Are We There Yet?

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.  (Hebrews 10:35-36 NASB95)

I remember as a kid, patience was never my strong suit.  Whether it was enduring long car rides with my family and constantly asking, “Are we there yet?” or feeling restless as November dragged on, eager for Christmas and the presents that came with it - those moments of impatience are familiar to all of us from childhood.

But as adults, we’re not much different.  Today’s world revolves around instant gratification.  We have same-day delivery for our purchases, instant access to information, entertainment, and even food.  The notion of waiting has become almost foreign.  We now measure businesses by how quickly they can meet our demands, and if they fall short, they risk being left behind.

Patience, once a virtue, seems to have disappeared from our daily lives.  In this fast-paced environment, business owners must adapt quickly, or they risk closing their doors.  Speed and immediate satisfaction have become the driving forces of success in today’s economy.

Why am I talking about this?  Because I’m sure many of us have found ourselves in situations where we've been trusting God for a need or a promise, only to feel frustrated as we wait for the answer.  Maybe as you’re reading this, you’re going through something similar - waiting for healing to manifest in your body, for a need to be met, or for a long-awaited promise to come to pass.  If that’s you, this message is for you.

The Kingdom of God operates differently from the world we live in.  In the world, we only believe we have something once it’s physically in our hands - we need to touch it, see it or experience it to believe.  But in God’s Kingdom, faith is the currency.  Faith means believing you’ve received something before you can see it.  “We call things that are not as though they are.” (Rom 4:17) and Mark 11:24(NKJV), “Therefore I say to you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Faith behaves as though it has already received what it’s asked for.  It’s like the fastest delivery service you’ve ever seen - it’s instant in the spiritual realm.  The moment you believe, it’s yours.

We must remember that without a revelation of God’s love, it is impossible to have the kind of faith that believes before seeing.  Without truly understanding His love for you and His character, you can't fully trust that you’ve received something before it manifests in front of you.  Love is the foundation of everything in the Bible.  "For God so loved the world that He gave" - it all began with love, and then an action followed.  If you read the Bible through the lens of God’s love, you’ll see that every action He took was grounded in that love for you.

The Bible tells us that God gave His most precious possession, His Son, Jesus.  It also says that if God didn’t withhold Jesus from us, what would He ever withhold?

"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." (Hebrews 10:35-36 ESV).

Why does the Bible emphasise this?  How do we stay confident?  How do we maintain endurance?  We remain confident because of His love for us, and in the promises of His word.  Hebrews 6:18 tells us that "by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to Him for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us."

When you walk in fellowship with God and understand that His word is unchanging, that it is impossible for Him to lie, and that He is faithful and full of love for you, you can stand firm - confident and immovable - in the hope that is before you.  Hebrews 6:15 says, "And so it was that [Abraham], having waited long and patiently endured, received what God had promised him."

Everything begins in the Spirit before it manifests in the natural.  You are closer to your promise today than you’ve ever been.  I wish I had understood this as a child - when I was impatiently nagging during long car rides, I was actually closer to my destination than I thought.  Each day brought me nearer to Christmas, even when I couldn’t yet see it.  In the same way, today I am closer to the things I’ve believed God for than I ever was.  I know they are mine, even if I haven’t seen or touched them yet.  I have embraced them by faith as though they already are.

My wife and I are believing God for a child.  Even though it hasn’t yet happened in the natural, I know that I am already a father because God has called me one.  I choose to believe Him over what I see or hear.  We’ve acted on this promise by preparing a room for our children in our home.  Just like Abraham, I stand firm in God’s love and faithfulness, and I act on His word.  There are many facts in life, but facts don’t shape my reality - truth does.  The truth is, I am a father, and I am closer to seeing that in the natural than ever before.

So, if you’re reading this, don’t throw away your confidence in His word. Endure, because the reward is on its way and closer than it’s ever been.