And as a nation, we dream together. We rally behind the team. We sing. We hope. We watch with bated breath. Yet, every four years, it never quite comes home.

We’ve become a nation familiar with disappointment. So close, yet somehow still so far.

It made me think about dreams.

Because when a dream finally comes true, especially one that seemed bigger than your reality; the feeling is almost impossible to describe. If we’re honest, many of us pursue our dreams with only a tiny mustard seed of faith. We keep moving forward, not because we’re completely certain it will happen, but because something deep within us refuses to let go.

Then, one day, it happens.

The joy, relief, gratitude and wonder cannot really be explained, they can only be experienced.

But what about the dreams that never seem to materialise?

The ones you’ve carried for years. The ones you’ve poured your heart into.

The dreams that have cost you tears, sacrifice, sleepless nights and disappointment, yet somehow seem to drift further away the harder you chase them.

Joseph knew something about those kinds of dreams.

He had two remarkable dreams that completely changed the trajectory of his life. In the first, his brothers’ sheaves of wheat bowed before his own. In the second, the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed before him.

They were extraordinary dreams; dreams worth believing.

What Joseph could never have anticipated was the journey between receiving the dream and living it. He could not have imagined the betrayal.

The pit.

The slavery.

The false accusation.

The prison.

The loneliness.

The years of waiting.

The heartbreak.

The frustration of delay.

The moments when nothing in his life remotely resembled what God had shown him.

Dreams are expensive. Sometimes they cost far more than we ever imagined.

In fact, dreams often have a way of breaking us, stripping us, and refining us long before they fulfill us.

Imagine Joseph’s first night in prison for a crime he never committed.

Far from home, separated from his family and in a foreign land.

Nothing about that prison cell looked like the dream of the sun, moon and stars bowing before him.

His reality couldn’t have been further from his promise.

Perhaps that’s where you find yourself today.

Maybe your dream was to build a thriving business, but instead you are clocking into a job under people less experienced and less qualified than you. Or perhaps you’re facing yet another rejection letter with no income in sight.

Maybe your dream was to own your own home, but today you’re struggling simply to rent somewhere safe and secure. Perhaps you’re moving from one temporary place to another, wondering if stability will ever come.

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of travelling the world, yet circumstances beyond your control, such as immigration restrictions, seem to keep every door closed.

Or perhaps you’ve achieved everything you once prayed for. Career, finances, success, but your heart longs for a family to share it all with. Every birthday quietly reminds you that time keeps moving forward.

So, is it foolish to keep dreaming when months have become years, and years have brought little evidence that the dream is still alive?

Not at all.

Dream anyway.

Keep working.

Keep hoping.

Some dreams are reserved for an appointed time.

They arrive according to God’s calendar, not ours.

“This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”

Habakkuk 2:3 NLT

The weightiest dreams, the ones that change families, generations and destinies, rarely happen overnight.

The Bible doesn’t deny that waiting is difficult. Instead, it tells us to be patient because the vision will be fulfilled.

I know that’s easier said than lived, but life-changing dreams really are worth waiting for.

David understood this.

In Psalm 27, he declares that he would have fainted had he not believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

And see it, he did.

David’s journey to the palace was anything but straightforward.

He hid in caves.

He fled from enemies.

He begged for food.

He even pretended to be insane in order to survive.

The dream of becoming king often looked impossible.

Yet eventually, the waiting ended.

“When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all the surrounding enemies,”

2 Samuel 7:1 NLT

Notice that little word: Settled.

After years of running…

After years of uncertainty…

God settled him.

Perhaps someone reading this simply needs to know that one day, God will settle you too.

So, if the dream in your heart is genuine, if it’s something you know God has placed within you and it has the potential to bless not only your own life but the lives of many others, keep showing up.

Learn, grow, study, become a student of your own dream.

Pray over it. Prepare for it. Stay ready.

Because one day, God’s suddenly will arrive.

Joseph never stopped using the gift God had given him, even while sitting in prison.

When others needed their dreams interpreted, he was available.

He didn’t become bitter because his own dream hadn’t yet come to pass.

He didn’t withdraw.

He didn’t allow disappointment to rob him of purpose.

Instead, he faithfully served others with the very gift connected to his own dream.

Those two dreams he interpreted in prison became the prelude to interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, the very moment that unlocked the dream God had given Joseph thirteen years earlier.

What a lesson.

Sometimes, while our own dream seems delayed, God invites us to help someone else fulfill theirs.

Helping another person’s dream does not diminish your own.

In fact, it may become the very seed God uses to usher you into your appointed season.

Dreams do come to pass.

I don’t know where you are on your journey.

I don’t know how long you’ve been waiting.

I don’t know how many disappointments you’ve had to endure.

But I want to encourage you:

Keep hope alive.

Cry if you need to.

Rest if you need to.

Heal if you need to.

But don’t give up.

Because eventually, Joseph stood before Pharaoh. He went to bed a prisoner.

He woke up discussing national strategy inside a palace.

In a single day, everything changed.

The dream that had seemed impossible suddenly became reality.

And years later… the very brothers who mocked his dream bowed before him exactly as God had shown him.

“Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.”

Genesis 42:6 NKJV

Dreams really do come to pass.

And yes, I still believe that one day England will lift another World Cup.

The nation will celebrate. We’ll probably get that extra bank holiday everyone keeps hoping for.

(I know some of you are laughing at that thought… Go on, laugh. I’ll wait.)

So hold on to your dream. Don’t bury it.

And if you’ve already buried it…

Go and dig it up and dust it off.

Breathe life into it again, why because dreams do come true.

However impossible they may seem, we serve a God who specialises in suddenly’s.

One day, without warning, you may find yourself living the very life you once only dared to imagine.

“Long ago I told you what was going to happen. Then suddenly I took action, and all my predictions came true.”

Isaiah 48:3 NLT

Dream anyway.

Because the God who gave you the dream has not forgotten where He planted it.

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It rises without effort when the heart is light. It spills out in laughter, in celebration, in moments when life feels kind. You do not have to force it. It comes naturally.

You see it everywhere. A winning team lifts a trophy and the stadium erupts into song. Strangers become one voice, singing without rehearsal. Joy has found its sound.

But when the story changes, so does the sound.

The losing side grows quiet. Heads drop. Faces tighten. No one feels like singing. Not because they have forgotten the words, but because the moment does not seem to deserve a song.

And if we are honest, life can feel like that sometimes.

There are seasons where singing feels out of place. When the heart is heavy, when prayers seem unanswered, when things do not look the way you hoped they would. In those moments, silence feels more honest.

The children of Israel knew this feeling well.

Far from home, sitting by the rivers of Babylon, they wept as memories of Zion filled their hearts. Home was not just a place. It was a sound. It was laughter, freedom, celebration, and songs that once flowed so easily.

Now they were in a foreign land, carrying loss and longing. And then came the request.

Sing for us.

Not just any song. Sing the songs you used to sing. The songs of your God.

Their response was simple and deeply human.

“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”

Psalms 137:4 NKJV

How do you sing when your heart is not in it. When your world has shifted. When nothing feels the same. If you have ever asked that question, you are not alone.

But somewhere between their silence and our own, there is a quiet invitation from God. Not to deny what we feel, but to lift something deeper than what we feel.

Because a song is not always the evidence of joy. Sometimes, it is the seed of it.

This is the kind of song Paul and Silas carried.

Beaten, bruised and wrongly accused. Thrown into prison and chained in the inner cell. If anyone had a reason to sit in silence, it was them.

But the night tells a different story.

“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.”

Acts 16:25 NLT

Not because it made sense. Not because the pain had disappeared. But because they chose to let their faith speak louder than their situation.

Their song filled the prison. It reached beyond their chains. It became a declaration that God was still good, still present, still worthy.

And heaven responded.

“Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose.”

Acts 16:26 CSB

Their song did not just comfort them. It shifted the atmosphere.

David understood this posture too. A man who knew both victory and deep sorrow. Betrayal, loss, confusion. Yet he settled something within himself.

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Psalms 34:1 NKJV

At all times. Not only when life is kind, but when it is confusing. Not only when prayers are answered, but when you are still waiting.

There was a time when King Jehoshaphat and Judah faced an overwhelming army. Fear was real. The threat was undeniable. Yet as they sought the Lord, something remarkable happened.

They were told the battle was not theirs.

So instead of leading with weapons, they led with worship.

“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: ‘Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.’ Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people… and they were defeated.”

II Chronicles 20:21 to 22 NKJV

They sang before they saw victory.

And by the time they arrived, the battle had already been won.

“When Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the large army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; nobody had escaped.”

2 Chronicles 20:24 CSB

This is the mystery of praise. It does not wait for things to change. It becomes the space where things begin to change.

God inhabits the praises of His people.

Psalms 22:3 NKJV

He settles there. He moves there. And in His presence, something within us shifts.

Perspective changes. Strength returns. Hope begins to rise again.

This is why God can say something that seems almost unreasonable.

“Sing, O barren, You who have not borne. Break forth into singing, and cry aloud…”

Isaiah 54:1 NKJV

How do you ask someone in lack to sing. Yet God does, because He sees beyond what is visible. He speaks to what is coming, not just what is.

And perhaps that is where you find yourself today.

In a place that does not feel like singing. In a moment where silence feels easier. Where the song feels far away.

If that is you, this is not a command. It is an invitation.

Sing anyway.

Not perfectly. Not loudly if you cannot. Even if your voice shakes. Even if the words come slowly.

Sing because God is still near.

Sing because your story is not finished.

Sing because faith is finding its voice in you.

And if you do not know what to sing, ask Him.

“Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God my Creator, the one who gives songs in the night?’”

Job 35:10 NLT

He gives songs in the night. Not just in the day.

So as long as you have breath, you still have a reason.

“Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah.”

Psalms 150:6 CSB

You may not have all the answers yet.

But if you still have breath, you still have a song.

Sing anyway.

.

These are not foreign words.
These are not careless words spoken haphazardly.

These are words spoken in moments of hardship and deep frustration.
I have said them. I am sure you have said them too.
And so have millions of people around the world.

These are words that rise from a place of weariness…
From seasons where patience has been stretched, tested, and tried.

They come from a deep place.

When Life Is Not “Lifing”

Recently, in a season where life simply was not lifing, I came to understand something deeply:

God created us with a resilience and strength that we often do not recognise until we are pushed to our limits.

Many times over, I felt like I had reached my end. I had prayed every prayer I knew how to pray. I had done everything I knew how to do. And yet, the pendulum did not seem to move… not even an inch, at least not in my natural eyes.

Have you ever been in that kind of season? Where you are doing everything right…
Praying. Showing up. Believing. And yet nothing seems to budge.

You feel like you have run out of everything. You don’t know what else to do.

And then somehow… you wake up the next morning. And you realise…

You still have some oil left, enough to face another day, enough to pray again.
Enough to show up again for work, for your family, for life.

It is human to feel like you have reached your end.

But here is the truth:

Whenever we feel like we have reached our end… that is often where grace begins.

God has a way of picking us up and gracing us to face another day.

As long as your heart is beating, you have not truly come to your end.

Hagar: When “I Can’t Take It Anymore” Becomes Real

There is a woman in scripture whose story captures this so powerfully.

Her name is Hagar. We find her story in the book of Genesis, when Abraham was still Abram and Sarah was Sarai.

Hagar was Sarai’s maid. Sarai had no child of her own, and it troubled her deeply.
So she initiated what we would now call surrogacy through her maidservant.

And this part always makes me pause and wonder…

Did Sarai and Hagar ever sit down to agree on this? Did Hagar truly have a say?

Scripture does not give us those details.

But this is what we do know:

“Abram’s wife, Sarai, had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, ‘Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.’ And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”
Genesis 16:1–2 (CSB)

Fast forward a few months later… Hagar is pregnant.

Somewhere along the line, something shifts. Perhaps the weight of the situation.
Perhaps the change in status.

But the Bible tells us:

“So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.”
Genesis 16:4 (NKJV)

Hagar began to look at Sarai with contempt. And Sarai was not going to take that lightly.

When a Situation Becomes Too Much

Sarai dealt harshly with Hagar, So harshly that Hagar reached her breaking point.

I can almost hear her say it within herself: “I can’t take this anymore.”

And with that… she ran.

Pregnant.
Vulnerable.
Uncertain.

She fled. For her to run meant the situation had become unbearable.
She believed the only way forward was to remove herself from it.

And if we are honest, this is a very human response. Many of us run.

We run from situations, we avoid confrontation, we bury our heads in the sand, hoping the problem will disappear.

God Knows Where to Find You

Hagar found herself in the wilderness, by a spring of water.

No clear plan and no certainty of what comes next.

But here is what brings comfort:

God knows our end from the beginning.
And He knows exactly where to find us.

Whether we are running or avoiding, or simply being overwhelmed…

He knows exactly where we are.

“Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness… And He said, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?’”
Genesis 16:7–8 (NKJV)

God was not surprised to find her there, and He was not asking because He did not know. He was inviting her to confront her reality.

When God Doesn’t Remove You

What God says next is something worth sitting with.

He does not say,
“I understand, let me take you out of this situation.”

Instead, He says:

“The angel of God said, ‘Go back to your mistress. Put up with her abuse.’ He continued, ‘I’m going to give you a big family, children past counting…’”
Genesis 16:9 (MSG)

This is not an easy instruction.

But it reveals something deeply important:

Sometimes God will not remove you from the situation…
He will strengthen you within it.

Because He sees what you cannot yet see.

The lessons, the growth and outcome. And He attaches a promise to your obedience.

Strength in the Struggle

There is a scene in the story of Ray Charles that has always stayed with me.

When he was losing his sight, his mother did not come running every time he cried out.

She stood back. Not because she didn’t care… But because she understood something deeper. He needed to learn how to navigate using what he still had.

She was there, watching, and present but allowing him to grow stronger. She knew she wont be there forever and being independent for Ray was not an option.

Unlike Ray’s mother, God will never leave us.

He has promised, He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Even when He is quiet… Even when you cannot trace Him…

Trust His presence.

He is a very present help in times of trouble.

Grace Shows Up in Weakness

Paul speaks of a thorn in his flesh, something that troubled him deeply.

He prayed about it more than once, and God’s response was this:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 (CSB)

When we feel like we have reached our end…
When we feel like we cannot take it anymore…

That is often where grace fully steps in.

God’s power meets us in our weakness.

And this is why we cannot do life without Him.

Take the Next Step

So if you are in that place today, where you feel like you cannot take it anymore…

Do not give up. Talk to God. Whether you feel weak or strong, talk to Him.

Take the next step, even if it feels small, because help is available.

And in time, you will overcome. You will look back with gratitude, knowing:

You are better for staying the course…
even when everything in you wanted to walk away.

There Is Still Hope

“There is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its shoots will not die.”
Job 14:7 (CSB)

If a tree can sprout again…

So can you.

When everything that defines you is stripped away… who are you?

Most people are defined by their achievements, status, or social standing.
They find their identity in what they do, in their titles, in the things they have acquired.

But life has a way of arriving uninvited.

Quietly. Suddenly. Decisively.

A doctor’s visit can render you speechless as you process a diagnosis.
The one you thought was your soulmate may ask for a divorce.
You might be let go from your job.
An investment could collapse.
You could lose your home and find yourself relying on friends or relatives.
In extreme cases, you may even seek refuge in peaceful nations because your own is in turmoil.

When life turns upside down and the marriage ends, who are you without your spouse?
If your health is threatened, who are you without your strength?
If the title disappears, who are you without the applause?

Job: A Man Stripped Bare

Let us consider Job.

Job was known for his righteousness, integrity, and reverence for God. He was a father blessed with ten children. He had numerous servants and vast wealth in cattle, sheep, camels, donkeys e.t.c. Scripture tells us he was the richest man in the East.

Then calamity struck. In one devastating sequence of events, Job lost his children. He lost his wealth. He lost his status. And as if that were not enough, his health was struck. The man once clothed in fine garments sat in ashes, scraping his sores with broken pottery.

Who was Job without his children?
Without his servants?
Without his wealth?
Without his health?

It is one thing to lose a car or a house. Those things, painful as it may be, can be replaced. But children? Life is irreplaceable. The pain of losing even one child is unimaginable. Job lost all ten. The weight of that grief is beyond words.

Yet what stands out most is his response.

After losing everything, Scripture says he fell to the ground and worshiped. He acknowledged that he came into this world with nothing and would leave the same way. Naked he came. Naked he would return. And he blessed the name of the Lord.

What a perspective.
What a testament.

Job was not defined by his status or his wealth. He knew he was not self-made. He understood that everything he had came from God. His reverence for God brought him back to worship, even in devastation. In essence, he declared: regardless of what I have or do not have, I will bless the name of the Lord.

Life Is More Than What You Own

Jesus teaches this truth plainly:

“Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Luke 12:15b

There is more to life than cars, houses, shoes, and clothes still hanging in wardrobes with tags attached.

There is nothing wrong with having wealth. In fact, Scripture affirms it as a gift:

“And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life, this is indeed a gift from God.”
Ecclesiastes 5:19 NLT

The issue is not possessing things.
The issue is allowing things to possess you.

It is dangerous when the sum total of your life is defined by what you have acquired. Because if those things are taken away, wealth, health and relationships, who are you then?

Paul understood this clearly:

“But by the grace of God I am what I am….”
1 Corinthians 15:10

His identity was not anchored in accomplishments. It was anchored in grace.

The Foolish Rich Man

Jesus illustrates this again in the parable of the rich fool.

A landowner had fertile ground that produced abundant crops. So abundant, in fact, that he had no room to store them. Instead of sharing, he decided to build bigger barns. He admired what he had amassed and prepared to relax and celebrate himself.

But God was not pleased. That very night, his life was required of him.

And Jesus concludes:

“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Luke 12:21 NLT

Nothing is wrong with building. Nothing is wrong with prospering. But prosperity without relationship with God is empty. We are blessed to be a blessing. Wealth has meaning when it flows from and back to God.

So Who Are You?

We become engrossed in our achievements and forget that God is the Author of our lives. The very breath we breathe is not owned by us; it is given by Him.

When we climb ladders and accomplish great things, may we never forget the One who gave us the strength to climb.

So again, the question:

Who are you when everything is stripped away?

Where does your identity come from?

Children grow and leave the nest.
Relationships can end.
Jobs can be lost.
Health can falter.
We came into this world with nothing, and we will leave the same way.

Everything else has an expiry date. God does not.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV

Find your identity in God.
Center your life in Him.
Build your confidence in His grace.

Because when titles fall, wealth fades, and seasons change, the one thing that remains steady is this:

You are His.

And that identity cannot be stripped away.

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You are in urgent need. Not an inconvenience. Not a mild discomfort.
A real, pressing, life-altering need.

So you do what anyone would do. You send word to the one person you trust completely. The one who loves you. The one who has never failed you.
The one you know can fix this.

You send the message with confidence. With expectation.
With that quiet assurance that says, Help is already on the way.

But then… nothing. No rush. No movement.
No urgency. In fact, instead of coming quickly, they seem to take their time.
They extend their stay. They linger.

Meanwhile, your situation worsens. Hope thins.
Strength fades. Until what you feared most happens.

The thing dies, buried and sealed.

This, my friend, is not imagination. This is the story of Lazarus.

The message sent to Jesus was simple and urgent:
The one You love is sick.

Scripture tells us plainly that Jesus did love Lazarus. He loved Martha. He loved Mary. Yet when He heard the news, He stayed where He was for two more days.

That detail has always stopped me in my tracks. Love was present.
Power was available. Yet help did not hurry.

How many of us know this tension well?

Like Martha and Mary, we are sure of God’s love. We have history with Him.
We have seen Him move before. So when we pray, we expect a swift response.

And sometimes… it does not come.

We wait, We watch things deteriorate. We wonder if heaven received our message.

By the time Jesus decided to go, Lazarus was already dead.

The key phrase here is not when the sisters sent word
but when Jesus was ready.

God’s readiness often operates on a wider canvas than our urgency.

Waiting is hard, waiting while things get worse is even harder.

And if we are honest, many of our prayers sound like Martha’s unspoken ache:
If You had come when I called, this wouldn’t have happened.

But Jesus saw what they could not yet see. He always does.

Long before Lazarus, there was a seventeen-year-old boy named Joseph.

Loved deeply by his father, hated quietly by his brothers.
Gifted with dreams from God.

Those same brothers sold him into slavery. In one moment, his future collapsed.

Alone in a foreign land, Joseph could still tell God was with him.
He worked faithfully, he excelled, until integrity landed him in prison for a crime he did not commit.

If we were writing the story, this is where we would ask:
Where is God in all this? Yet Scripture is clear.
The Lord was with Joseph; even in prison.

Sometimes the answer to prayer does not look like escape.
It looks like presence, grace and strength to endure.

Years passed, dreams delayed, with questions unanswered.

Was God still speaking? Would the promises ever come to pass?

Then came Hannah.

Loved by her husband, yet childless.
Mocked by her co-wife, and reduced to tears year after year.

Her waiting was public, her pain was visible, her prayers seemed unanswered.

And Elizabeth.

Righteous. Faithful. Elderly.Married for years without a child.
Carrying the quiet shame of barrenness among her people.

Different stories. Same theme.

Waiting stretches faith in places applause never reaches.

And here is the mystery of God: He often allows the wait because He is preparing something greater than the request.

Lazarus had to die, not because Jesus lacked power, but because God wanted to reveal a deeper glory. Healing would have been private. Resurrection would be undeniable.

Joseph stayed in prison until the right dream met the right moment.
Hannah conceived at a time when God needed a prophet who would hear His voice clearly.
Elizabeth gave birth to a man who would prepare the way for the Messiah.

Their waits were not wasted. They were weighted with purpose.

Waiting grows capacity, waiting deepens character, waiting aligns timing.

Some prayers are answered instantly. Others are slow-cooked.

Fast answers are like drive-through meals. They satisfy quickly.

But the prayers that simmer, the ones that take time , often nourish generations.

When Jesus finally stood before the tomb, He did not apologise for the delay.
He invited belief, and when Lazarus walked out, many believed.

The delay multiplied the impact.

Joseph’s delay saved nations.
Hannah’s delay raised a prophet.
Elizabeth’s delay prepared the world for Christ.

So if you are waiting and it feels long, it feels painful,
and it feels like things have gotten worse instead of better.

Hear this gently:

Your waiting is not in vain. God is not late. He is intentional.

You are not being ignored. You are being prepared.

At the right time, not your time, not my time but God’s time,
He will make it happen.

And when He does, you will look back through tears and quiet awe and say:

It was worth the wait.

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They were well intended. The person meant no harm. But you secretly wished the words had remained unspoken because nothing said eased the ache. If anything, it added weight to an already heavy moment.

We often feel a pressure to say something when we encounter someone going through a difficult season. Sometimes words flow naturally, and sometimes we scramble internally, desperately searching for the right thing to say. We have all been there.

But here is the truth we do not talk about enough.
It is not always necessary to speak.

There are moments that require discernment. Moments that ask us to read the room. Moments where wisdom whispers, this is not the time to talk, this is the time to be present.

Funny thing is, until you experience it yourself, you will not fully understand why constant talking in moments of pain is unnecessary.

I remember a season in my life when life as I knew it suddenly changed. I was grieving the loss of what was, while trying to navigate a new and unfamiliar normal. Everything felt uncertain. I did not know how things would change, or when, or even if they would.

A close and very dear friend called me. They meant well. They truly did. But as the conversation unfolded, they began to dissect my situation piece by piece, offering solutions, analysis, and advice.

By the end of the call, one thing was painfully clear.
The call lacked empathy.

It felt forensic. Clinical. Almost like a case study rather than a heart in pain. And somehow, after the call ended, I felt worse about myself and my situation than I did before the phone rang.

That moment taught me something invaluable.
Sometimes silence is golden.

In Job chapter 2, we are introduced to Job’s three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They had heard of Job’s misfortune. He had lost his children, his possessions, and as if that were not enough, he was now covered in painful boils from head to toe.

Job was in indescribable pain.

When his friends finally saw him, the Bible tells us they could hardly recognise him. They wept loudly. They tore their robes. They threw dust into the air and onto their own heads.

Okay. Very dramatic.
But also deeply human.

That was empathy at first sight.
Honestly, get yourself one or two dramatic, empathetic friends. The kind who feel what you feel and do not try to tidy it up too quickly.

Then comes the verse that speaks volumes.

After seeing Job’s pain, grief, and suffering, none of the three friends rushed in to speak. Because really, what do you say to someone who has lost everything? What words could possibly land well in that moment?

So this is what they did.

“They sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.”
Job 2:13 NLT

They sat on the ground with him. They lowered themselves. They did not sit above him. They did not talk down to him. They did not offer unsolicited advice from a place of comfort.

What a lesson.

When you encounter someone who is down and out, let us not be the kind of friends who speak simply because we are in a better place. Sometimes the most powerful ministry is proximity, not commentary.

Job’s story is long and layered, but on this occasion, his friends got it right. They met him where he was and did not rush to fill the silence.

This made me reflect deeply.
We rush too much to speak.

And in our rush, we often say things that do not really help. We say them because it is expected. Because silence makes us uncomfortable. Because doing nothing feels like neglect, when in reality, silence can be sacred.

Scripture reminds us of this wisdom clearly.
The book of James tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak.

Before opening your mouth, truly listen. You might find that your presence ministers more deeply than your words ever could.

To say that Job had it rough would be an understatement. And the last thing he needed was foolish counsel, especially from someone close to him.

Wives and husbands, gather here for a moment.

One thing we are not doing in 2026 is giving foolish advice.

You do not have to say something if it is not going to encourage, build, or add value. Silence is an option. A powerful one.

Job’s wife, seeing her husband’s pain, spoke words that revealed her own despair.

“His wife said to him, ‘Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.’”
Job 2:9 NLT

Meanwhile, Job, in all his anguish, still chose faith. He still worshiped. He still trusted God.

What a testimony. No wonder God had confidence in him. Job feared God in both abundance and affliction.

So friend, let us leave the WhatsApp group of foolish counsel this year.
We really do not have to speak all the time.

Let us learn to discern seasons. Let us read the room. Let us pause before we speak, because as Proverbs reminds us,

“Saying the right thing at the right time is like a golden apple in a silver setting.”
Proverbs 25:11 ERV

May we contribute to people’s healing and not add to their pain with careless words.

Happy New Year.

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The hum of distant conversations, the soft beep of tills, the rustle of produce bags…

Everything felt normal, routine and safe. Until it wasn’t. Because right there, right at the entrance stood a tall, glowing, beautiful Christmas display of Panettone.

Golden, wrapped, shining under the supermarket lights like it had no idea the power it carried. In an instant, something in Tory cracked. Her breath caught. Her heart tightened and without permission, tears slid down her cheeks… quietly, uncontrollably.

It wasn’t just the bread. It was what the bread represented.

Panettone was home. It was tradition wrapped in sweetness. It was the sound of her children laughing. It was fluffy bread dipped into hot chocolate while the wind howled outside.

It was Christmas movies, blankets, warmth, joy.

It was “Mum, is it time yet?”It was countdowns and comfort and belonging.

But this year… she was houseless. Safe yes. Grateful , absolutely.

But home? No.

“How can we enjoy Panettone in a strange house?” she wondered.

And just like that, the weight of her reality sat heavy on her chest.

In that aisle somewhere between peppers and potatoes, Tory suddenly understood the Israelites in exile more than ever before.

“How shall we sing the Lord’s song

in a foreign land?” Psalm 137:4 NKJV

Because Panettone isn’t the same in a strange land. Tradition tastes different when sitting in unfamiliar rooms.

Joy can feel out of place when life isn’t what it used to be. Tory stood there, hidden by the corner of the vegetable aisle, weeping softly at the memories she longed for… the ones she hoped weren’t lost forever.

Then slowly she gathered herself. She wiped her tears with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She took a deep breath, and whispered, almost to herself:

“It’s only October. Christmas is still months away.

God is faithful. He can still move.” And in that moment, she chose hope against all hope; just like Abraham.

“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping

believing that he would become the father of many nations.

For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!””

Romans 4:18 NLT

Tory made a quiet decision: I will judge my God faithful. I will not mourn a Christmas that hasn’t come yet. I will believe that the God who met Abraham in impossibility

can meet me in this supermarket aisle and turn my strange land into a testimony.

She lifted her head, straightened her shoulders, picked up the items she came for,

and walked forward. Not because her situation changed, but because her hope revived.

A Moment for You

Have you ever been in a difficult season, and something so ordinary

a smell, a song, a food, a memory triggered a flood of emotion you didn’t see coming?

Something simple… yet it reminded you of everything you lost, everything you miss,

or everything you hope God will restore? If so, share your moment in the comments.

Let’s talk, let’s heal. Let’s journey together.

Tory’s Chronicles continue…

and so does the story God is writing in your life…..

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To my 24 subscribers and the 496 readers who have visited these pages so far, thank you. Truly. Your presence here does not go unnoticed, and I am grateful for every moment you have chosen to read, reflect, and journey alongside me.

This blog was birthed from a season of learning to walk by faith and not by sight. It is one thing to know the Word in theory and another thing entirely to be tested and asked to live it out. Head knowledge is comfortable. Experience stretches you. Over the past couple of years, life has led me through unfamiliar terrain, and it was there, in those moments of uncertainty, that the Lord met me with encouragement again and again.

I never saw myself as a blogger. Writing publicly was never part of the plan. But as I walked through life differently than I was used to, I began to think of others who might be walking similar paths. People quietly holding on. People believing God while waiting. People needing reassurance that they were not alone. And so I began to share my thoughts, my learning’s, and my reflections, hoping that someone else would be encouraged just as I have been.

Life moves in seasons. They come and they go. Nothing lasts forever, not even the prolonged delays that can feel endless when you are in the middle of them. Scripture reminds us of this truth.

“For surely there is an end; And thine expectation shall not be cut off.”
Proverbs 23:18 KJV

If you find yourself in a difficult season, hold on to your faith and keep hope alive. What you are walking through does have an end date, even if you cannot see it yet. What will never end is the Word of God.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
Matthew 24:35 NKJV

When Jesus was tempted, He responded with Scripture, declaring what is written in Deuteronomy 8:3, that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. As I journey through life, I am learning just how much we need God’s Word every single day. There comes a time when that Word is tested, and in those moments, we must decide not only to know it, but to live by it, no matter what.

The Word of God becomes the direction you follow and the anchor you hold when everything else feels uncertain. It steadies your steps and keeps you grounded as you move forward.

Thank you for accepting my invitation and coming along with me on this journey of faith-filled writing. My prayer is that you will be ministered to and inspired each time you receive an email from me, or whenever one of these reflections finds its way to you through a shared post.

I am enjoying this new venture more than I ever expected, and I look forward to meeting and engaging with as many of you as the Lord connects us. And if you have not yet subscribed, consider this your warm invitation. You are welcome here. Welcome to a family determined to live by the Word of God.

Here’s to a victorious, Bible-living life.

With all my love,
Evelyn

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“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

Hebrews 10.36 KJV

I sat with that verse for a long time. I thought I understood patience. I had been waiting on God for certain changes in my life, so hearing those words felt like confirmation, that my patience was about to bear fruit. What I did not know was that God was preparing me for a journey that had not yet unfolded.

Patience is far more than the ability to wait. Patience is the ability to wait well. It is choosing joy and gratitude while you wait. It is showing up in faith even when everything within you feels tired and discouraged. It is showing up in prayer. Showing up to serve God with your whole heart. Showing up to work with excellence even when your boss is difficult. Showing up for your family with grace and tenderness. Patience is all of this, wrapped in a pleasant, surrendered attitude.

Why do we need patience? First, because patience is one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said you would know a tree by its fruit. A person can speak well, present well and appear put together, yet their character can tell a completely different story. The true fruit of our lives is seen in how we respond, how we behave and how we endure. This is not about perfection, because only God is perfect. It is about being intentional and allowing the Holy Spirit to form the nature of Christ within us.

Many of us believe we are patient until life requires us to wait longer than expected. Delays have a way of revealing what is inside us. They show whether patience has truly taken root in our hearts.

Hebrews 10.36 teaches us that we need patience to do the will of God, and after doing His will, we shall receive His promise.

The promise is sure because God is faithful, but it comes after alignment with His will.

What is the will of God? Simply put, the will of God is what God desires for you. Jesus taught us to pray saying, “Thy will be done,” because God’s will is always higher, purer and wiser than ours. Scripture is our clearest guide. Look at John 3.16. It reveals God’s heart. He does not want anyone to perish. His will is that we would believe in His Son and have everlasting life. That is the foundation of all other promises. Even Jesus Himself said that His food was to do the will of the Father. If Jesus needed to live by the will of God, how much more do we.

Some promises take a long time to manifest, because they are appointed for a specific time. The version of you that exists right now may not yet have the capacity to carry the weight of what God has prepared for you. Paul explains this through the picture of an heir.

“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.”

Galatians 4:1-2 NKJV

In other words, you would not hand a thirteen year old the keys to a Ferrari even if it belongs to them by inheritance. They must grow, mature and become responsible enough to handle it. It is the same with the promises of God. He will not give you something that will crush you. He builds you first so you can carry it with grace.

Your gift can open a door for you, but only your character can keep you standing in that room.

James says it plainly.

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

James 1.4 NKJV

Patience is doing a perfect work in you. It is smoothing rough edges. It is straightening attitudes. It is removing pride, selfishness and self righteousness. It is shaping you into the likeness of Jesus. It is not easy. It requires dying to the flesh again and again. It can be painful, but it will always be worth it. Hebrews promises that you will receive the promise. James promises that you will be complete and lacking nothing.

Think of the version of yourself you dream of becoming. That person will require your patience. To earn a degree, you must commit to years of study and sacrifice. To grow a healthy body, you must adjust your habits and show up consistently. Change takes time. Transformation takes patience.

And while you wait, take courage in this truth.

“These two things cannot change. God cannot lie when he says something, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours.”

Hebrews 6.18 ERV

If God is taking you through a season of patience, embrace it. Let it build capacity. Let it strengthen your faith. Let it align your heart to the will of God. You are in good company. Scripture is full of men and women who waited, persevered and received the promise. Think of Abraham and Sarah. Their story is one of faith, waiting and fulfillment.

“We don’t want you to be lazy. We want you to be like those who, because of their faith and patience, will get what God has promised.”

Hebrews 6.12 ERV

So take heart. You are in need of patience, but you are also in the hands of a faithful God. The promise is sure. The process is necessary. And the end will be beautiful.

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In Scripture, we see Jesus moving through cities and villages, doing good and healing all who were oppressed (Acts 10:38). One particular encounter in Luke 17 arrests the heart. On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed between Samaria and Galilee, and ten lepers lifted their voices for mercy. They didn’t whisper. They cried out.

Jesus responded in a way that seemed unusual. No dramatic declaration, no laying on of hands. He simply said:
“Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
And as they went, they were cleansed (Luke 17:14).

One of them, however, paused mid-journey. He noticed something shifting within him. The healing had begun, and instead of rushing off to complete the ritual requirements, he turned back. He returned to the real High Priest Jesus, to offer gratitude (Luke 17:15).

That one man teaches us something powerful:
Gratitude is the right response to God’s work, even while the work is still unfolding.

Jesus took note of him. He asked, almost painfully,
“Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17–18).

All ten experienced transformation, but only one returned to acknowledge the Giver. And because he did, Jesus declared something none of the others received:
“Your faith has made you whole.” (Luke 17:19)

Cleansed is good, but whole is better and gratitude unlocks wholeness.

Here We Are in December…

Maybe Jesus spoke a word over your life in January. Maybe you started the year with faith, fire, and expectation. And now, as the year closes, you’re looking around and thinking:

“What has really changed?”
Maybe the shift feels small.
Maybe the progress feels slow.
Maybe the situation stalled or even worsened.

And gratitude might be the last thing on your mind. Friend, pause…
Let’s switch lenses.

Instead of mourning what hasn’t manifested yet, look at what God has sustained, protected, upheld, and quietly worked on behind the scenes.

Let’s return to that old hymn:
Count your blessings, name them one by one… and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Today, start here:
Thank God for your life, thank Him for the breath in your lungs, for strength in your body. Thank Him for family, for friendships, for provision.
Thank Him for moments of joy, the meals you ate this year, the memories that made your heart full. If you look intentionally, you will always find reasons to return to Jesus in gratitude.

Because here is the truth: What you focus on grows.
If you stare only at what’s missing, you will miss the quiet miracles God has done.

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

There is also a thanksgiving that is sacrificial. A faith-filled, forward-leaning gratitude for what you know God has already completed in the spirit, even before it shows up in the natural.

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Psalm 50:14 NLT

He is faithful to His word, so faithful that Psalm 138 says He magnifies His word above His name. If He promised, He will perform. Just like He spoke to the lepers and healing started immediately.

So thank Him in advance. Thank Him on credit. Thank Him until the manifestation catches up to the promise.

The Power of a Thankful Heart

Life alone is a reason for thanksgiving. If your heart is still beating, hope is still alive. A better tomorrow is still possible.

Thanksgiving pulls God into your atmosphere.It is literally the password into His presence:

“Enter with the password: ‘Thank you!’”
Psalm 100:4 MSG

Look at Israel in the wilderness, they complained their way out of destiny. Their grumbling cancelled their entry into the promise. Gratitude would have carried them in; complaining kept them out.

Thanksgiving is also a declaration of trust.
It says, “God, I believe You. I remember Your faithfulness. If You did it before, You can do it again.”

It anchors your heart in the truth that the same God who opened doors, carried you through hard seasons, provided in quiet ways, and fought battles you didn’t even see; is still God today.

This is a lesson Israel often forgot in the wilderness.
Though God worked miracle after miracle, their hearts drifted, and gratitude slipped from their lips. They lost sight of the God who parted seas, rained down manna, guided them by cloud and fire, and called them His own.

Thanksgiving protects you from that forgetfulness. It keeps your heart aware, your faith alive, and your spirit anchored in the history of God’s goodness.

The nine lepers were cleansed, yes but they stayed at that level. The grateful one was made whole.

Wholeness means complete restoration. Where nothing is missing, nothing broken, everything aligned. Thanksgiving unlocks that realm.

This December, Choose Gratitude

Don’t fixate on what hasn’t happened. Don’t obsess over what’s missing.
Thank God for where you are, for what He has done, no matter how small it may seem.

Your thanksgiving, especially when it’s sacrificial, has the potential to unlock more than you can imagine. God is deeply drawn to a grateful heart.

He’s not finished, his plans for you are still unfolding.
He still intends to give you a future and an expected end.

And let’s be honest, none of us enjoy being around people who only complain and never say thank you. If it drains us, imagine how it grieves God.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord.”
Psalm 92:1 NKJV

So as you reflect this month, choose gratitude, purpose it in your heart.
Return to Jesus with a loud voice, like the one leper, and say:

“Thank You.”

Because the God who began the year with you, is the same God who will carry you through it and He deserves your thanks.

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Dust beneath his feet. Heat pressing on his shoulders. Silence stretching across endless sands. A very different scene from the marble halls and manicured gardens of Pharaoh’s palace. A prince… now turned shepherd.

Because Moses wasn’t in Midian by accident or by choice. He was a fugitive, a man who had run for his life.

“After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching,

Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.”

Exodus 2:12 NLT

One rash moment. One attempt to deliver God’s people in his own strength.

One decision outside of divine timing and Moses spent the next 40 years in exile.

But grace followed him into Midian.

He found safety and family. He found a wife Zipporah, the daughter of a kind man named Reuel.

“Moses accepted the invitation and settled there…

In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife.”

Exodus 2:21 NLT

Life shifted dramatically, abruptly, completely. Imagine the adjustment…

From palace silk to shepherd’s wool. From royal banquets to simple meals.

From Egyptian architecture to the vast emptiness of desert terrain.

A prince of Egypt, now wandering in obscurity, tending sheep.

Life can switch on you like that, suddenly and abruptly, in ways that take months sometimes years to process.

Moses probably made peace with the idea that this was it. This was his life now

a quiet existence far from the corridors of power, far from the family he grew up with,

far from the nation God had whispered in his heart. For forty long years, he lived this routine.

“Now Moses was tending the flock…

and he led the flock to the back of the desert,

and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Exodus 3:1 NKJV

But Heaven had a date circled on its calendar. A call was scheduled long before Moses ever ran. And on one seemingly ordinary day, everything changed because God has a way of stepping into the mundane with glory.

A bush caught fire. Not the soft flicker of candle flame, but a blaze sharp enough to demand attention. Yet strangely, beautifully, impossibly, the bush was not consumed.

“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him

in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush…

the bush was burning with fire,

but the bush was not consumed.”

Exodus 3:2 NKJV

Hollywood could never. This was Heaven’s cinematic entrance. A divine special effect.

A supernatural spotlight saying, “Moses, your time has come.”

The same desert Moses thought would bury his destiny became the very mountain where God revived it. God came for him.

Friend, may God come for you like that. In a way so unmistakable, so undeniable,

so unconventional, that it shifts your life forever.

Why Moses Ran — and Why We Do Too

Moses tried to fulfill God’s plan his own way. He had an inkling of destiny

an inner tug but instead of waiting for God’s timing, he acted prematurely.

And the consequences were massive.

This is the danger of going ahead of God. We don’t know the timing. We don’t know the steps. We don’t have the full picture.

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time…

Though it tarries, wait for it.”

Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV

Waiting is one of the hardest, but necessary spiritual disciplines- why?

because destiny has appointments, not assumptions.

And in that long, quiet, hidden season, God was training Moses for what was coming.

Forty years tending sheep; for forty years leading a nation.

Nothing was wasted. Not even his mistakes. Friend, hear this with your heart:

God wastes nothing. Not your failures. Not your delays. Not your detours.

Not your deserts. When surrendered, everything becomes preparation.

When God Comes For You

Moses didn’t pray for a burning bush. He wasn’t fasting for a visitation.

He wasn’t even expecting a call. But God came anyway. Because destiny doesn’t need your perfection; just your availability.

And God has a habit of showing up for His people:

• For the labourers waiting all day with no promise (Matthew 20:1–7)

• For the man at Bethesda stuck for 38 years (John 5:5–9)

• For Zacchaeus, hiding in trees and shame (Luke 19:1–10)

• For the world — through a virgin girl (Luke 1:26–35)

If He came for them, He will come for you too.

Your call may not look like Moses’ with fire and mystery, but it will be divine, timely, unmistakable.

Because Heaven has your day circled.

“Say to those with fearful hearts,

‘Be strong, do not fear!

Your God is coming…

He is coming to save you.’”

Isaiah 35:4 NLT

A Moment to Ponder

Are you in a season that feels like Midian; quiet, unfamiliar, not what you expected for your life?

Have you ever acted ahead of God and found yourself facing consequences you didn’t see coming?

Or are you like the man at Bethesda, stuck for a long time…

or like Zacchaeus; overlooked, underestimated, misunderstood?

Wherever you are, God has scheduled your call and when it comes, it will shift your life forever.

You’re minding the business that pays you , sipping water, planning your week, maybe even feeling a little sweet…

Then BAM! Without warning, life body-slams you straight into rock bottom.

Some people arrive suddenly with a loud THUD!

Others take the scenic route—slow descent, hands in pockets, singing “it’s not that bad”… until it definitely is.

And let me tell you something about rock bottom:

It does not send invitations.

It does not care about your schedule.

It does not discriminate.

But oh, it always has space. Unlimited accommodation. Five-star capacity for as many people in as many seasons as needed.

Now my rock bottom and your rock bottom? They might be cousins, but they’re not twins. The pain isn’t copy-paste.

Why? Because our pain thresholds are different.

Our faith capital is different. Our capacity to carry pressure is different.

But one thing is universal:

When you hit the bottom, all you see is dirt and rocks.

And depending on your season, that dirt might be dry and crusty… or wet, muddy, and determined to mess up the white sneakers you just bought on sale.

You cry.

You complain.

You negotiate with God like a lawyer.

You throw a fit.

You regret.

You deny.

And finally… you accept.

But here’s the twist—

The very ground that looks useless, messy, and offensive… is the same ground where some of the most beautiful plants grow.

Plants that stretch tall.

Plants that clean the air.

Plants that give shade to others.

Plants that host bird nests and new life.

Everything that grows beautifully once sat in dirt.

Dirt is not the enemy; it’s the environment.

So whether your descent was dramatic and fast, or slow and silent;

Hear me: rock bottom is not your final destination.

You are not stuck. You are not finished. You are not forgotten.

Because “a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again” (Proverbs 24:16 NKJV).

Maybe—just maybe—this is your season to grow.

To stretch. To strengthen. To transform into the vibrant, tall, unshakable version of you that God always intended.

And when you’re down below, guess what? There’s only one direction to look… up.

That’s why the psalmist said:

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills,

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1–2 NKJV)

So however dark, messy, lonely, frustrating, ugly, or confusing your rock bottom feels…

Do Not Stop Looking Up.

Jesus is still there. Help is still coming. Strength is still rising. Light is still shining.

This place is not your home. It’s just a stopover.

Soon—you’ll hear the announcement in the spirit:

“Your next flight is now boarding.”

Because as Micah boldly declared:

“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise;

When I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me.”

(Micah 7:8 NKJV)

Get ready, friend. You’re rising from this.

And when you blossom—it will be beautiful.

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We talk about corporate faith, church faith, collective faith — but when life stretches you, when God gives you an instruction, when storms rise — it’s your personal faith that carries you.

Let’s be real: not everyone will believe at the same level. Not even the people closest to you. Husbands and wives can differ. Best friends can differ. Even long-term ministry partners or business partners can differ. And that’s not failure — that’s human.

When the twelve disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, all twelve witnessed the same miracle, but only Peter dared to say, “Lord, if it’s really You, ask me to come.”(Matthew 14:28-29)

Twelve saw Him, one believed enough to step out.

Faith responds personally, not collectively.

Sometimes God will whisper something into your heart that the people around you never heard. They may get excited with you for a moment, but when opposition comes — when things get slow, difficult, or confusing — their enthusiasm may fade. They simply don’t carry the same instruction, because God didn’t speak it to them.

That’s why you must be strong enough to hold onto what God showed you.

Think about Noah. God told him rain was coming — a type of rain the world had never seen. No blueprint. No evidence. No crowd support.

And Noah still built. (Genesis 6:13-22; Hebrews 11:7)

Some seasons of faith will make you seem unreasonable, radical, even crazy. You may even question yourself. But if the instruction came from God, your job is to believe to the end.

Jesus told the blind men, (Matthew 9:28-29)

“According to your faith be it unto you.”

Not:

• according to your friend’s faith

• your family’s faith

• your pastor’s faith

• or the crowd’s faith

Your faith.

This means your breakthrough is tied to your personal ability to believe God — not the agreement of those around you.

So if God said it…

If He placed it on your heart…

If He keeps nudging you…

Hold on.

Walk it out.

Faith can be shared, supported, and encourage by others- but it must be owned by you. Believe what God has planted in your heart, even when others cannot see it. Walk boldly in obedience, even when it makes you stand alone. Because at the end of the day, God responds to your faith.

Reflection Questions

1. What has God spoken to your heart that others may not fully understand?

2. Are you leaning on someone else’s faith instead of developing your own?

3. Where do you need to strengthen your personal walk or trust in God?