Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Understanding "Time" Before the Harvest

As a ministry gift, coach and business owner; I am always interacting with people.  God has given me the privilege of seeing people’s lives play out over a long period of time.  I know you probably have heard that we are in a shift or transition.  Many of us God has been calling us out of the boat of familiarity and comfortability; but like Peter a lot of us begin to look at our circumstances and the conditions of the economy or our health and finances and allow what we see to throw us off and influence the decisions we begin to make. 



Transition is not always easy because you are no longer where you used to be but not fully where you desire to be.  Sometimes it is in these moments called “time” that will make us or break us.  Don’t get stuck in between seasons, but expand, learn, grow, heal and maximize who you are in the seasons of “time” so you can come into and enjoy the full harvest God has for you.

I have 5 keys below that I want to focus on when it comes to maneuvering through “time” before we get to the full harvest.

à1.  Increase requires your heart to remain pure during the process.  When we are in transition the things that lie dormant on the inside of us will begin to rise to the surface during these times.  When God is shifting us, He has to expose those things that cannot go into our next level.  Well this is where people miss it.  They let the times of pressure cause them to draw back because of the negative emotions that arise to the surface.  People have a tendency to be overcome by what they are feeling instead of understanding that God is exposing it so they can confront those things and be healed from it.  Don’t draw back, but press in and allow God to heal those areas of weaknesses that is arising to the surface.  This is not a bad thing, so keep your heart pure/clean and free from clogs during these times.

à2.  Stay focus to the vision that God gave you.  When Peter stepped out of the boat, he did it with the word “come” in mind that Jesus spoke to him.  That is great when we have the faith and courage to step out, but we must remain focus to what God spoke and not what we will begin to see after we step out.  When I moved to my storefront, I knew it was God but in 2008 when the economy shifted I had to remain focus on what God said and not what I began to experience.  I did not do what others were doing.  I had to seek God for His direction because He was the one responsible for me since He put me there.  I kept reminding Him of what He said He was going to do and not let other voices influence the decisions I made when the pressure was on.  We must rest assured that the God who told us to step out of the boat, is the same God who knows how to keep us from drowning; as long as we keep our eyes on the vision and not our circumstances.

à3.  Stay connected to God and keep your channel free so you can hear what God is speaking to you.  This can be a doozy if we have not come to a place called “rest.”  If our minds are all over the place because of the pressure we may be experiencing in this transition; then it will be hard to stay connected to God.  The foundation of anything that is being built must be solid in order for the building to withstand the elements that it may face.  The roots under the ground of a tree must be strong in order to withstand the elements of wind, tornadoes, hurricanes etc.  Likewise our foundation in who God is through His word and not thru religion, tradition and doctrine, must be solid so we too can withstand the pressure that comes from a broken economy.  When we find our rest in God, then it keeps our channel/spirit open so we can hear His voice.  He has a way of escape in every phase of our lives.  When we stay open, we will always hear His direction for the way of escape He has for us.  I am a living witness of this.

à4.  Enjoy the process and rest in His faithfulness for your life.  Embrace change and the times of stretching.  This goes hand in hand with step number 3.  When we keep our spirits clear from offense even in the times of pressure; we will begin to rest in His faithfulness for our lives.  This is where you have to remind yourself of the things He has already done for you.  You must remind yourself of how God always had your back, even when you didn’t think.  He has always been working behind the scenes of your life protecting and guarding you from our own mistakes.  When He begins to change you, it requires stretching you because He has a bigger plan than the one you can visualize right now.  He knows where He is stretching you to, so let Him and embrace your metamorphosis process.  You are changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly that is colorful and ready to mount up and fly.  Your Father sees more than the business you are doing right now.  He sees you in your place of purpose and destiny.  Let Him walk you there by embracing the changes while being stretched.  You are growing.

à5. Celebrate who God is and what He is doing in and through you.  Celebration, praise and worship will keep you above the waters instead of drowning in the times of adversity, change and pressure.  Celebrating what God is doing in your life, behind the scenes will cause you to be catapulted because you have passed the test and remained true to the process of God.  You must begin to see beyond what you literally see, so you can keep making momentum in the spirit.  Keep making strides and leaps and bounds toward your destiny and purpose.  Don’t stop because you ran into a wall or hit a bump in the road.  Celebrate God and know that He knew there was wall and a bump before you got there.  Celebrating God will cause the journey of becoming a lot easier.   

Blessings to you and I pray this word has encouraged you.  For more empowerment messages go to:  www.youtube.com/karenpresleymin or www.blogtalkradio.com/karenpresleymin


If you are looking for a coach that can assist you in the times of transition, check out my website: www.karenpresley.org – we get great reviews.

This broadcast will also air on BlogTalkRadio.com/KarenPresleyMin on Saturday August 6th