Author: marquitabp

Sometimes we want to do things, but God has other plans for you. From the start of this week, I was a goal of mine to get to a bible study somewhere. I reorganized my schedule Tuesday to get the day off at my part-time job so I could go to bible study at this one church, but something in me was uneasy about it. After calling my mom and one of my linesisters, I got in the car and God just said I don’t want you to go…so instead, I went grocery shopping to make myself a salad. And do you not know, that was the best salad I ever made(smile)! So yesterday, I had every intention to go to bible study after work. I even finished up with my meeting a little early, but my best friend from work Kelly was actually in the office, so I went back inside to talk with her. And I felt the strong urge to just talk with her and catch up instead of going to bible study. So we went to Chili’s…mind you I had been there earlier for lunch. We talked for over three hours about everything. The relationship we have is just amazing, I only have a few friends that sharpen me spiritually like that, and for her I’m grateful. As we leave, we hug outside and I say, I wasn’t supposed to go to bible study, I’m sure I would have gotten something from it, but I feel refreshed. And in an instant, a car pulls up and the driver is screaming, ‘somebody help.’

Countless times in the Bible, God tells people the phrase “at the appointed time.” At the appointed time is where actions take place, where you do something or you don’t. As this woman drove up tonight, all I kept hearing was divine appointment, and that it was His will that we be there, walking out as that woman pulled up. Her 27-year-old daughter, who is 9 months pregnant and due next week, was having a seizure. My phone had died, so I told Kelly to call 911. The only thing I knew to do was pray, and pray I did. I didn’t know what words to say, so I just let God guide me in what to say…and the beauty of it was that I was calm in the midst, and available for His use…at the right time.

Divine appointments can occur anywhere. It does not matter the place or the time or the person you meet, but if you are a willing instrument, God will use you to bless someone else. Whether it is simply a hello, a smile, or a hug, God can work in and through you. Take Moses–the adopted grandson of Pharaoh, then a murderer with a speech problem. God used this man to deliver the children of Israel from slavery. Take Esther, one of my favorite women in the Bible, God used an adopted niece of a Jew who became Queen to save the entire population of Jews from their imminent slaughter at the hands of Haman. God used Paul, a well-known persecutor of the Jews to bring Jesus and salvation to the Gentiles!

I know God would have had someone else be there had Kelly and I not gone, because the mother was just calling on the name of Jesus. But I’m humbled, glad, excited, and overjoyed to have been there. God used someone like me, nobody more important that the next person. He had it so we had walked outside right before they pulled up. He made it so Kelly’s phone had battery life, when normally its the other way around. He made it so the paramedics were not far away. He made it so this young lady decided to stay with her parents versus staying in her own home alone that day. He made it so that I could learn that He can use me wherever I am…even if it is leaving Chili’s. In the midst, I was RIGHT ON TIME.

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven–” Ecclesiastes 3:1

“For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.” Hebrews 3:14 NLT

Yesterday I witnessed why I must persist in my prayers and keep hoping and holding strong in faith. A wonderful lady here at work, who I can say has helped my growth in my walk, was told she would be jobless on Friday as the contract she worked on ended and there was no funding to continue her on here. A myriad of possible ‘solutions’ arose, all asking her to question her faith and character. Yet she stood firm on what God was directing her to do, standing in faith that He must provide for her. Even today at our girls-only lunch with her, the feelings were somber and sad. A mere two days away our work place was due for a change, but God as He always does, intervened. As we returned from lunch, she was informed that she would be able to stay, and be paid, haha, for the next 3 months. Just enough time for God to pave the way for her break through.

This did wonders for my faith today. I’ve been pushed the edge so many times and often what I have done is try to fix the situation myself. I have had circumstances to arise that forced me to hold on to the promises that God showed me. But it was so critical that I witness this, because there are things that I am currently believing God for and the only thing that I am holding on to is my faith. It’s that promise that He must execute actions on His words, on the visions and dreams that He has given you, on the plan that He has for your life. Some days are more difficult than others, especially when those dreams and visions involve others. How do you remain in faith then?

It was Eratosthenes that first professed that the Earth was round. Until then, most thought that the Earth was flat and at some point you would fall of the edge. In fact, because the Earth is round, it possesses the qualities of a sphere, which allows you to go infinitely in one direction. You may return to the same point eventually, but the point here is that the earth is endless. You cannot fall off as primitive minds once thought. And likewise, God’s ability to provide and execute on His plans are endless. He must do it! He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19) and His word cannot return void(Isaiah 55:11).

So we must keep holding on to our faith, continually persist in prayer and thanksgiving, and keep trusting until these things we seek manifest. The earth is round folks so the possibilities are endless with God!! He will do it!

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12 NLT
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. Hebrews 10:36 NASB