Getting What You Need

There are times when our back seems to be against the wall in our minds. We don’t have what we need at the moment and it leads to frustration. In order to get what you need, you are going to have to put yourself out there so to speak. It’s up to you to make a move towards what you need. Sometimes you have to take it in order to get it. Wishing for it or hoping someone can read your mind is just wishful thinking. In other words, you are going to have to get yourself out of the way and put yourself out there if that makes sense.

We can find ourselves emotionally depleted due to our current circumstances. Due to mismanagement of funds, due to not knowing how to communicate effectively. Due to poor role models. Due to moving before God and now we have made a mess. Due to not having our parents in our lives. Due to choosing the wrong friends. There are many reasons why we don’t have what we want. Whatever your excuse is let’s stop making them and go for what you need.

There are four areas that we can grow in but we must take action steps to go after them to get what we need:

1. Patience

To have patience means that you will not complain about anything actually. The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, others’ actions, others’ words, or suffering without getting angry or upset. One thing that makes God upset is that we can at times become ungrateful with our circumstances. In the Old Testament, God hated it when the children of Israel would murmur and complain. God knows exactly where we are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He knows what makes us lose our patience. Our job, whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. Our work is worship to the Lord. God provided the job for us to meet our needs. As you wait for the right job or to start your own business be patient with the process.

We can tend to lose patience with our spouses but want them to be patient with us. Isn’t that calling the kettle black? You know you aren’t the perfect spouse and you get on your spouse’s nerves too. As you continue your journey of matrimony harmony be kind and gracious to your spouse. Our kids can make us lose our patience but the majority of the times losing our cool has nothing to do with them and we take out our frustrations on them. Remember they are children and they do what kids do. They are still developing and growing. They are watching your every action and not just your words. You have to ask yourself a question. Do I want my children to lose their patience when interacting with others? You may be speaking loud and clear without ever saying a word.

Psalm 37:7 NKJV) “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” Wait patiently on the Lord, don’t look to others, and keep your eyes upon God. Someone at the store, someone driving slow, being put on hold, having to speak to someone that doesn’t speak your language and you are having a hard time understanding them or them understanding you. Whatever makes you lose your cool it doesn’t matter. The question for you today is why are you so quick to get angry?  It’s time to take a look within.

AMP Version states, Philippians 2:14-16) Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God], so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness], holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result.

Forbear with one another is to be patient with one another. We must be patient with everyone. There have been times when others had to be patient with us.

2. Courage

Courage is the ability to do something that frightens you. COURAGE is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. You do it anyway no matter how you feel. Every time I stand before others whether presenting, preaching, teaching, or on Zoom speaking I am nervous and this is normal. Psalm 27:4 NKJV, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord”.

As women, we often think we must meet each challenge in our lives by ourselves and head-on. In most cases, we were taught to be self-sufficient. At a young age, most of us learned to cook, clean the home, sew, handle the finances, and handle life. One thing that is not often taught is crisis intervention. Subconsciously it’s in our thinking to just press on. We must learn to lean on the Courage-giver, who is Christ.

Waiting on the Lord requires courage because you take your hands off of the situation. It requires us to take stock of where we are in Him and in what direction we are headed. Many of us face the sadness of experiences along with the shame, guilt, and condemnation that go along with it. I am so glad that Jesus carried all of that on the cross for me and I don’t have to carry it. I don’t have to wear it because it is too heavy for me. I thank God that I am free today from the sting of my past.

Psalm 31:24 NKJV, “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Take heart, be strong, be of good courage and as long as you hope in God you have hope”. Isn’t that what faith is? Believing in what we don’t see that one day it shall come to pass. Commit your life, your soul, your heart and your mind to the Lord. Trust in Him to heal you in every area that hurts. Trust God to erase the pain. Trust God to wash you anew and renew a right spirit in you. Whatever it is that is holding you back release it today and walk in faith. This is a faith journey and we aren’t supposed to know the answers to everything. Do you think Abraham was afraid to sacrifice his son? Do you think Ruth was afraid to go speak to the King? Do you think Rahab was afraid when she let the man of God in her home? Lives were on the line but they did it anyway. Joshua 1:9 NKJV) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. Isaiah 41:10 NKJV) “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”. We have God’s spirit within us. The Lion of Judah, The Almighty God, the author and finisher of our faith, The Lord Jesus is on our side who went to hell and came back with all power in His hand.

Step out in faith. God is nowhere in fear and that is not our portion. God will raise up a spirit of courage and boldness within you. I never in my life thought I would be an author of multiple books, a podcast, and a TV host but God knew. God knew what was in me. There is greatness in you too because God is in you. You have the creator of the universe living in you. Whatever opportunity comes before you take it and seize the day. You will never know if you don’t step out in faith. Whatever God has for you it is for you. Have an attitude of I will not allow fear to stop me and I will be courageous to do whatever is before me. Don’t bury what God has given you.

3. Friendship

To make friendships we have to show ourselves as friendly according to the word. You have to make a step and reach out to others. Proverbs 18:24 NKJV) “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”. Show yourself friendly to mature saints in the Lord. You don’t want to be around silly or foolish disciples of Christ running from house to house, gossiping about others, and always stirring up mess. Life is too short for foolishness.

It was never God’s intent that we do life alone. We were created from the foundations of the earth to be in a relationship. God created us to be in communion with Him and with one another. You have to ask yourself why don’t you have the support that you need. Some of us don’t like asking for help. That is pride and selfishness. Humble yourself and ask for the help that you need. You have not because you ask not. I can do it myself, I don’t need help, I will figure it out. Why struggle when you can ask someone for help? Keep wasting time when there is someone ready, willing, and able to help you. God didn’t give us the answers to everything. That is why we need others. If you don’t have family to support you and if you don’t have an inner circle this can be a lonely place to be in.

You can join a Facebook group that has what you are looking for. Make a post about the type of support you need in the group and I am sure someone will reach out to you. You will never know who you will meet. In 2020 I attended the Map Your Book Out Boot Camp with Chanel E. Martin and I met some ladies in the boot camp. We share family issues, personal issues we are having, health issues, business problems. We have grown to love and respect one another over the past three years. They came to visit me in 2022 and this year we are meeting up again at a different location. There is nothing like having real friends who will tell you the truth, tell you about yourself, tell you when you are wrong, when you are making a mistake, and encourage you when you are doing the darn thing.

Proverbs 27:17 NKJV) As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. We make one another good and better by sharpening one another. This is what accountability looks like. There are times when we don’t think right or do right and we need someone in our life to keep us on the straight and narrow path. We are still friends today and we visit one another. Here is the kicker; we all live in different states but we make the time to connect with one another monthly and check in to see how we are doing. We have grown to love, and respect one another and are true friends.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NKJV) “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up”. When we are going through the storms of life you need someone to support you and be there for you. They can see you at your worst and be able to speak an on-time word to you to bring you back to reality. There are times when what we are going through will have us thinking that we don’t know if we are coming or going.

I Thessalonians 5:11 NKJV) “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing”. There is nothing like having friends and the support of those you know love you and encourage you when you need it the most. Galatians 6:2 NKJV) “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We are supposed to be there for one another to help you bear whatever you are carrying. I encourage you today to show yourself friendly and reach out to get a support circle in place.

4. Success

There are a lot of games and gimmicks out there and you don’t know who to trust. Everyone believes they have the secret sauce to get you elevated to the next level. I have come to learn that the only secret sauce is the Holy Spirit. God already knows the path we should take and it’s up to us to get into His presence to find out what He wants us to do. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall ^[b]direct your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV. We are to acknowledge God in all that we do and trust Him to see us through the process of success.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” Ephesians 2:10 LASB. God has a plan and a vision for each of our lives. Only what we do for God will last and we can find true success is in God. As we grow we think about what we want to be when we grow up. Sometimes we stumble upon where we are to be in life. On the other hand, God will direct our steps. Whatever we desire to do Scripture admonishes us to, Joshua 1:8 NKJV) “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”. We can’t leave God out, not acknowledge Him or seek Him for guidance.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NKJV, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God”.

We have these gifts and talents within us and are afraid to walk in faith to use them. God didn’t give them to us to keep for ourselves but to help others as we are helping ourselves. To serve others as we are serving ourselves by developing what we have. As we go, as we move we are learning more about ourselves. Our gifts will make room for you.

Psalm 37:5 NKJV, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him: and he shall bring it to pass. To get what we need we must commit our ways, thoughts, and plans to the Lord. God will lead us in the way we should go. God has a way of getting us to do what He wants us to do and not what we want to do. He knows what is best for us and He knows exactly what we need.

Get in the word and look up Scriptures on what you need, study them, meditate on them, apply them, and become them to get what you need.