The Lumber Is Already in the Yard 🪵👀🔥🕊️

You May Be Waiting on God, But What If He Has Already Provided?

The Builder Has Enough to Begin

I have been sitting with something Holy Spirit has been showing me about builders.

Not master builders.

Not people who have been doing this for forty years and can look at a set of plans and immediately know what comes next.

I mean an apprentice.

Somebody who is learning.

Somebody who has enough understanding to get started, but who still needs instruction, correction, practice, and guidance along the way.

Now imagine that apprentice standing at a construction site.

The lumber has already been delivered.

The tools are there.

The materials are there.

The Boss has given the assignment.

Everything necessary to begin is sitting right in front of him.

Except for one thing.

He does not have the entire blueprint.

And if we are being honest, this is where some of us begin having problems. 😆

Because we do not merely want to know what God Almighty wants us to do next.

We want to know what happens after that.

And after that.

And then what?

How long is this going to take?

Why am I starting here?

How does this part connect to that part?

What happens if this does not work?

Who is going to help me?

What is the finished product supposed to look like?

We want the whole blueprint spread across the table before we agree to pick up the hammer.

Preferably color-coded.

Laminated.

With numbered instructions.

And maybe a little appendix in the back answering all of our questions in advance. 😆

But the way God Almighty is set up, He does not always work that way.

Sometimes He gives us just enough revelation for the step we are standing in.

Enough light to begin.

Enough instruction to know what requires our attention right now.

Sometimes Holy Spirit lets us glimpse another portion of the blueprint.

Other times, He simply says:

Start here.

Then later:

Now do this.

Then:

Wait.

Then:

Move.

Then:

No. Not that way. Come over here.

And I believe there is mercy in that.

Because think about it.

What if God Almighty showed you the entire blueprint the first day?

Every sacrifice.

Every uncomfortable conversation.

Every delay.

Every detour.

Every person who would misunderstand you.

Every moment when you would doubt yourself.

Every mistake you would make.

Every time you would have to start again.

Every part of you that would have to change while the project was being built.

Every ounce of responsibility attached to the finished work.

Baby, some of us would look at that blueprint, slide it right back across the table and say:

“Lord, absolutely not. Get somebody else to do it!” 😆

We would become intimidated by the size of the assignment before construction ever began.

So maybe God Almighty does not show us everything because we do not need everything yet.

Maybe the apprentice only needs enough information to build this part.

And when this part is complete, the next instruction will come.

That requires trust.

Not trust in ourselves.

Not trust in our ability to perfectly interpret everything.

Not trust in our own intelligence, experience, or instincts.

Trust in the Boss.

Because the apprentice's confidence was never supposed to come from possessing the entire blueprint.

His confidence comes from knowing the One Who possesses it and being in right relationship with Him.

There is a difference.

I do not have to know everything when I know the One Who does.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The same God Almighty Who told Abraham:

“Get thee out of thy country… unto a land that I will shew thee.”
— Genesis 12:1, KJV

Look at that.

God did not hand Abraham a map.

He did not give him coordinates.

He did not explain every part of the journey before Abraham left home.

He essentially said:

Go. I will show you.

Abraham had enough revelation to leave, but not enough revelation to become independent of God Almighty.

And maybe that is the beauty of the partial blueprint.

It keeps us in relationship.

Because if God Almighty handed us every instruction, we would ever need on the first day, some of us would say:

“Thank You, Jesus. I got it from here.”

And we were never created to “get it from here.”

Jesus Christ said:

“...for without me ye can do nothing.”
— John 15:5, KJV

We were created to remain dependent upon the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So, when all I have is today's instruction, I return to Holy Spirit for tomorrow's.

When I only understand this portion of the project, I stay close to the One Who understands the whole thing.

When the blueprint in my hand stops, my relationship with God Almighty does not.

That is dependence by design.

But here is where this starts getting uncomfortable.

Because the apprentice may not have the entire blueprint...

but he does have enough to begin.

And there is a difference between waiting because the Most High God said wait and refusing to move because you are waiting for information, He never promised to give you.

Look at the lumber again.

It has already been delivered.

It is sitting in the yard.

And lumber cannot sit outside exposed to the elements indefinitely and remain in the same condition.

Moisture gets into it.

It can swell.

It can warp.

Eventually, it can rot.

Something that was provided for building can become less useful simply because nobody ever used it for the purpose for which it was provided.

Lord, have mercy.

Because what if some of the things we keep asking God Almighty to provide—

He already provided?

What if you keep asking Him for an opportunity while an opportunity is already sitting in front of you?

What if you keep praying:

“Lord, use me.”

while the gift He gave you remains untouched?

What if you are asking Him for provision while the lumber is already sitting in the yard?

What if you keep saying:

“Jesus, make this work.”

and Holy Spirit keeps saying:

“Pick up the tool.”

Now hear me clearly.

This is not about becoming independent of God Almighty.

Quite the opposite.

Dependence on God does not mean passivity.

Sometimes God Almighty provides what only He can provide, and then He calls us to participate with what He has placed in our hands.

Provision has purpose.

The lumber has purpose.

The tools have purpose.

The gift has purpose.

The opportunity has purpose.

The voice has purpose.

The experience has purpose.

And there comes a point when the apprentice has to stop staring at the lumber and begin learning how to build.

Which raises another question.

If the materials are present...

if the tools are available...

if the Boss has given enough instruction to begin...

why would the builder still do nothing?

Sometimes the answer is simple.

Fear.

But fear can be tricky because it does not always look frightened.

Sometimes fear sounds responsible.

Sometimes fear even sounds spiritual.

“I just want to make sure.”

“I think I need another confirmation.”

“I do not want to get ahead of God.”

“I want to wait until I know for certain.”

“I do not want to mess this up.”

And listen, I understand that.

Especially when you genuinely love God Almighty and want to honor Him.

You do not want to put words in His mouth.

You do not want to confuse your emotions with the voice of Holy Spirit.

You do not want to run outside His will and then expect Jesus Christ to bless something He never told you to build.

That is wisdom.

But wisdom and paralysis are not the same thing.

There comes a point when you have prayed.

You have sought God Almighty.

You have searched Scripture.

You have listened.

And Holy Spirit has given you enough instruction for the next step.

At that point, demanding complete certainty may no longer be discernment.

It may be fear wearing church clothes.

Jesus Christ gives us a sobering picture of this in Matthew 25.

The servant who received one talent did not lose it.

He did not squander it.

He did not attempt to use it and fail.

He buried it.

And when his master returned, the servant explained why:

“And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth...”
— Matthew 25:25, KJV

There it is.

Fear produced inactivity.

And think about this.

The talent was probably in excellent condition.

Untouched.

Unspent.

Unrisked.

Preserved.

But preservation was never the assignment.

Stewardship was.

Sometimes faithfulness looks like being able to stand before God Almighty and say:

“I used what You gave me.”

I used it while I was learning.

I used it when I was nervous.

I used it even though I did not know everything.

I used it even though I made mistakes.

I used it even though Holy Spirit had to correct me.

I did not bury what You placed in my hands simply because I was afraid of getting something wrong.

Because a gift that is never exercised stays largely potential.

And potential can develop its own kind of inertia.

The longer you do not move, the easier it becomes not to move.

The longer you avoid using your voice, the harder speaking begins to feel.

The longer you postpone building, the more normal postponement becomes.

The longer you leave the gift untouched, the more intimidating using it feels.

Stagnation does not always look like destruction.

Sometimes it looks like comfort.

Routine.

Familiarity.

Safety.

But even muscles begin to atrophy when they are not used.

So no, having a gift is not the same thing as developing one.

Eventually, you have to practice with what God Almighty gave you.

And that brings us to something we have to remember before we go any further:

You are still learning.

You Are Learning How to Walk Again

You are still learning.

I really need you to hear that, because sometimes we are entirely too hard on ourselves for not knowing how to live in a way we are only just now learning.

Remember, the builder in our picture is an apprentice.

He is not a master craftsman.

He is learning how to recognize the tools.

Learning how to use them correctly.

Learning how to read the portion of the blueprint he has been given.

Learning when to move.

Learning when to stop and ask for instruction.

Learning how to receive correction without interpreting correction as rejection.

He is becoming a builder while he builds.

Come on now.

Because sometimes we become so focused on what God Almighty is doing through us that we miss what He is doing in us while we are doing it.

The project is being built—

but so is the apprentice.

And that matters.

Scripture says:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV

A new creature.

That sounds beautiful when we read it.

And it is beautiful.

But have you ever stopped to think about how awkward being new can actually feel?

Think about a middle schooler. 😆

Baby, that is almost the definition of awkward.

Their body is changing.

Their voice may be changing.

Things that used to fit do not fit anymore.

They are becoming more aware of themselves and everybody around them.

They are no longer little children, but they are not fully grown either.

They are somewhere in the middle, trying to figure out how to live inside a version of themselves that is still becoming.

And sometimes transformation with God Almighty feels exactly like that.

You know you are not who you used to be.

But you do not always know how to be who you are becoming yet.

Read that again.

You know the old you does not fit anymore.

The old responses do not sit right anymore.

The old coping mechanisms do not feel the same anymore.

The old ways of thinking are being challenged.

Things you once tolerated begin bothering you.

Things you once avoided, Holy Spirit begins requiring you to face.

Your boundaries change.

Your language changes.

Your priorities change.

Even the way you understand yourself begins changing.

And sometimes you look at yourself like:

“Girl... who are you?” 😆

That does not automatically mean something is wrong.

Sometimes the awkwardness is evidence of practice, not evidence of failure.

Now think about a baby learning how to walk.

Have you ever really watched one?

Baby, they look a mess. 😆

They wobble.

They lean too far to one side.

Their little arms are everywhere.

They take two beautiful steps and suddenly—

boom.

Right on the floor.

They grab the couch.

The coffee table.

Your leg.

Whatever is close enough to help them stay upright. 😆

Sometimes they get excited and try to move faster than their little legs have learned how to handle.

And down they go again.

But nobody looks at that baby and says:

“Well, I guess walking just isn't for you.”

Nobody says:

“You fell four times today. Clearly you made the wrong decision. Go back to crawling.”

Come on now.

Nobody tells the baby to go back to crawling because walking feels awkward.

Why?

Because we understand something about development that we sometimes forget when it comes to spiritual transformation:

Falling can be part of learning how to walk.

So why are we so unforgiving with ourselves when Holy Spirit is teaching us how to walk differently?

Why does every wobble become evidence that we must be doing something wrong?

Why does one mistake make us question the entire process?

Why do we become tempted to go backward simply because backward feels more familiar?

Baby, sometimes the old way feels easier because you practiced it longer.

You had muscle memory for survival.

Muscle memory for shutting down.

Muscle memory for people pleasing.

Muscle memory for disappearing when life became too painful.

Muscle memory for saying yes when everything in you wanted to say no.

Muscle memory for avoiding difficult conversations.

Muscle memory for isolating.

Muscle memory for expecting the worst.

Muscle memory for abandoning the whole plan because one part of it did not go the way you expected.

Muscle memory for escaping instead of remaining present.

Some of us became very good at surviving.

We had years of practice.

But now Holy Spirit is teaching us something different.

And maybe the awkwardness you are experiencing is not proof that you are doing something wrong.

Maybe you simply do not have muscle memory for freedom yet.

Lord, have mercy.

Sit with that for a minute.

Maybe saying no feels uncomfortable because you spent years saying yes when you wanted to say no.

Maybe setting a boundary feels mean because you spent years believing love meant unlimited access.

Maybe speaking up feels dangerous because silence once felt safer.

Maybe staying present during discomfort feels unbearable because you learned how to disappear inwardly whenever things became too much.

Maybe changing the plan without throwing the entire day away feels unnatural because rigidity once gave you a sense of control.

Maybe receiving correction without collapsing into shame feels strange because mistakes used to feel like evidence that something was wrong with you.

That does not mean you need to go backward.

God Almighty is not calling you backward because backward feels more natural.

He is teaching you how to walk.

And this time, you are learning how to walk in alignment with Him.

This time, you are learning how to respond instead of simply react.

This time, you are learning how to speak without becoming reckless.

How to be quiet without disappearing.

How to set boundaries without building unnecessary walls.

How to say no without drowning in guilt.

How to rest without escaping.

How to move without running ahead of God Almighty.

How to pause without becoming stagnant.

How to pivot without believing everything has fallen apart.

How to experience discomfort without immediately deciding you must escape it.

And perhaps most importantly—

you are learning how to hear Holy Spirit over fear, old habits, other people's opinions, your own emotions, and that mind of yours that can have sixteen different side quests running at the same time. 😆

Baby, of course some of this feels awkward.

You are learning how to walk again.

But this time, Jesus Christ is the foundation underneath you.

This time, Holy Spirit is guiding you.

This time, you are not merely following whatever feels familiar.

This time, you are learning to walk by faith.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV

And there it is.

Not by sight.

Remember the apprentice?

He does not have the entire blueprint.

He cannot see the finished structure.

He only knows what God Almighty has revealed for this portion of the work.

And now the new creature is learning the same lesson.

You do not have to see every step before you take it.

You do not have to understand everything before you obey.

You do not have to know exactly how this version of you is going to look when God Almighty is finished forming you.

You know Who is leading you.

And faith gives us substance where our natural eyes do not yet have evidence.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
— Hebrews 11:1, KJV

So this time, you are not learning how to survive by figuring everything out in advance.

You are learning how to live by faith.

And there is a difference.

A baby does not become a walker by eliminating every possibility of falling.

An apprentice does not become a builder by refusing to touch the tools.

And as we are about to see, a basketball player does not become proficient by standing on the court holding a perfectly unused ball.

Growth requires practice.

Practice means there will be moments when you do not look polished.

There will be mistakes.

There will be corrections.

There will be adjustments.

And all of it requires grace.

Grace for yourself.

Grace for the people around you who are learning how to relate to this version of you.

Grace for the moments when you wobble.

Grace when you fall.

Grace when you misunderstand.

Grace when Holy Spirit says:

“No, baby. Not like that. Let Me show you.”

Because correction from God Almighty is not evidence that He regrets calling you.

He knew you were an apprentice when He gave you the tools.

He knew you were learning when He gave you the assignment.

He knew you were a new creature who would have to learn how to live like one.

The goal is not flawless performance.

The goal is transformation.

That you keep getting back up.

That you keep listening.

That you keep learning.

That you keep allowing Holy Spirit to correct you.

That you keep allowing God Almighty to transform you from glory to glory.

So, if you fall—

get back up.

If you misunderstand—

let Him correct you.

If the new way feels awkward—

keep practicing.

If freedom feels unfamiliar—

do not mistake unfamiliarity for danger.

And when Holy Spirit says:

“Come on. Take another step.”

Take it.

Do not go back to crawling simply because crawling is what you know.

Do not mistake unfamiliar freedom for evidence that you were safer in bondage.

You are not failing.

You are learning how to walk.

Now, Let’s Step Onto the Court

If you are learning how to walk, then eventually, you have to learn how to use what God Almighty has placed in your hands while you are walking.

So, let me change the scenery for a minute without changing the principle.

Take our apprentice builder off the construction site and put her on a basketball court.

Different setting.

Same God Almighty.

Same dependence.

Same need for instruction.

Same responsibility to steward what has been entrusted to her.

And just like our apprentice builder is not some master craftsman with forty years of experience, this player is not LeBron James. 😆

She is a novice.

She is learning the game.

Learning the rules.

Learning how to move.

Learning how to handle the ball.

Learning how to hear instruction while everything around her is moving at the same time.

And that matters, because once again—

we have to make room for somebody to learn.

Now, stay with me.

In our construction picture, God Almighty is the Boss—the Owner of the entire project.

Jesus Christ is the One Who paid the cost.

Holy Spirit gives instruction and directs the work.

And we are the apprentices learning how to build with what God Almighty has provided.

Now, move that same Kingdom order onto the basketball court.

God Almighty is the Owner of the team.

Jesus Christ is the One Who paid the price for the team.

Scripture says:

“For ye are bought with a price...”
— 1 Corinthians 6:20, KJV

Bought.

With.

A.

Price.

You did not purchase yourself.

You did not redeem yourself.

You did not earn your way onto this team.

Jesus Christ paid the price.

And He did not pay with silver or gold.

The Word of God says:

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold...
But with the precious blood of Christ...”
— 1 Peter 1:18–19, KJV

Come on now.

That changes the way we think about this entire game.

Because if Jesus Christ paid the price, then I do not own the team.

I do not own myself.

And I do not get to decide that whatever God Almighty has placed in my hands exists solely for my personal agenda.

I was bought with a price.

The team belongs to Him.

The assignment belongs to Him.

The purpose belongs to Him.

And ultimately, the glory belongs to Him.

Now, in this picture, think of Holy Spirit as the Coach.

Before somebody gets nervous about the analogy, let me make something very clear.

Holy Spirit is God.

We are not assigning Him some lesser position.

We are using an illustration to understand something Jesus Christ Himself told us Holy Spirit would do.

Jesus said:

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost... he shall teach you all things...”
— John 14:26, KJV

And:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth...”
— John 16:13, KJV

Teach.

Guide.

Remind.

Correct.

Direct.

Baby, that sounds a whole lot like coaching to me.

So God Almighty owns the team.

Jesus Christ paid the price.

Holy Spirit is coaching.

We are the players.

Which brings us to the ball.

What if the ball represents the gift, God Almighty has placed in your hands?

Your voice.

Your ability to teach.

Your creativity.

Your wisdom.

Your compassion.

Your leadership.

Your ability to build.

Whatever He has entrusted to you.

Now here is where some of us have to hear something we may not necessarily want to hear:

You have to practice with the ball.

You cannot become proficient with something you refuse to use.

You can read every book about basketball ever written.

You can memorize every rule.

You can study every great player.

You can buy the nicest shoes.

You can own a brand-new basketball that has never touched pavement.

And still not know how to play.

At some point—

you have to touch the ball.

Dribble it.

Pass it.

Shoot it.

Miss.

Try again.

Shoot again.

Miss again.

Adjust your form.

Learn how much pressure to put behind the shot.

Learn timing.

Learn positioning.

Learn how to protect the ball.

Learn when the shot is yours.

And learn when the smartest thing you can do is pass it to somebody else.

That is stewardship.

And while you are practicing with the gift, something else begins happening.

The gift is being exercised—

but the player is being formed.

Come on now.

We saw the same thing with our apprentice.

The building was being constructed, but so was the builder.

And now the gift is being developed, but so is the person carrying it.

Your judgment grows.

Your timing improves.

Your discernment sharpens.

Your capacity increases.

Things that once required intense concentration begin becoming more natural because you have practiced them.

You begin developing muscle memory.

See how we got back here?

Because remember—

some of us have plenty of muscle memory for survival.

Now Holy Spirit has to help us develop muscle memory for obedience.

Muscle memory for truth.

Muscle memory for boundaries.

Muscle memory for grace.

Muscle memory for staying present.

Muscle memory for using the gift instead of burying it.

And that only happens through practice.

This is why I believe some of the places we overlook may actually be training grounds.

You may be looking at a place in your life saying:

“This is just my job.”

But what if, for this season, that is part of the court God Almighty is using to teach you how to play?

What if some of those ordinary conversations are practice?

What if those moments when somebody suddenly tells you their story are practice?

What if that place where you are learning how to speak with wisdom, exercise restraint, listen, discern, encourage, correct, and know when to simply hush—

is part of your training?

Not everything God Almighty uses to prepare you will look like preparation.

Sometimes it looks like Tuesday afternoon.

Sometimes it looks like a regular conversation.

Sometimes it looks like an assignment you thought had absolutely nothing to do with your calling.

But Holy Spirit knows what He is developing in you.

And practice is not punishment.

Practice is preparation.

Think about it.

Nobody gets upset with a novice basketball player because she needs practice.

Of course she needs practice.

She is learning.

And practice is where she is allowed to miss.

Practice is where her form gets corrected.

Practice is where the Coach says:

“No. Move your hand.”

“Plant your foot here.”

“Slow down.”

“You released too soon.”

“Try it again.”

Correction is part of development.

So, when Holy Spirit corrects you, do not immediately decide:

“I must have missed God completely.”

Maybe you are simply being coached.

Maybe He is developing your form.

Maybe He is teaching you how to handle something He intends for you to carry with greater skill later.

Because here is the truth:

You do not become proficient by preserving the gift in pristine condition.

A ball that is being used gets scuffed.

A tool that is being used shows wear.

A builder who is actually building gets sawdust on her clothes.

And a believer who is genuinely learning how to walk with God Almighty is going to have moments when she does not look polished.

That does not automatically mean she is outside His will.

Sometimes it means—

she is practicing.

And practice does something potential cannot do by itself.

Practice turns possibility into capacity.

It takes what could be and begins developing what actually is.

A gift that remains untouched can remain potential for a lifetime.

But God Almighty did not give you the ball so you could stand on the court admiring it.

And He certainly did not purchase the team through the blood of Jesus Christ so we could spend the whole game trying to keep our uniforms clean.

We are here for purpose.

We are here to grow.

We are here to learn.

We are here to participate in what God Almighty is doing.

And that means there will be movement.

But before we start celebrating movement simply because we are moving—

we need to talk about something.

Because you can run all over a basketball court...

and still accomplish absolutely nothing.

Movement is not always progress.

Movement Is Not Always Progress

So yes, there will be movement.

But movement, by itself, does not prove that we are making progress.

Think about the basketball court.

A player can spend the entire game running.

Up the court.

Down the court.

Back up the court.

Back down the court.

Sweating.

Breathing hard.

Completely exhausted.

And still accomplish absolutely nothing.

She moved.

She just did not move with purpose.

Scripture says:

“So run, that ye may obtain.”
— 1 Corinthians 9:24, KJV

Not just run.

Run that ye may obtain.

There is an objective.

A goal.

A purpose attached to the movement.

And sometimes we have to ask ourselves a difficult question:

Am I tired because I have been obedient, or am I tired because I have been doing a whole lot of things God Almighty never told me to do?

Because both people can be exhausted.

But only one is tired from obedience.

Lord, help us. 😆

Sometimes we are running around the court like a wild bat, wearing ourselves completely out, and calling it productivity simply because we are busy.

But activity can create the illusion of progress.

And Jonah is a perfect example.

Jonah was moving.

Oh, he was moving.

God Almighty told him to go to Nineveh, and Jonah headed in the opposite direction.

He found a ship.

Paid the fare.

Got on board.

The ship departed.

There was plenty of motion.

But none of that motion moved Jonah closer to the assignment.

He was active—

but out of position.

That means the question is not simply:

“Am I moving?”

The better question is:

“Where am I in relation to the Commander?”

Am I moving in the direction God Almighty instructed?

Am I in His will?

Am I doing what He called me to do?

Am I in position?

Because sometimes God Almighty's questions are invitations to alignment.

When He asked Adam:

“Where art thou?”
— Genesis 3:9, KJV

God Almighty did not suddenly lose Adam's coordinates.

And when He later asked Elijah:

“What doest thou here, Elijah?”
— 1 Kings 19:9, KJV

He already knew exactly where Elijah was.

The question exposed something deeper.

Where are you in relation to what I told you?

What brought you here?

What are you doing here?

Are you where you are supposed to be?

And I think every builder, every player, every believer has to ask that from time to time.

Where am I in relation to the Commander?

Now, let me say something else about Jonah because this is where grace enters the conversation.

Jonah's disobedience mattered.

It had consequences.

His decision placed people around him in danger.

The sailors ended up in a storm they did not create because Jonah was running from an assignment God Almighty had given him.

So we are not going to make disobedience cute.

Obedience matters.

But watch God Almighty.

Before Jonah ever arrived in Nineveh, those Gentile sailors encountered the LORD.

They prayed.

And after Jonah was thrown into the sea and the storm ceased:

“Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.”
— Jonah 1:16, KJV

Wait a minute.

Jonah was running away from an assignment involving Gentiles—

and Gentiles encountered God Almighty while Jonah was running.

Do you see that?

Jonah's disobedience was not good.

But Jonah's disobedience was also not powerful enough to make God Almighty stop being God.

Nothing was wasted.

And after God Almighty dealt with Jonah, Scripture says:

“And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time...”
— Jonah 3:1, KJV

The second time.

I love that.

The assignment survived the struggle of the messenger.

God Almighty corrected Jonah and reissued the instruction.

Arise. Go.

Maybe somebody needs that right there.

Maybe you did move wrong.

Maybe fear got involved.

Maybe you misunderstood something.

Maybe you delayed.

Maybe you ran.

Maybe the lumber sat in the yard longer than it should have.

Maybe you did not handle the ball well the first time.

Maybe you missed the shot.

That does not mean we excuse disobedience.

It means we remember Who God Almighty is.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
— Romans 8:28, KJV

God Almighty already factored your humanity into the assignment.

Your learning curve does not surprise Him.

Your need for correction does not surprise Him.

Your limitations do not surprise Him.

He knew He was handing tools to an apprentice.

He knew He was putting the ball into the hands of a novice.

He knew He was teaching a new creature how to walk.

And He still called you.

That ought to free somebody from the demand to execute everything flawlessly.

Faithfulness is not flawless execution.

Faithfulness is surrendered participation.

Listen.

Obey.

Move.

Learn.

Receive correction.

And stay close enough to Holy Spirit to hear what comes next.

Because sometimes what comes next is:

Pivot.

And baby, that word right there has been working on me. 😆

A basketball player who pivots has not quit the game.

She does not throw the ball down and walk off the court.

She does not abandon the goal.

She plants one foot and changes direction.

Why?

Because something on the court changed.

The opening she expected may no longer be there.

A defender moved.

A teammate changed position.

The play developed differently than she anticipated.

So she stops long enough to see the court again.

And then she responds.

Same goal. New information. Necessary pivot.

That is not failure.

That is responsiveness.

And some of us need to become more pivot-able.

Because we can get so attached to the picture in our minds of how God Almighty is supposed to accomplish something that when the method changes, we think the purpose changed too.

But what if the plan changed and the purpose did not?

What if the goal remained exactly the same, but Holy Spirit changed the play?

What if the answer is not to keep forcing the original method?

What if the answer is:

Plant your foot. Look again. Listen to the Coach.

That requires us to understand something.

The Commander outranks the blueprint in my head.

Come on.

The plan I imagined does not outrank Holy Spirit.

The timeline I expected does not outrank Holy Spirit.

The way I thought this relationship would look does not outrank Holy Spirit.

The way I assumed the ministry would grow does not outrank Holy Spirit.

My preferences do not outrank Holy Spirit.

I can make a plan.

I can prepare.

I can use wisdom.

But preparation does not eliminate dependence.

In fact, maturity should make me more responsive to direction, not more independent of it.

And sometimes Holy Spirit will allow us to discover something we could not have known until we started moving.

I saw this in the most ordinary way when a handyman came to install a new light.

On the surface, the assignment sounded simple.

Take down the old light.

Install the new one.

Done.

Except when he opened the ceiling, he discovered that the old fixture had not been installed correctly.

The support that was already there could not safely carry the weight of the new light.

Now he needed additional materials.

Reinforcement.

A different method.

The assignment had not changed.

The goal was still:

Install the light.

But once new information became visible, the original plan had to change.

Same assignment.

New information.

Necessary pivot.

And here is what really stayed with me:

He could not see the problem until he opened the ceiling.

From underneath, everything looked fine.

The weakness was hidden.

So the ceiling had to be opened before the new light could safely be installed.

Now come on with me.

Because sometimes we look at our lives after God Almighty begins exposing things and think:

“Lord, this looks worse than it did before!”

Well...

construction sometimes does.

😆

Have you ever seen a room halfway through renovation?

Baby, it can look like somebody broke in and tore the place up.

Walls open.

Tools everywhere.

Materials scattered around.

Dust.

Things disconnected.

Parts of the old structure removed while the new structure is not fully visible yet.

If you walked in without knowing renovation was happening, you might assume something had gone terribly wrong.

But the builder knows:

This is unfinished.

And that may be the word for somebody reading this.

Stop judging unfinished work as though you are looking at the finished product.

Maybe the open ceiling is not destruction.

Maybe it is exposure.

Maybe the delay is not denial.

Maybe reinforcement is happening.

Maybe something that carried the weight of the old season cannot safely carry what comes next.

I am not going to tell you what your “new light” is.

That belongs between you and God Almighty.

But I will tell you this:

A wise Builder cares about the framework.

And sometimes before something new can be installed, hidden weakness has to be exposed and strengthened.

That can happen around you.

And baby, it can certainly happen in you.

Remember what we have already been talking about?

You are not only building.

You are being built.

You are learning while you work.

You are practicing while you grow.

You are developing muscle memory for freedom.

Holy Spirit is teaching you new responses.

New boundaries.

New ways of thinking.

New ways of remaining present.

New ways of hearing Him.

Maybe you keep looking around wondering why everything has not changed yet—

when one of the biggest things God Almighty has been changing is you.

And that counts.

Maybe you did not react the way you normally would.

That counts.

Maybe you stayed present where you normally would have escaped.

That counts.

Maybe you said no without writing a seventeen-page dissertation explaining why you are allowed to say no. 😆

That counts.

Maybe the plan changed and, instead of deciding the entire day was ruined, you pivoted.

That counts.

Maybe something hurt, and you actually allowed yourself to feel it, pray through it, and ask Holy Spirit what He wanted to show you instead of immediately reaching for an escape.

That counts.

Because transformation is not always dramatic from the outside.

Sometimes the evidence is:

“I handled that differently.”

That is growth.

From glory to glory.

And this brings me back to what started this whole thing.

Stagnation kills growth.

But stillness is not stagnation.

There are times when God Almighty absolutely says:

Be still.

There are times for rest.

There are times for recovery.

There are times when Holy Spirit says:

Do not move yet.

Elijah learned that.

After fear and exhaustion overtook him, God Almighty allowed him to sleep.

Then He fed him.

Then Elijah slept again.

Then he was fed again.

And Scripture says:

“Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.”
— 1 Kings 19:7, KJV

There it is.

The provision was for the journey.

The rest mattered.

The food mattered.

The recovery mattered.

But the rest was preparing Elijah for movement.

Stillness served the journey.

It did not replace it.

So no, we are not preaching constant activity.

Sometimes obedience looks like building.

Sometimes obedience looks like resting.

Sometimes obedience looks like waiting.

Sometimes obedience looks like staying.

Sometimes obedience looks like leaving.

Sometimes obedience looks like speaking.

Sometimes obedience looks like hushing. 😆

The question is not:

“Am I constantly moving?”

The question is:

“Am I responsive to God Almighty?”

Because if He says rest—

rest.

If He says wait—

wait.

If He says move—

move.

If He says pivot—

pivot.

If He says build—

build.

The danger comes when God Almighty says move and we call our fear “waiting.”

Or when He says rest and we call our anxiety “productivity.”

Or when He says pivot and we keep forcing an old play simply because it is familiar.

That is why relationship with the Boss matters more than having the whole blueprint.

We have to keep listening.

And now I want to speak to the person who is tired.

Because maybe you have been doing what you believed God Almighty told you to do.

You prayed.

You sought Him.

You moved.

You obeyed.

You tried to steward what He placed in your hands.

And now you are looking around thinking:

“None of this is adding up.”

You thought you would be farther along by now.

You thought things would look different.

You thought obedience would produce visible evidence faster than this.

You thought the relationship would have changed.

You thought the door would have opened.

You thought the ministry would be farther along.

You thought the money would look different.

You thought the answer would have come.

And now weariness has started whispering:

“Maybe you heard God wrong.”

“Maybe you should go backward.”

“Maybe none of this is working.”

Be careful.

Because weariness can tamper with your vision.

You are looking at one moment in a construction process and attempting to issue a final verdict.

But Scripture says:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
— Galatians 6:9, KJV

Due season.

Which means there are things happening now whose fruit belongs to later.

And later fruit does not mean present obedience is empty.

You may not see everything God Almighty is doing.

That is kind of the point.

Remember?

You never got the whole blueprint.

You cannot see what God Almighty is doing in somebody else's heart.

You cannot see what He is arranging beyond your current view.

You cannot always see what Holy Spirit is developing in you while you are simply trying to get through Tuesday.

You cannot see the finished building while lumber is still scattered around the yard.

You cannot see the finished room while the ceiling is open.

You cannot see the whole play when you are standing in one position on the court.

And Scripture already told us:

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV

So maybe—

just maybe—

you need to look again.

You thought the yard was empty.

Look again.

The lumber is already there.

You thought God Almighty had not given you enough.

Look again.

Maybe He has given you enough for this step.

You thought awkwardness meant you were failing.

Look again.

Maybe you simply do not have muscle memory for freedom yet.

You thought the changed play meant the purpose had changed.

Look again.

Maybe Holy Spirit is telling you to pivot.

You thought the open ceiling meant everything was falling apart.

Look again.

Maybe hidden weakness is being strengthened.

You thought the fall meant you should crawl again.

Look again.

God Almighty is teaching you how to walk.

You thought the missed shot disqualified you.

Look again.

Jesus Christ already paid the price.

You thought the incomplete blueprint meant God Almighty had forgotten to tell you something.

Look again.

Maybe you do not need the whole blueprint because you know the Boss.

And you thought nothing was changing.

Look again.

Maybe you are.

Beloved, do not confuse reconstruction with destruction.

Do not confuse stillness with stagnation.

Do not confuse activity with progress.

Do not confuse discomfort with failure.

And do not confuse an unfinished work with an abandoned one.

God Almighty is still God.

Jesus Christ is still Lord.

Holy Spirit is still teaching, guiding, correcting, and directing.

And you are still learning.

Still growing.

Still practicing.

Still being transformed.

Still becoming.

So give yourself grace—

but do not bury the gift.

Rest when He says rest—

but do not make the resting place your permanent address.

Think—

but do not overthink yourself into paralysis.

Plan—

but remain willing to pivot.

Listen—

and when Holy Spirit gives the instruction, obey.

You do not have to know everything.

You do not have to execute everything perfectly.

You do not have to see the entire finished product.

Your responsibility is obedience.

God Almighty is responsible for being God.

So if the Boss says:

“Wait.”

Wait.

If the Coach says:

“Pivot.”

Pivot.

If Holy Spirit says:

“Come on. Take another step.”

Walk.

And if God Almighty says:

“Build.”

Baby...

pick up the hammer.

The lumber is already in the yard. 🪵👀🔥🕊️

A Spoken Prayer 🙏🏽🔥🕊️

Father God, in the Name of Jesus Christ,

Thank You, for knowing me before I was ever formed in my mother's womb.

Thank You for loving me enough to teach me, correct me, grow me, and walk with me while I am still learning.

Thank You that You did not wait until I knew everything to call me.

You did not wait until I had mastered every tool.

You did not wait until I could see the whole blueprint.

You knew exactly who I was when You called me, and You know exactly who You are forming me to become.

So today, God Almighty, I surrender again.

I surrender my need to know everything before I move.

I surrender my need to understand every detail before I obey.

I surrender the timelines I created, the outcomes I imagined, and the blueprints I formed in my own mind.

Your ways are higher than my ways.

Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts.

And I trust You.

Holy Spirit, teach me how to recognize Your voice above fear, anxiety, emotion, old habits, outside opinions, and my own overthinking, in Jesus Name.

Show me when to move.

Show me when to wait.

Show me when to rest.

Show me when to speak.

Show me when to be quiet.

Show me when to hold my position.

And when the play changes, teach me how to pivot without believing the purpose has been lost, in Jesus Name.

Make me responsive to You.

Father, show me what You have already placed in my hands.

Open my eyes to the lumber that is already in the yard.

Forgive me for the places where fear caused me to bury what You entrusted to me.

Forgive me for the times I called paralysis wisdom.

Forgive me for the times I kept asking You for another confirmation when You had already given me enough instruction to take the next step, in Jesus Name.

And where I truly need further direction, keep me close enough to You to hear it.

I do not want independence from You.

I want intimacy with You.

I do not want a blueprint more than I want the Boss.

I do not want the gift more than I want the Giver.

I do not want the assignment more than I want Your presence.

Jesus Christ, thank You for paying a price I could never pay.

Thank You that my relationship with You is not secured by flawless performance.

Thank You that when I wobble, I am still Yours.

When I miss, I am still Yours.

When I need correction, I am still Yours.

When I have to try again, I am still Yours.

Teach me to receive correction without interpreting it as rejection.

Teach me to give myself grace while refusing to use grace as permission to remain stagnant, in Jesus Name.

Holy Spirit, help me develop new muscle memory.

Where I have muscle memory for survival, teach me freedom.

Where I have muscle memory for fear, teach me faith.

Where I have muscle memory for silence, teach me when to speak.

Where I have muscle memory for people pleasing, teach me obedience.

Where I have muscle memory for running away, teach me how to remain present.

Where I have muscle memory for control, teach me surrender.

Where I have muscle memory for crawling, teach me how to walk.

And when walking feels awkward, remind me that awkwardness is not necessarily evidence of failure, in Jesus Name.

Sometimes I am simply practicing something I have never done before.

So, Father, when I fall, help me get back up.

When I misunderstand, correct me.

When I become weary, strengthen me.

When I become distracted, refocus me.

When I begin running merely for the sake of movement, bring me back into alignment with Your purpose, in Jesus Name.

When I become attached to my own plan, remind me that the Commander outranks the blueprint in my head.

And when I cannot see what You are doing, teach me to walk by faith and not by sight.

God Almighty, if You are exposing something in me, give me the courage not to call exposure destruction, in Jesus Name.

If You are reinforcing something in me, help me not to call the process delay.

If You are reconstructing something in my life, keep me from issuing a final verdict over unfinished work.

Remind me that You are the Master Builder, in Jesus Name.

You know what the finished work requires.

You know what must be removed.

You know what must be strengthened.

You know what can carry the weight of what You have purposed.

And I trust Your hands.

Father, I pray for the strength not to grow weary in well doing.

When I cannot see the harvest, remind me that due season still exists.

When I cannot see the finished building, remind me that You still have the blueprint.

When I cannot understand the play, remind me to listen for Holy Spirit, in Jesus Name.

When I am tempted to go backward because backward feels familiar, remind me that You are teaching me how to walk in freedom.

I will not return to crawling simply because walking feels awkward.

I will not bury what You gave me because I am afraid of making a mistake.

I will not confuse busyness with obedience.

I will not confuse stillness with stagnation.

I will not confuse a pivot with failure.

I will not confuse reconstruction with destruction.

And I will not allow what I can see today to make me doubt Who You have always been, in Jesus Name.

You are God Almighty.

You are faithful.

You are sovereign.

You are wise.

You are good.

Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.

Holy Spirit is my Helper, Teacher, Guide, and Comforter.

And I belong to You.

So I give You my hands again.

I give You my feet again.

I give You my voice again.

I give You my gifts again.

I give You my plans again.

I give You the parts of me that are still learning.

And I say:

Teach me.

Lead me.

Correct me.

Form me.

Use me.

And when You say wait, I will wait.

When You say rest, I will rest.

When You say pivot, I will pivot.

When You say walk, I will walk.

And when You say build—

Father, give me the courage to pick up the hammer, in Jesus Name.

Because if You have already put the lumber in the yard, I do not want fear to keep me staring at provision You intended me to steward.

I trust You with what I cannot see.

I trust You with what I do not yet understand.

I trust You with the process.

I trust You with the outcome.

And I trust You with me.

In the mighty, matchless, and victorious Name of Jesus Christ,

Amen. 🙏🏽🔥🕊️