Divine, Satanic Delays and Human Responses (2)

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. - Philippians 1:9-10

Yesterday, we looked at our response to divine delays but today we would consider the reasons for it. Some of the purpose of divine delay is to make you:

1. know that you should not live by bread alone: to know that his word is more important than anything else. If you have His word, you will get what they are looking for in the world. Building on an ordinary sand can go up quickly but it does not stand the test of time.

2. know yourself: Because until you know yourself, you will not pray for improvement. Many have problem yet they do not know thinking they have arrived when they have not started. They are comfortable in mediocrity. By this, you have confidence in God not in yourself, you can trust God more. Even Paul, who wrote half of the epistles, who raised the dead, came to a time in his mission that he came to the end of himself and had to trust God. No one is secure standing on his human energy to make it. Jesus told Peter that the enemy was waiting to shift him, but he was so full of self-confidence. The emptiness of human arrogance is seen in his denial

He went and cried. God wants us to come to the end of ourselves. When the system fails, God wants us to focus on Him. When things are difficult, people have time to think. God wants to see your behaviour with the little he has given you. Will you run away after getting what you need from God? Christ is the vine, we are the branches, when we cut off from him, we dry up.

However, it is not every delay that comes from God. You check your heart, make sure there are no offences, like Job it was the devil that brought the delay. If it is God, you can stay in faith and endure it but if it is the devil, you must resist it. It is not every door that is opened by God. God can even close some doors. Joseph begged his brothers. But his brothers refused but if he had been delivered, he would not have become what God planned for him. Do not just look for what is easy. God wants to do you good in your latter end.