requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing;
and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians,
so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.”
(Exodus 12:35-36)
We live in a world where promises made are not kept. Ask any child whose parent has made them a promise, but has not kept that promise. Or the promises we make to one another, which we fail to keep. I don’t believe that most people start with the intention of not keeping a promise they make; it is just that sometimes circumstances do not allow us to fulfill the promise.
When God makes you a promise, you can be certain that the promise will come to pass. Time does not affect the promises of God. He (God) is not restricted by time, and He works outside of time. God sees your past, present and your future at the same time. If you have been waiting for a promise the Lord has made you, “Hold On” your season of change is coming.
God created eternity; He then created time in order for man to exist. Time is marked by seconds, minutes, hours, days and seasons are measured by time. Winter is followed by spring, spring is followed by summer, summer is followed by fall and fall is followed by winter, then the cycle of seasons starts over again. As time passes, we age; we don’t live forever. That is why God had expelled man from the Garden of Eden to prevent man from eating from the tree of life. If man ate from the tree of life, he could then live forever in sin. Remember, time is the one thing we can never get back. Therefore, use the time God has allotted you in the pursuit of your destiny in God.
Now since time is measured by seasons, God allows us to experience certain seasons. We experience seasons of hardship, loneliness and sadness, as well as joy and blessings.
God told Noah that: “While the earth remains, Seedtime and Harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, And day and night shall not cease.” (Gen. 8:22)
Solomon wrote: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” (Eccl. 3:1)
Life is governed by seasons. Since God operates in seasons, nothing happens in your life outside of seasons. As there are four seasons in nature, let me share four possible seasons you may experience during this journey called Christianity:
The Servitude Season
In this season, you are working hard and seeing no growth; everything is remaining the same. Working and all you earn go to someone else for bills like rent, lights, auto expenses and more. As the scripture says, “Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit.” (Hag. 2:19) In this season, you don’t see fruit from your labor and other people determined how you live.
The Deliverance Season
Deliverance is promised to everyone who puts his or her trust in God. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer” (2 Sam. 22:2) Deliverance is the season of transition; your transition from servitude to deliverance. This is perhaps the most dangerous season in life because, if you are not careful, you can return to the servitude season or die by not accepting the change in this season.
The Breakout Season
This is your breakout season, meaning you are coming out and the devil can’t stop you. Many believers never get to this season because they don’t have the patience to wait. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa. 40:31 KJV) Learning to wait is the key to your breakout season.
Many break out with nothing. I don’t know about you? But I want to break out with something. Even people who are released from prison receive bus fare. Like the children of Israel, you want to break out with the wealth of the Egyptians.
The Take Back Season
Finally, you get to your take back season. In this season, you will recover everything you’ve lost. “Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust, My great army which I sent among you.” (Joel 2:25) Notice the text says that God “will make up to you.” When you are in your take back season, everything the enemy stole from you, everything the worms have eaten, and everything that is yours will be returned to you.
In the take back season, you need to be proactive and not simply wait for things to happen. You must be bold and confident.