From Waiting to Winning: Learning to Be Content While God Works
Are you in a waiting season that feels like it’s taking forever? You’re not alone! In this week’s Heartfelt Conversations with Diana, we’re discussing how to move from waiting to winning by learning to be content as God works behind the scenes.
Discover how gratitude and faith can shift your mindset, strengthen your heart, and prepare you for the blessings God has already planned for you.
Diana’s Notes
Learning to Be Content While God Works
Hello everybody!!! And welcome to today’s episode, From Waiting to Winning: Learning to Be Content While God Works - here on Heartfelt Conversations with Diana!
Last week, we had a conversation on God's desire to share all of His goodness with us, to bless us beyond all measure, and use our abundance to help and bless those around us.
God brings blessings and generosity to us in many ways. He is not limited. I know my thoughts can be limited by what I can see with my physical eyes. What money is in my wallet? What does my bank account say? How old is my ride? How fabulously furnished is my home? We limit ourselves and our possibilities with our minds. We get into our heads and get stuck in a rut. But God wants us to put our trust, our faith in Him, with our spiritual eyes, not our physical eyes.
Are you happy with what you have? Can you learn to be faithfully grateful in your current circumstances while you are trusting God and living a life of honor and gratitude - which is worship.
This can be a challenge for me personally. Not that I am necessarily ungrateful, but - I do admit - that it can be hard to wait, graciously, especially when it feels like you have been waiting forever! Forever right! That is the child within us all. When will we get there? Are we there yet? How long before we get there? Ever travel with a child who keeps asking how much longer? How much further?
That’s me with God!! LOL How much longer!!!! It is taking FOREVER!! hahaha
Beth continues to teach us that oftentimes we can get the idea that to be content means we have to have a fatalistic view of life, or a ‘this is taking forever’ view of life. Or, maybe it is a “whatever” attitude, or maybe we say things like - “this cannot be my lot in life!” or “this is just my life, just how it is - it just sucks, so I may as well accept it!” haha -
Beth did not say that in her workbook, but I can have that attitude in my life if I’m not mindful. “My life sucks!” But does it? Really? Of course not!
If you woke up this morning, guess what? You are already starting your day blessed with the GIFT of a NEW DAY!
Say out loud!!: This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! I choose to live today with a grateful heart!
Psalms 118:24:(NLT) This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
When you learn to wait well, you live well.
That’s not always easy, but it is in that attitude where we find peace in the pause and joy in the journey.
One thing I have learned is that my attitude determines a lot of what my day turns into. Be it good or bad. Good attitude = good day ( no matter what seems to be going on), but the same is true as well - Bad attitude = bad day - (No matter how well the day really might be going)
We can learn a lot from Apostle Paul on the subject of attitude, listen to what he says in Philippians -
Philippians 4:11 - 13 (NLT) Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living - in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
Verse 13: the one most of us are familiar with:
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
What we need to learn, and it is a learned behavior, is what Paul learned-
To be content no matter our circumstances.
(taken from page 49 in the workbook)
Why? Why must we learn this hard lesson - because it takes us out of the equation and puts God front and center. When can we learn to be content when our stomachs are full or when they are empty? When we have a car or have to walk, when we learn to live with a grateful heart just for the gift of life, we honor God because we are learning to trust Him, believing and knowing that He will not fail us. We become stronger in our faith, and then the motives of our hearts become more in line with Him, and little by little, we will see His handiwork in every area of our lives.
We want a gushing waterfall to pour out on us when sometimes we have to learn to appreciate the drip, drip, drip, knowing that when the time is right, the windows of heaven will open and pour out a waterfall of blessing that we will not be able to contain.
Listen to one of God’s promises to us as children who bring our tithe into the storehouse, or church.
I am reading
Micah 3:10: (NLT) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
We need to be content, and we also need to learn how to tithe, which is about learning to trust God with our finances, while helping our local church meet the needs of people within our communities. He can enable us to do more with our leftover 90% of income when we give Him 10% of all He has given to us. Another lesson I have learned. My mom was faithful in this area of her life.
It took me a little longer to grab hold of it, because it made no sense to my brain. I have also learned the hard way that to live by my brain, I would remain. Remain in less, in loss, in a “less than” mindset lifestyle, or I could trust God with it all, including my money; live by faith and have a fruitful, abundant life. It makes no sense to our earthly mindset, because it is all a part of God’s kingdom principles.
He does not want us to live with clenched fists. That is stingy and selfish - not generous.
I have a hard time remembering a lot of my childhood and the early days of young adulthood. Because of great trauma in my life, most things have been blocked out. I have been working on changing that over the past few years, because blocking out the bad also blocked out the good. But most importantly, keeping things buried prevented me from being whole, living a life that is whole. Unbroken.
Maybe you know what a broken life is like. But do you want to know how to live unbroken? I’m not just speaking about our bank accounts. I know most of us think wealth equals prosperity, and if all we seek are financial blessings, then how can we ever know the true wealth of our lives, health, family, safety, shelter, sight, limbs? It takes no thought at all to be so self-consumed that we forget about those around us. What good does it do you to have money beyond your imagination, and you can’t even imagine a life filled with love, joy, acceptance, peace, and fulfillment? Achievement, accomplishment. I think a person can be financially successful and poor in the soul.
But I believe a spiritually successful person can be led by God to become financially successful and keep their humility. To know that they are living a generous life based upon God’s goodness and not the world’s. To know you have stepped out in faith, pursuing what God planned and called you to, is one of the greatest achievements you could ever dream of. Even if the bank is not reflecting your obedience yet, hang on. God wants you to have more than hope; He wants you to be full of faith! Life-altering faith!
We all want the life-altering part; it is the faith portion that can trip us up if we are not prepared for it.
In the Old Testament, in the book of Genesis, we learn about Abraham and the amazing Covenant God made with him. Abram, Abraham- had to take a step of faith with no idea where he was going. It was literally step by step as God showed him the way. But if we want Abraham’s blessing, we’d better learn to live by faith because faith is what pleases God.
Have you ever asked the question, “God, what do You want?? What will make you happy with me??” Well, there you have it. Faith. You must have faith. Listen to Hebrews 11:6 in the NIV.
Hebrews 11:6: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
God wants us to be blessed, and in Beth’s workbook Getting A Grip On The Basics of Generous Living, she goes into great detail on the subject of Living A Generous Life.
But God is not Daddy Warbucks. He is not our fairy godmother or a genie in a bottle or a star to wish upon, or our personal easy button.
God is your Creator. He made you because He wants a relationship with you. That is the number one thing you need to know about God. You don’t have to fake it until you make it with Him. He is already on your side. All he needs from you is your trust.
And if you are like me, if you have had a past anything like mine, trust can be an issue.
I think I lost my trust almost immediately. Well, I didn't lose it; I locked it away out of extreme pain. I wasn’t rooted deep enough in my faith to understand the importance of trusting God with my pain. Turning to Him as my Heavenly Father, seeking His healing and touch and comfort.
Instead, I blamed Him for the pain. I thought God, in His anger towards me, took the life of my daughter in payment for my sin. I bought into a lie that stole 33 years of my life.
For many years, I lived a tight-fisted, untrusting life. I tried to control how much I enjoyed life because I was afraid God would take it away because of some bad decision I made. Or because I upset Him. But thankfully, God did not leave me in my own mess.
If you think like that, too, or some variation of it, stop it!!! LOL
Seriously, though! Make a mental note that whenever you feel yourself beginning to think God does not care about you, or God is angry with you. Make yourself correct your thoughts. Replace any negative thinking with thoughts like:
1 - I can go to Jesus, and He will give me rest. (Matthew 11:28)
2 - I don’t have to be shaken up; God promises He is with me. (Isaiah 41:10)
3 - God longs to be gracious to me. (Isaiah 30:18)
There is a teaching from Joseph Prince on the blessing of Abraham. He begins: What if you found out that someone has left you a huge inheritance? How would that change the way you see your troubles? Guess what… this is your reality today, child of God. The Bible tells us that since we are in Christ, we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:29). This means that through Jesus’ finished work for us, we get to receive every blessing that God has promised Abraham (Gal. 3:13–14)! This includes all the blessings in Deuteronomy 28, where it says . . .
“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.” (v.1)—This means seeing success wherever you go.
“Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.” (v.2)—This means experiencing abundant provision in your family life.
“The Lord will open to you His good treasure . . . and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.” (v.12)—This means being blessed with more than enough to be a blessing to others!
So beloved, if you’re facing a challenge at work, at home, or in your finances, you can have faith and boldness to ask God for a breakthrough because these blessings are yours to inherit! Feel free to also read the other blessings in Deuteronomy 28 that belong to you and claim them by faith! Joseph Prince
I don’t know about you, but I think only a fool would turn down such an inheritance. I mean, come on, don’t you want to:
See success wherever you go
Experience abundant provision for you and your family
Blessed with more than enough to help out others.
But these blessings did not just fall out of the sky into Abraham’s lap. He didn’t buy a lotto ticket at the nearby 7-Eleven. He didn’t even know what he was doing or where he was going; he just stepped out in faith on a journey God told Abraham he would lead him on. Day by day, Abraham followed God in faith, knowing his trust and obedience in God were all he needed. Listen to the account of God calling Abraham in the very beginning of this epic story of how Abraham is now known as the father of faith, and how this journey led to the Covenant between God and Abram, known as The Blessing of Abraham.
Genesis 12:1-3: The Call of Abram
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
If God asked you to do something but you had to step out to find out, would you? Or would you wait for proof, not being sure if He would provide?
Guess what Abram did? The beginning of verse 4 states, “So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed”...
Let’s look a little closer at Beth’s workbook on the subject of Abraham’s Blessing. Did you get a copy yet? I’m telling you, there is a wealth of information in there. Haha - get it wealth - prosperity.. LOL
On page 59 in her workbook, Beth goes into great depth explaining and showing us through scripture how Abundance Is A Part Of God’s Covenant With Man - and how God wants His people to once again walk in the blessings of His plan.
Here is a portion of what she says on God’s Covenant with Man: “ When we study Scriptures, we find that under the Old Covenant ( Old Testament), God’s people were blessed with abundant prosperity - then we need to ask ourselves: Under our New and Better Covenant, how much more does God want us, the Body of Christ, to be blessed with abundance? In other words, if we can prove from the Bible that God’s people in the Old Testament were blessed with wealth, riches, prosperity, treasures, substance, and material blessings in great abundance - then to be consistent, we must conclude that our “new and better Covenant” includes all of these- plus some! We may find that we have to expand our vision to line up with God’s plan for successful and generous living.”
In Hebrews 8:6, she shows us through scripture that, through Jesus Christ and His shed blood, we have been given a “new and better Covenant.”
I’m reading from the NLT.
Hebrews 8:6: But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.
God’s Covenant with Abraham is an Old Covenant, given during the time of people living under the law of religious rules and regulations that no person could ever live by. We are humans; we make mistakes. That is what makes us human. Mistakes are not a bad thing. They are a part of growing up and maturing. A natural part of this journey, called life. That is the very reason Jesus came. God already knows that we can’t be perfect, and he took that burden, that impossible burden, off of us and sent Jesus. Jesus dying on the cross fulfilled the Old Covenant, and through the Blood of Jesus, we enter into a New Covenant, a new Living Will.
Both Beth and Joseph Prince reference scripture in Galatians telling us of this new covenant, and I will have those verses on our website so you can look them up later.
There is so much good teaching in Beth’s workbook, and there is no way we can cover it all in just a few minutes together. She goes on to help us see that as we study scriptures, we find that under the Old Covenant, God’s people were blessed, and she gives examples from the lives of Abraham of course, but also Issac, Abraham’s son, Jacob, who was Issac’s son, Joseph who was Jacob’s son, David, the Israelite people… see, too much material to get through. But she helps us through these examples that if God had a plan to bless His people in the Old Testament, then how much better is this New Covenant since Jesus came? How much more does God want to bless those of us who believe by faith in this New Living Will? The New Covenant. She goes on to say on page 59 that we may need to expand our vision to line up with God’s plan for successful and generous living.
And that just may be the subject for our next conversation? Hmmm? How can we expand our vision to line up with God’s plan for success and generous living? What do you think??
Well, we are about out of time together, so let’s wrap up by making sure we are on the right pathway of receiving God’s blessings. Here are three quick and simple ways to make sure we are on the right path of experiencing God’s Generous Living -
Are we on the right Heart Path - Are our motives pure-hearted?
Is our Mind Path right - Do our thoughts line up with our heavenly Father and His Word
And is our Spirit on the right path- Do we know God as our Father by receiving Jesus as our Savior? The One who came to provide this New and Better Covenant.
That brings us right back to making first things first. The very first thing is to make sure Jesus is your Lord and Savior. In our episode “From Rejection to Reflection, “ We all said a prayer together, doing just that.
This week, meditate on John 10:10 and let it soak into your hearts and fill your minds with God’s goodness and generosity towards you. Jesus tells us why He came -
John 10:10: (AMP) The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
Before we close, Pastor Eric had a message not too long ago titled The Paradox of Blessing. I know it will strengthen you and encourage you, so I will have a link to that message on our notes for today’s podcast. You can find those notes on our website: heartfeltconversations.com
I also included a link to Beth’s video on New Covenant Living: Too Good, & So True. This is Part 2. It is really, really good!
Finally, let’s close today with a prayer taken out of her workbook. May you be blessed beyond measure and be a blessing to those in your lives as we continue on our own journeys of learning the Basics of Generous Living.
Dear Father,
I thank you for revealing Your will for abundance and generosity in our lives from Your Word. I believe that through Jesus Christ I have become the seed of Abraham and an heir of the promise You gave him - and that promise includes blessings and abundance. I believe, and I receive the words of Jesus. He came to give me an abundant life in every way. I ask You, Lord, to continue to give me knowledge and wisdom that I need to experience this abundant life and be generous in sharing with others. I commit my life and all of Your blessings in my life to be used for Your church and Your purposes. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
I love you. More importantly, God loves you! AND it pleases Him to be generous to you!!! So bask in that this week! As you meditate on John 10:10
See ya next time on Heartfelt Conversations with Diana
Galatians 3:13-14: But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.
Matthew 6:33: (NLT) Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
The Paradox of Blessing:
Summer at Valley: The Paradox of Blessing | Pastor Eric Jones
Too Good & So True: Beth Jones
Too Good & So True: How Good is the New Covenant? (Part 2) | Pastor Beth Jones
Thirst Quenchers
Songs to inspire you:
Pat Barrett - The Way (New Horizon) (Lyric Video)
Pat Barrett - Into Faith I Go (Offical Audio)
Encouraging Verses:
Isaiah 42:16: God’s Word Translation
I will lead the blind on unfamiliar roads. I will lead them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. I will make rough places smooth. These are the things I will do for them, and I will never abandon them.
Isaiah 54:10: Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
Psalm 119:105: Your word is a light unto our path and a light unto our feet.
Isaiah 54:17: But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Isaiah 52:12: (EASY) But you will not have to hurry and run away.No, the Lord, Israel's God, will keep you safe.He will lead you at the front,and He will be your guard at the back.
Matthew 7:11: So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
1 Peter 2:23 tells us - When He was insulted, He did not answer back with an insult; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but placed His hopes in God, the righteous Judge.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
1 Peter 2:12 says, “Live such good lives among the pagans that… they may see your good deeds and glorify God.”
The New Living Translation reads it this way: Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Now choose life."
Luke 6:37 “Forgive, and you will be forgiven”.
Matthew 6:14: If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
Romans 8:31 in the AMP Bible tells us: What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?
Psalm 65:11: You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
Psalm 32:8: The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Proverbs 15:3: The Lord sees everything, whether good or bad.
1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
Additional Resources:
Steven Furtick: Triggered Taking Back Your Mind in the Age of Anxiety
Beth Jones: Getting a Grip on the Basics is a great resource to help you get the basics of how vital you are to God and how good He desires to be to you
https://www.thebasicsuniversity.com
Joyce Meyer: The Mind is a Battlefield - https://joycemeyer.org
Prayer of Salvation
Jesus has given salvation, healing, and countless benefits to all who call upon His name. These benefits can be yours if you receive Him into your heart by saying this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You, and I ask that You fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I declare right now that I am a born again, child of God. I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This prayer and the comment above were taken out of the book:
Secrets to Powerful Prayer - Discovering the Languages of the Heart
By Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti
If you have just received Jesus as your Savior, please write Lynne Hammond Ministries at:
PO Box 29469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429-2946
Or, email one of the ministries listed on the Additional Resources Tab and let them know that you are a brand-new Christian and need some direction on the next steps for your new life in Christ.
Or email us here at Heartfelt Conversations with Diana, and we will forward your information to you.
Congratulations if you are a brand new Christian or if you have Returned Home! Welcome!!! Get in God’s Word and get it into you.