Live Free with Josh Howerton - While You Wait | Ep. 123 | Wednesday July 26, 2023

Episode Date: July 26, 2023

Discover the power of waiting actively and living dependently on God as we navigate the uncertainties of life in today’s episode. Join Pastor Mike as he explores the significance of doing the right thing while waiting for answers to our prayers and decisions. Whether it's in our careers, relationships, or personal growth, learn how to cultivate faithfulness and trust in God's plan even when the future seems uncertain. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the Daily Drive podcast. My name is Bro, and man, I hope you having a great summer. We've been learning together in recent days some principles about the plans that God has for each of us and how he leads and speaks and guides our life. And I won't go back over all the principles we've been learning together,

except to repeat the foundational one that says, God's will for our lives is more about who we are than what we do or where we go. Now, God is interested in what we do and where we go, but he is more concerned with shaping you and me into the right kind of people. So as he leads us to the right places, we will be his right person in that right place. You know, we've talked about how God would much rather be a sculptor in our lives than merely our personal ways app. He longs to put his loving hands on our character and mold and shape us into his best version of us. Now, that being said, he still does have a plan for us,

and he wants to lead us in the right path. we talked about our last episode, how sometimes as God is giving us leadership, he simply says, you're going to have to wait. And we talked about how waiting is not necessarily a passive thing. We put it like this. We are to wait actively and live dependently. Wait actively and live dependently. So how do I do that? What does it mean to wait actively? Well, let's go back and look at a couple of things in that scripture we read together yesterday from Psalm 37. I think the first thing that weight actively means is to just keep doing the right thing. I mean, Galatian 6.9 says, so let's not get tired of doing what's good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't

give up. So let me just read our key verse again from Psalm 37, verse 3. Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. While you're waiting, just actively and intentionally keep doing the right thing. We saw that in the life of Joseph, last year. We saw that in the life of Joseph, week he just kept on doing the right thing the picture that God had given him as a 17-year-old wasn't turning out exactly the way he thought it would I mean his brothers beat him up they rejected him sold him he becomes a slave he's thrown in prison for something he didn't even do 13 years of waiting and he could have griped complain rebels shaking his fist to god or began to feel real sorry for himself start drinking until he passed out or curle up in a fetal position in the

corner of his dark prison cell but he didn't do that because he He understood that waiting was an active thing. And as he waited, he continued to trust in the Lord and do good. He chose to dwell in the land where he was and cultivate faithfulness. To make a difference, wherever he was at the time, he just kept doing the right thing every day. Now, let's say that you feel like you may not be in the career that God ultimately wants you to be in, and you're praying about some options. There's maybe a few open doors, but it doesn't look like anything's like working out right

away. In fact, I'm praying for a couple of friends that are in that situation right now. And maybe you're kind of getting stuck in that mode where you're thinking, okay, you know what, I hate this job. But nothing else is opening up. So, you know what, I'm just going to sit here and be this unemotional, detached, disengaged, unmotivated lame duck employee and just wait on the Lord. Now, the principle here is while you are waiting, you just keep doing the right thing. It means that wherever you are and whatever you're currently doing, you trust the Lord and keep doing good. You dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

You know, somebody gave me a mug years ago with this inscription, and I'm sure you've seen it, says yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why they call it the present. Yeah, you look for opportunities in this moment, not always thinking about what used to be or what could have been or what might happen or where you'd rather be

or what might come if God opens this door or if God closes that door. the reality is that you and I are living in the moment that we're living in right now. That's all we got. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. You're working at the job you're working in right now. You've got to go back to your coworkers today. You've got to go back to the people that you live with tonight.

Just keep doing the right thing as you wait. I'll be honest. There been times in my life where I sense God's saying to me, listen, bro, that's my name. I can't allow you to know what my will is for. your future because you're not concerned with what my will is for you right now. And my will for you right now is that you just keep doing the right thing while you're waiting where you currently are. You know, whenever I fall into one of those, oh man, what about my future, God? Where do you want me to go? What do you want me to do? And for how long, when I fall into one of those

modes? All I have to do is read the tattoo in the bag of my calf, Micah 6'8. He has shown you, old people, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? Here it is. To act justice. to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. So you want to know God's will for the next phase of your life? You're saying, absolutely, man, I have a big time decision to make. I've got to choose the school before the end of this month. I'm going ring shopping tomorrow. I've got a couple of job offers.

Come on. Speak to me, God. Here's what God says. Okay, here you go. Act justly, love mercy, walk calmly with your God today. That's my will for your life. There are going to be days in our lives where the plan is not Christian,

still clear. Where there is no handwriting on the wall where we're standing at a crossroads still waiting to hear from God about what to do next. And in that moment, God says, Bloom where your planet. Just trust me. Be faithful wherever you are at the moment. Don't bail out and do the wrong thing. Don't grow impatient and take matters into your own hands. Don't get frustrated and walk out the door. Don't throw in the towel. You cultivate faithfulness right where you are while you wait. And so today, man, I'm praying that you would cultivate faithfulness by whatever you put your hand to today. You do it in a dependable, excellent God-honoring way, even if you think it is the most insignificant menial dead-in job in the entire world and nobody knows or cares

about what you do. He cares and he notices and he wants to continue to shape all of us as we wait. So I'm praying today you would wait actively and live dependently. See you tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.combe.