We all have things that we are believing God for.
For some it's a new job, health in our bodies, more money, fulfillment, peace.. and for a lot of us MARRIAGE. But what do you do when you have been believing God for something for a very long time... like, a real long time and then others get what you have continuously prayed for?? It can be a hard pill to swallow.
First, let's talk about what NOT to do.
1. Don't blame yourself.Thoughts that tell you that he/she is better than you, and that's why they got blessed with what you want are lies from the enemy. Thoughts of them being better could be thoughts like they are better looking, smarter or more educated, more likable, etc. Paul talks about blame in Ephesians. He shares with the people of Ephesus that Jesus chose us and He chose us to be BLAMELESS in His sight - Ephesians 1:4. Another word for blameless is faultless. Don't believe the lie of the enemy that says that it's your fault that you don't have it (whatever it may be). That is the exact opposite of what Jesus says about us. It is not your fault. You are not being punished. The enemies goal with trying to make us accept blame is to lower our self worth. He wants us to have low self worth and self esteem with the goal of getting us to settle for less than what God has for us. If these are lies that the enemy has tried to tell you, confess over your life that you are BLAMELESS IN HIS SIGHT.
2. Don't be envious. I know, it can be hard. Like, really God? HER? And I'm still here waiting? Envy is a form of hatred and we all know that God is love and we should be living out this very example. Even when we're a tad bit in our feelings because someone else got what we were praying for before us. When we allow envy to sneak into our thoughts it is often disguised as skepticism. We begin to question the validity or authenticity of what the other person has. "It's probably not as good as they're posting it to be", "I heard he doesn't have that good of a job so they probably won't be married anytime soon". Thoughts and gossip like this are ways we try to discredit what they have, because we think they couldn't possibly have the REAL thing before us. Not only is this arrogant but it's unGodly. Proverbs 14:30 says, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones" Yikes! In other words, envy does nothing good for us. Think of our bones being our hope. When we are envious of what others have and try to devalue it, we are disintegrating our own hope for what we are believing God for. If envious thoughts or conversations are something you are struggling with, confess over your life that you have a heart and mind of peace.
3. Don't change your mind. Unless God has spoken to you, don't allow the fact that someone else has gotten what you are praying for change your mind about wanting it for yourself. God is MORE than capable of giving a billion people the exact same thing at the exact same time and still have more than enough blessings left over. You have to know without a shadow of a doubt that this is what you want and that this is what God has for you, and don't stop believing until it's yours. Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up"
I know those three were kind of tough to read.
When God gave them to me I had to repent, do a self eval and repent again lol but I made up in my mind that I will not let anything slow my process down!
Now here are three things that we SHOULD do when we see others getting blessed with the very thing that we are waiting for.
1. Celebrate them. The same way we would be overjoyed if it were us, is what we need to show others. Think about it. When God blesses you with the man or woman of your dreams wouldn't you want people to be happy for you? Wouldn't you want to tell them allll about what God has done? I remember when I accepted my job offer. A $20,000 yearly increase to what I was previously making (And I was previously making some good money). I remember talking my moms entire ear off about how excited I was. I mean, I literally went on and on. I would have been absolutely heartbroken if she just was uninterested and swiftly changed the subject, shutting me and my excitement down. It is important that we are truly rejoicing with those who rejoice. Romans 12:15. It's not enough to think support, but we should also be vocal about our support. Obviously, not being fake or phony but just genuinely expressing our happiness for that person. Ignoring their happiness won't take the blessing away from them so you might as well be supportive.
2. Heighten your level of expectation. I hate how cliche it sounds, but have you heard the phrase "When God is blessing your neighbor, you know He is in your neighborhood"? This is SO true! When you see God blessing the people around you with the very thing you have been waiting on, that is just further proof that He is more than capable of doing it for you too. Philippians 4:19 says, "My God will supply every need of yours, according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus". Raise your level of expectation. Keep your eyes open. What He does for others, He will do the same thing for you.
3. Stay encouraged on purpose. It is very hard to accidentally stay encouraged. We need to purposely keep ourselves encouraged. It is going to take an additional effort and I promise that it will be well worth it! One way to purposely encourage yourself is by studying scriptures that are related to what you are believing God for. I know we talk heavily about relationships in this blog, but you can use this principal with any and everything. Find what the Bible says on it, memorize it and confess it over yourself everyday. Again, this will take effort but we must stay encouraged on purpose. Another way to stay encouraged is through prayer. I know, sounds cliche but we can all pray more than what we currently are. 1st Thessalonians 5:17 simply says, "Pray continuously". Pray for him/her or whatever you are believing God for. Pray that God continues to bring you peace while you are waiting and pray that God is preparing and developing you into the person that can handle His blessings with the upmost care.
God rocked my world with this one and it blessed me tremulously. I hope it did the same for you.
I'd love to hear your feedback. Talk to me on Instagram about it (@GabbingWithGabbi), share it on social media and with those who you think may need it. Thank you for reading. I love you!
Gabbi