If You're a Christian Feeling Behind in Life, Please watch this video

Maybe everyone around you seems to be moving forward while you're still waiting. They found a relationship, they started their family, their career finally opened up, and it's not [music] just the visible things. They got their miracle, you're still waiting on yours. They're operating in their spiritual gifts, and you may not even know what your spiritual gifts [music] are. They seem so close to God, and you're still waiting on your spiritual breakthrough. [music] So, because the timeline in your head hasn't happened, you start to wonder whether something is wrong with you spiritually. And that is where feeling behind stops [music] being just a feeling and starts to do real damage. You see, it turns into shame, and shame rushes your decisions. Left alone long enough, this will have you treating the waiting itself as proof that God has forgotten you. Now, scripture treats the waiting season very differently than that. It does not read the wait as a verdict on you, and it never measures a life by how fast it arrives at its goals. So, in this teaching, I want to help you separate God's direction from the deadlines that culture gave you. We're going to talk honestly about what waiting can mean, what it doesn't mean, and how to move faithfully today without forcing the next chapter or surrendering to discouragement. Okay, first of all, I want to address that frustration that you feel. Now, I know that maybe you're beating yourself up because you're not exactly where you think you should be. You pictured it in your mind, where you would be right now, what you would be doing for God, how your life would look. I've been there. I remember there was a time in my life where I was frustrated specifically in the area of my finances. I was in my mid-20s, and I could not stop obsessing over the idea that I just couldn't seem to afford my own place to live. I worked hard, I was diligent, I saved my money, I focused, but I just wasn't able to get ahead for a while. At least not in the timeline that I had foreseen. And because of this, I in fact started having dreams about getting an apartment. And I told myself things like, "You can't even get an apartment. What makes you think you can run a worldwide ministry?" In fact, I wasn't even able to afford a car. And I said, "You You can't even afford a car. What makes you think you're ever going to get to the place where you're reaching the nations of the world?" And not only was I frustrated with myself, I was actually a little bit frustrated with God because I said, "Lord, here I am. I'm working in your ministry. I'm serving your purposes. I've given my life wholly over to you. And I'm being very, very diligent. Yet nothing seems to be happening. And no matter how much work I put out, no matter no matter how hard I tried, it just seemed like I was pressing up against this immovable barrier. I couldn't cross over to that place where I was actually seeing momentum. What I didn't realize was that God was actually doing something even during then. But it's important that you just be real. Acknowledge, yes, it can be frustrating. Yes, you can feel the emotions of being left behind. But that doesn't mean that all of this is going to waste. It doesn't Your calling isn't going anywhere without you. God knows exactly where you are. He sees your circumstance. And not only does he see your circumstance, but he's in the painful place with you, too. In 1 Samuel chapter 30, in verse number six, we read this. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because all the people were bitter in soul. Each of his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. God didn't rebuke David for being distressed. He didn't rebuke him for being frustrated with the the Instead, he became a strength to David as David chose to strengthen himself in the Lord. Look, okay, maybe you're not where you thought you would be. Maybe everything is not playing out exactly like you imagined it. But this is where you've got to focus because you're just going to prolong your season of frustration. I'm just being real with you. You're going to prolong your season of frustration if you don't learn how to do this, to strengthen yourself in the Lord. Let the Holy Spirit bring joy and peace and focus of mind. Get to the place where you say, "Okay, I may not be where I want to be, but I trust God. I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow. I may not see how my future is going to pan out and how any of what I see in my mind and heart is actually going to come to pass, but all I know is this, I'm going to take that frustration to God. I'm going to take that pain. I'm going to take that shame. I'm going to take that sense of failure. I'm going to bring it before the Lord, and then I'm going to find strength, and then I'm going to do something about it. Now, notice here that David was strengthened even before the circumstance changed. Sometimes it's not about what God wants to do in the circumstance, but it's about what God wants to do in you. Okay, so what do you do now? You have this frustration. You take it before the Lord. You deal with that feeling. You you ensure that you're not internalizing this sense of failure as shame or maybe even rethinking your whole identity in Christ because of where you are in life. But now what do you do? Okay, now you begin to persevere. Okay, now let me stop you here because as soon as I start talking about persevering, many Christians tune those messages out because they say things like, "Well, I've already heard messages on persevering. I've heard messages on persistence and faithfulness. I've already been told to keep going, keep trying." And here's here's what happens. Your heart becomes filled with cynicism, and cynicism roots out faith. This is where you have to begin to recognize that perseverance isn't just waiting. Perseverance is waiting while doing the right things with the right attitude. You see, some Christians will say things like, "Well, you know, I've been going through this for so long, or it's been 10 years that I've been praying for this, or 20 years that I've been asking for that, or I've been working at this thing for a very long time, and because of time itself, many Christians feel entitled to God's miraculous power." Or they think that God should give them a breakthrough simply because they paid their dues. That's not how this works. It's not just a matter of going through the trial, but keeping your Christ-like character intact while you are suffering, while you are waiting, while you are enduring disappointments and setbacks. Perseverance isn't just the ability to wait. Perseverance is the ability to endure disappointments, setbacks, heartaches, tragedies, all while not becoming entitled, bitter, or angry at God. Here's what the Bible says, "No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised." So, here we see that Abraham did not allow his faith to waver even though the circumstances seemed to speak contrary to what God had promised. And this is where many Christians find themselves weakening in that faith in that extended period of time where nothing seems to be happening. Now, I want to say, of course we ought to be doing the right things, obeying God, being diligent, working hard, studying the word, praying, being a good Christian. But I'm saying that even while you're doing the right things, that sometimes the right things don't seem to happen, or the right doors don't seem to open, or the right connections just aren't being made, or they're not seeming to be made. This is where now you have to begin to persevere, not just in the action of waiting, but also in the attitude. Making sure that you are keeping the faith, keeping your heart pure, keeping your heart soft toward the voice of the Holy Spirit, staying with that childlike mindset, trusting that God will do what his word says that he will do. Now, let me read Romans chapter 4:20 again. This time in the NLT. This is important. "Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger." Watch this now. "And in this, he brought glory to God." In other words, it was in the fact that he kept his faith intact that God was glorified. Despite what seemed like evidence to the contrary, Abraham believed that the miracle was ultimately going to happen. It was as good as done to him. And that was true faith. And in keeping with that faith, he kept that godly attitude, which actually enabled him to walk through the next season. You see, many Christians fail this test. They they they endure, but only in actions, but not in heart. They actually allow themselves, or they think that they need to allow themselves to go numb, or to stop believing, or to just kind of mentally, emotionally, spiritually check out while they go through the trials. No. If you don't pass that test, you're just going to have to go through it again. But you can actually glorify God in keeping the faith, keeping hope alive while you wait for God to fulfill his word. Another thing you got to guard against is comparison, especially well in seasons of waiting. You see, it's one thing to rejoice with someone who receives their miracle. It's another thing to rejoice with someone who receives a miracle that's a lot like the miracle that you're believing for because there's this scarcity mentality, something in human nature, this lie that we believe that says that if God gives it to them, he can't give it to me. Or if God does it for them, he can't do it for me. When actually it should be the opposite. Instead of becoming jealous, we should become inspired when God does it for others. We should say, "If God gave it to them, he can give it to me. If he did it for them, he can do it for me." Look at Matthew chapter 20, very important parable here. For the kingdom of heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work. At 9:00 in the morning, he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So, he hired them telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So, they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at 3:00, he did the same thing. At 5:00 that afternoon, he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, "Why haven't you been working today?" They replied, "Because no one hired us." The landowner told them, "Then go out and join the others in my vineyard." So, throughout the day he's sending different workers into his vineyard. Verse 8. That evening, he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at 5:00 were paid, each received a full day's wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day's wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner. "Those people worked only 1 hour, and yet you've paid them just as much as us who worked all day in the scorching heat." He answered one of them, "Friend, I haven't been unfair. Didn't you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to the others? So, those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last." Here we see God's grace in action. And the workers who had worked all day were upset with the landowner because they assumed that they should receive more than those who worked less. And this is how human nature is. You see, we don't always see the hidden things that people go through. We don't see what people did in terms of their diligence, in terms of their faithfulness, in terms of their prayer, in terms of keeping their heart right in the posture of faith. And we become jealous of what God does in other people's lives. And this is not at all a kingdom mindset. This is not how believers ought to think. First of all, God is not running short on miracles. He doesn't have to take from you to give to someone else. And so, we have to be rid of this idea, this this fear that God can only do it for a limited amount of people, and that if he doesn't do it for us, then we're going to miss out, or that if he does it for someone else before he does it for us, that it's somehow going to take away from the blessing that he wants to give to us. This is why we have to crucify jealousy, because jealousy, like cynicism and doubt, will cause you to have to repeat the test again and again and again. It is the test of jealousy. Comparison makes it very difficult for the Lord to bless you. Proverbs 14:30 says, "A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot." So, rather than looking at what God is doing for others and what he's not doing for you, playing that comparison game, getting all entangled in your emotions, getting angry with God, even though he doesn't owe you anything, feeling entitled, feeling cynical, feeling jealous of others, instead, just obey God with maximum excellence. We would rather be given a magic formula, a special prayer, a spiritual ritual that we can perform that would unlock everything right when we want it. But, it is simple obedience to God that ultimately unfolds your destiny. Daily acts of obedience amount to your total destiny. And this really is where the challenge is because we sometimes get weary. We become emotionally disconnected. Mentally, we check out. Be reminded this. Galatians 6:9. So, let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Stop saying things like, "Well, I've been praying for so long and God still hasn't done it." Instead, ask yourself, "What am I doing that's blocking the favor of God in my life?" Because I believe that God gives to us choice. And I believe that the lives that we live, the lives that we experience, are a result of the choices that we make. Are you diligent? Are you applying yourself? Not just going through the motions, but I mean actually working through and applying everything that you are, dedicating every aspect of who you are unto the glory of God. That is what it means to continue to persevere. That is what it means to continue to sow seed. That is what it means to wait on the harvest. It is to act. It is to obey, to do everything you can with maximum excellence. And when you do this, don't grow weary in well doing. Do it consistently. Even if no one seems to be looking. Do it consistently. Even if at first it doesn't yield results. Seeds by their nature produce harvest later than they're planted. You plant. You water, but God ultimately brings the harvest. But you must keep going. I I there I do you believe the word of God or you don't. Stop with the victim mindset. Stop with the victim language. Oh, I pray and God just ignores me. Or I've been asking this for 30 years and the Lord just continues to discard me, to reject me. And and that kind of language we we get so we get so addicted to our toxic descriptions of life. When instead we need to allow the Lord to soften our hearts, fill us with faith that we might persist in faith and not grow weary in doing well. What does this actually look like lived out? Well, it begins with the mindset. I'm going to do everything to the best of my ability because it's to glorify God and it represents who I am in him. So for example, you go to work and maybe you don't like your job very much. That is not an excuse to show up late, have a bad attitude, to slack off and not apply your best. You may say, "Well, well, they're just taking advantage." And I understand there's some abusive environments. I'm not talking about abusive environments. But maybe it's just a job you don't like. Well, you need to do your best at that job because that's what a good Christian does. Or maybe you know you ought to be studying for that test. You're you're you're you're you're intimidated by it. It's daunting. It's this massive exam that you know is going to make or break your grade and instead of studying you keep telling yourself I'll get to studying later. I'll work on that later or or you find all these different ways to fill your time all the while lying to yourself saying that you're eventually going to get to it. Or maybe you're saying I want to I want to get healthy. I want to start taking care of my physical body. But you keep putting off the proper diet. You keep skipping the gym sessions. Maybe you feel called to ministry and instead of studying the Bible in a deeper way you just say well I'll start Monday or maybe when I'm a little older or I'll work on that next month once I get some other things in order. Maybe there's a spiritual gift that God's deposited in you. And instead of using that spiritual gift you continue to believe the lies of the enemy and you continue to believe that fear is an excuse that God will accept for inactivity. Well, you got to actually start doing something. You have to choose to act and you have to choose to act now. So this is the posture that actually yields results doing your best because it's unto the Lord. And once you begin to apply yourself in this way true faith then the blockage becomes removed. There's no more delay and now you're going at the pace of the Holy Spirit or the pace of grace. You're walking in step with the will of God. It may not feel like that all the time but you can trust that you are making progress. And that's another big key. It is trusting that there's progress. If you're doing the right things you're obeying God and you know and only you and the Lord can answer this. You know that you're actually applying your maximum effort mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, everything you are is being given unto the glory of God. Only you can answer that. It's between you and the Lord. When you are actually doing that and you're obeying his voice now there can be no doubt that you are walking at the pace of grace. Now, here is another important key that you need to consider that will help you to not fall into despair because of the belief that you're falling behind in life. You have to learn the power of gratitude. Hebrews 13:5 declares this, "Don't love money. Be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.' Now, think about what the writer of Hebrews is telling us here. You can be grateful simply because you have the presence of God. Be content with such things as you have, for he said, 'I'll never abandon you.' So, in other words, I can be grateful because no matter what happens, I have the presence of the Holy Spirit. Now, you ground yourself in this. This is such a powerful thing because now your heart is guarded against comparison, against entitlement, against doubt, against cynicism, against that sense of failure because the goal becomes obedience to God for the sake of obeying God, and not even necessarily for the results that you want to see. I'm not saying you can't have any ambition in life. I'm not saying you shouldn't have any goals. You absolutely should have goals. But, what I am telling you is that if you will be satisfied in the presence of God, then even when things don't seem to align with what you saw in your head, you can still walk with that faith in your heart protected, protected by that gratitude. You know, there was a season in our lives where Jess and I were believing for a miracle baby. We couldn't have children. And here was one of the more challenging aspects of this. Our friends were in a season of life where they were getting pregnant and having children. Now, it wasn't that we were jealous of what they had, that we didn't want them to have children. That it wasn't that we wanted them to suffer like we were suffering. Rather, what what happened was as they began to have children, it was a reminder to us of what we thought was a faulty timeline. You see, we saw every pregnancy announcement as the tick of a hand on a clock. Every time someone announced, "We're having a baby." we just were were reminded of the time that was going by. And as every announcement was made, we felt like we were getting further and further behind and despairing because we thought it was getting further and further out of our reach. But here's something powerful that we did. Yes, the Lord eventually brought us to the place where we believed for a miracle, and that was by his grace. And we did get our miracle babies. But the Lord also did something else very powerful in that season. You see, Jess and I determined in our hearts that even if we can never be parents, even if for some reason God chooses to never give us that, we made this determination that we would be an amazing uncle and auntie. We determined that we were going to treat our nieces and nephews with great intention and care. And we said, "We have all this love that we feel like we have nowhere to put, and this love that we want to give, and since we don't have children of our own for now, or maybe always, we'll just pour that out on our nieces and nephews and even our friends' children. We said, "We're going to be there for their children." Now, this did something in our hearts that that healed us. And here's what's amazing. That gratitude, when we would look at our friends' kids and and our nieces and nephews, that gratitude was healing to the heart. Please hear this. That gratitude was healing to the heart. And as our hearts were healed with that gratitude, faith could now grow. You see, in a heart that's filled with jealousy and skepticism and entitlement and bitterness, it's very heart it's very hard for faith to grow. But in a heart that's grateful, faith can thrive. So, gratitude cultivates faith, and faith cultivates the miraculous. So, here's what I want you to do in the next 24 hours. I want you to capture those negative, cynical thoughts of doubt and entitlement. I want you to learn to celebrate the blessings that come others' way. And I want you to apply your absolute best consistently, perseverance in action and in attitude, glorifying God. Give your all. Be diligent, focus, and you will see that this season of delay will be used by God to produce great Christ-likeness in you. And this season that seems like delay, I should say, will cause you to become someone who's ready for the blessing. So, Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray you help that one receiving this now to be grateful, to be reminded of the blessing of your presence. And Lord, out of that gratitude, let faith arise. And out of that faith, let the miracle come forth. I thank you, Father, that you're removing all delay and all sense of delay. That you're causing them to walk at the pace of grace. Use them for your glory, soften their hearts. And Lord, help them to not wear delay like failure. Help them to not identify with that delay, but to trust in you always. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. I want you to type it in the comments section if you agree. Type a big amen. I believe that God wants give to our generation a revelation of generosity and prosperity. [music] These are biblical concepts. As you support the work of the kingdom, this produces a harvest of generosity in you. You become a generous person. And a generous person [music] is one who can carry the blessing of God. The generous soul shall prosper. And he who refreshes others shall himself be refreshed. And this is counterintuitive because we think that in order to be blessed, we have to hoard, we have to keep, we have to save. That's part of it. You should be diligent with your resources. The Bible also makes it clear [music] as you release generously, that comes back to you. That is Bible truth. And you know that as you receive the word from ministries, you honor the word of God by sowing into the ministries where you receive the word. Help us continue to go around the world preaching the gospel. [music] Do your part. Pay it forward. You've been blessed by the ministry, sow back. God will bless you for it. Yes, [music] and he'll also use your gift to reach others around the world. That's a double blessing right there. He blesses you [music] and he blesses others through your giving. So, give today by going to davidhernandezministries.com/partner for a monthly gift. And you go to davidhernandezministries.com/donate to give a single gift. Whatever you do, obey the voice of the Holy Spirit, step [snorts] out in faith, and release that resource, and watch what God will do in your finances, in your business, in your ministry, in your life because the blessing of God is biblical. If you want to go deeper after this teaching, watch my teaching on how to hear the Holy Spirit clearly. This teaching will help you take what we covered about trusting God's timing [music] and discern how God is leading you personally. I'll see you in that video.