying, watching and dealing directly with him means: renewing your mind and getting the living Word of God into your spirit, so you can act on the living Word of God, so you can be motivated and animated by his Word, and your walk can be strengthened. Hurry up and wait. Even if you run out of words or don't know what to say to God, just wait before him. Waiting keeps your flesh, your family ways, your bloodline patterns, and your own habits from holding you back from success in God. No matter how you have failed wait before God. You may be in a den of iniquity right now trying to escape, but you can still get before God. Nobody has gone too far away from God that they cant return. Get before God and wait and tell him what you are stuck in and can't seem to stop and tell him you won't give up on your salvation on getting back to him. Ask him to help you. But listen to what he has to say too. Then do it. You could be saved but still stuck in your ways of meanness, of spitefulness, of ungratefulness, of rebellion, etc., and you need his help so you can stay clean and free... so the answer is: hurry up and wait before him. You can't take your clothes to a cleaner once a year. They need to be washed whenever they are dirty. Just like this example, your mind and body have been cleaned regularly. Prayer, waiting, the Word and the teaching are the soap we all need, every day. Don't lose your soul by not waiting and watching and being still before God. Layout before him, bow before him in prayer. And when he speaks, act on it. And whatever he says, be grateful and receive it. You can't pick and choose what you will accept from God. If you are walking in error or sin, God will correct you, chastise you and even hurt your feelings, but take what he says, then change and get back in line. Waiting allows you to receive his Word of encouragement, direction, clarity, chastisement, healing and help. You can receive everything you need in him from your wait. And when you're baptized in the Holy Ghost, you will have the Holy Ghost to help you and empower you to do God's will. The Psalmist in 130 was talking about waiting on God with all his heart, his mind, his soul, his will. He referenced the kind of wait that was about staying before God, taking time to pray and watch throughout the day at least every 3 or 4 hours. Our fellowship with him should be continuous. Another part of hurry up and the wait is knowing that there is no greater joy, high, or feeling than being in Jesus. This helps us to ensure we stay clean by being mindful of what we do, not seeking to fill our lives with unclean entertainment, alcohol, drugs or other things that will distract us and destroy us. There is no greater love or comfort than Jesus. Hurry up and wait allows us to start eliminating time we've given to foolishness or time we have wasted, because we are giving our time to God, to seeking him. Being before God helps keep us from doing the things we shouldn't. When you are on guard duty, you have to make your rounds and check the doors. Waiting on God in prayer helps you to continuously check the doors of your life, the doors of your heart, the doors of your mind. We must be on guard. Check your doors to see if you're being good to God, to your spouse, to the saints, and if you're showing mercy. Wait before God and he'll remind you of what to do. And remember to encourage your children to also wait before God. They need to see their parents waiting on God. Remember God gave us children, so we can lead them to Christ. Wait before God on behalf of your children. The spirits controlling your children and family will not come out without fasting and prayer. God has given us a wait and watch inside of each of us. Ask God to help you to tap into it and to learn to wait on Him! Stop trying to look good for the world or like the world and seek God on how to look good for Him. God does care about your appearance and how you carry yourself, so ask him what he has in mind for you. How we dress, wear are hair, and conduct ourselves is a representation of God. No matter whats wrong in your life or what's going on in your life or even if things seem to be on track, waiting on God always helps. Isaiah 40:31: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." Plainly put: Ask God to direct your waiting. Get quiet and be still before him, in case God wants to speak. Don't do all the talking. Listen to God and don't rush. Turn off the devices and distractions and wait in silence. You will learn to hear him. If you need help, but never stop talking when you're praying, how can God answer? Sometimes we never stop talking because we don't want to hear the answer. That goes for when we talk to our pastors as well. If you want to do all the talking and don't want to listen, you don't really want help or the truth. Wait to see what needs to be done, what needs to be said, how you are supposed to fit into a situation. We wait, so we can learn to love and do God's will toward one another. Even Jesus waited on God. John 5:19: "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." So, if Jesus had to wait on God, we know we desperately need to. Remember: Waiting, watching, being silent, and being still before God is not, not doing anything. In fact, it could change everything! Psalm 27:14: Wait on the Lord: be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
