Without question, one of the hardest things for many Christians to do is to wait on the Lord's timing. In the very fast-paced world in which we all now live in, things are set up for maximum speed and efficiency, so it can be frustrating to wait. God tends to move a little slower, but it's all a part of His bigger plan.
While we ultimately have no choice but to wait on God to do what He’s going to do in our lives, there are some instances where God is waiting for us to prove that we’re ready to take the next step. There are times when God wants you to make some change in your life, but you don't realize He's speaking to you.
Here are some signs that you shouldn't be waiting on the Lord, and instead should be taking action.
You Misunderstand Signs
We all hope that God will give us very clear and direct signs on what to do next, however it’s not always that simple. Sometimes God is much quieter than we may think. We may misinterpret coincidences in our lives as signs from Him, or think moves from the devil are the work of the Lord. After waiting for God for so long, we tend to jump on an opportunity that comes our way.
One misconception is that many Christians believe that if God doesn't want someone to be in their life, He will remove them. When the person keeps coming back, they believe it's because God chose to do so. However this is not always a guaranteed sign.
For example, a girl may date a man that is toxic and unhealthy. Eventually they break up, but the man reappears in her life at a later time. Each time that he comes back, she assumes it is a sign from God allowing the man to return. After all, if God had removed him, He also had to be the one to send him back right? However the truth may be that God is waiting for the girl to dismiss the man. God was waiting for her to get tired of not being a priority, being ignored and disrespected. He was not bringing the man back, but rather she was.
When we ourselves are in a similar situation, we have to take a deeper look and understand God is asking us to take some responsibility for our lives. God doesn’t want us to be miserable or stuck in this type of situation. If a sign doesn’t match up to God’s Word, it’s not a sign from Him.
You are Making Excuses
Far too often we have goals and dreams but instead of actively taking steps toward achieving them, we’re waiting for God to open a window, pour out a blessing or send us a sign. However God can see in our hearts, and He knows when God we’re not really serious about taking the next step. Instead of doing something to further ourselves, we’re putting the responsibility on Him so we’ll always have an excuse when things don’t work out. “Oh, it wasn’t His will” or “I never got that sign” might be some of the excuses you tell yourself. Why should God give opportunities to those that don’t really want them?
Sometimes, God is looking for a sign from us. He wants to see the passion, motivation and drive inside of us. We have far more power than we give ourselves credit for and if we could just tap into that, entire worlds would open up. God has something grand planned for our lives, but if we continue to just make excuses as to why we aren’t achieving our best then we are disobeying Him.
You Aren’t Listening
Sometimes our lives are so fast-paced and crazy that we forget to stop and actually see if God is giving us a sign. We incorrectly assume that if God wants us to take a next step, that He will scream it from the mountaintops to get our attention. Instead, we just go about our lives normally and choose not to connect with Him on a deeper level. We don’t offer Him the opportunity to get our attention because we are being passive.
God may want us to do something completely different, but because we aren’t listening we miss out on His direction. If we do not learn how to adjust to His slower time frame and the slower way He likes to work things out in our life, we could easily get ourselves knocked right off track for what calling He has set up for each one of our lives.
You’re Ignoring the Signs
There are many reasons you might choose to ignore the signs that God wants you to move. Maybe you are afraid of what step He wants you to take, or you aren’t completely sure it’s coming from Him. Instead of speaking with God about it, you choose to continue to wait. You hope that He will change His mind, give you different direction, or the like.
Since God is perfect and we are not, we always have to realize that God will always know best as to what specific chess moves that will need to be made in our lives, along with when those chess moves will need to be made. No matter how afraid we might be, we can't ignore Him when He tells us to take action.
Whether you’re making excuses or ignoring what He’s telling you to do, it’s time to shake things up and make a change. God’s timing might be slow, but it is always perfect and right. We have to actively listen for His direction, so that we don’t disobey what He wants for our lives. He might need you to take action today.
