I was in the city, walking downtown this week, and as I was crossing a very busy intersection, I crossed paths with a young woman that was totally consumed with a conversation on her cell phone. With her headphones on, she seemed to be oblivious to everything going on around her. I stared in amazement at how engaged she was, because cars were zooming back and forth, and she wasn’t concerned whatsoever. This kind of unmindful behavior can be very dangerous, particularly with so much happening in our world. I thought about this young woman later that day. It reminded me that this is the kind of opportunity the enemy waits for, when our focus is in the wrong direction, and we’re asleep and careless just as she had been. This is when many of us will walk right into traps unknowingly; especially when it comes to relationships with men.
When we’re younger, we tend to take a carefree approach to life, but as we mature and get older, we see firsthand that things can change very quickly. A person’s world can be turned upside down in less time than the blink of an eye. God doesn’t want us to walk around in fear, but He does want us to be alert and aware.
1Peter 5:8 (NIV) tells us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Many single sisters are due for a season of supernatural blessings, the likes of which they have not experienced before. We’ve heard from great prophets, teachers, and preachers that the body as a whole is entering a period of accelerated increase on many fronts. The relationships we’ve been waiting on, the financial breakthroughs we’ve been praying to receive, the marital restorations and job promotions that we’ve been waiting patiently to embrace…these are all getting ready to burst through.
The problem is that so many of us are still asleep. Our eyes are no more opened than they were two years ago. We’ve really got to do something about this, because mindfulness is one of the key ways in which Heavenly Father measures our ability to handle the blessings we seek. Not only must we prepare ourselves spiritually to receive, if we do not take care of the blessings we already have, like the man that hid his master’s silver in the ground rather than investing it, we may find ourselves in a position where they, too, will be taken away.
God neither holds our blessings back nor takes them away. He has designed the universe in such a way that opportunities appear when we are ready to seize them. God’s people have prepared themselves through His Word, and they are poised to take possession, but there are still some of us that haven’t focused on God to the extent that we can recognize danger in our midst. 2 Corinthians 11:14 warns us that satan disguises himself as an angel of light. This alerts us to the fact that something that seems like a blessing can end up being a set up.
2 Peter 1:10 (NLT) tells us, “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. “As single Christian women, we must be more than confident that God is going to bless us with a wonderful husband, because He is absolutely going to do this, but we can’t be so caught up in what we want that we forget our allegiance to be dutiful and diligent to God.
No matter how comfortable things may look and feel, don’t let your guard down. Don’t discount the fact that often things happen to us because we allow them to. Know that before your breakthrough comes, the enemy will seek to find out how far you are willing to move away from the foundation of Jesus Christ. Don’t take the bait. Don’t make the mistake of missing God’s best. Seek Him continually, diligently, and earnestly before you make investments of love and care in a new relationship. Wait on His divine directive and be willing to walk away if you don’t receive it. If you pay much closer attention to God and continue to make Him your focus, He will make sure that you don’t miss your blessing. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
“Don’t Miss God’s Best” written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2016. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.