When God Keeps Saying, “You DON’T Have Time…”
It appears as though God will not let up on His message to me about Christians having no time to live in apathy.
Early last Wednesday morning, during my workout, I happened to glance at my phone to see that a text had come in. (I never check for messages during my workout!)
Who would be texting me so early?
I saw the words “hit a deer…” and it was from my husband.
My body immediately got red hot and my heart started thumping wildly but not from exercise.
Was he truly ok??
Honestly, considering what happened on our recent holiday, I’ve had more than enough close calls and near death experiences for a while!!
I keep feeling the Holy Spirit whisper to my soul:
“Dorothy, you don’t have time.”
And neither do you.
Friend, you don't have time.
Satan wants to keep us under the illusion that we have plenty of time. If we believe that lie long enough, he can keep us in indecision or fear and we will never complete the work God has prepared for us to do.
We don't have plenty of time. You are one bad driver away from being out of time. Or one darting deer. Or some other accident or health issue. So are each of your loved ones.
I don't say any of this to scare you. I say this so you live courageously and consciously.
Not numbed by your to-do list. Not distracted by first-world problems. Not unaware of how incredibly blessed, protected, and provided for you are EVEN IF you are experiencing difficulty.
Again, my dear friend, I tell you, You. Don’t. Have. Time.
You don't have time to complain because that takes time and energy away from being thankful.
You don't have time to wait for what God has been calling you to do.
You don't have time to not send that I love you text.
You don't have time to not send the I forgive you text if you've been holding on to bitterness.
You don't have time to not take the risk God is asking you to take. It's riskier to not take that step!
You don’t have time to skip your time in God's Word or in prayer.
You don’t have time for regret or bitterness from your past that poisons your present and future.
You don’t have time to neglect taking care of the body God gave you.
You don't have time not to share the gospel with someone who's lost.
You don’t have time to leave your gifts buried and not share them with the world. (in fact, God calls that evil if you do. Read Matthew 25:14-30)
Time is an invisible, fleeting force that we must bend to our advantage and God's glory.
Stop saying "I'll do it tomorrow. "
There is no tomorrow, there's only today.
I’ve said it before but I'll say it again, if you're exhausted in a hurried, worried way, you're doing it wrong. That's not how God calls us to live. We need to live all out for Him. But that requires us to prioritize and to say no to some good things so we can say yes to all the God ordained things.
You know, in my 5 day devotional, there’s a portion where I say, “you’ve got time, but you don’t have time to waste.”
I was wrong. God’s taught me differently. My new stance is just plain old, YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO WASTE.
Let's circle back to the idea of bending time to our advantage and God's glory…
Just like we don't want to live in the LIE that we've got lots of time, we don't want to live in the lie that we don't have enough time to get done what God's called us to do.
What we have to do is live intentionally and work towards God's purpose for us each and every day incrementally.
Don't let the enemy tell you that any step is too small or that it doesn't matter. Don’t let Him talk you out of taking small obedient actions for God!!!
GO IN THE STRENGTH YOU HAVE!!! Be like Gideon!!
God is responsible for the outcome; YOU are just responsible for obedience.
I encourage you to spend some time in prayer and ask God in what areas you need to live with more intention. He sure has revealed a few things to me!
In passionate purpose,
Dorothy
P.S. My husband is fine but the vehicle was toast.