I want to offer a bit of encouragement to you today about a situation that seems to be common to all of us who pray.

We’ve all been in the position where we are desperately asking God to answer a prayer. Yes?

We watch and we wait. Watch and wait.

Finally, we see an open door. Yes, we say, thank you Lord!

Knowing God has heard us, we walk through the open door only to have the disappointment of it slamming in our face or worse, we walk through, the door shuts behind us and we realize we’re in the wrong room.

The wrong place.

This could be about anything we desired – from a job opportunity, the house we thought was perfect, or the relationship we thought was about to be reconciled in a particular way.

We say,
I thought for sure this answer was from You, Lord. It looked so clear, so right. How could I have been so wrong? What are you doing God? Are you playing with my emotions?

It’s a false positive.

When I get sucked into one of these false positives, jumping on every possibility that looks like an answer, I remind myself of Joseph (Jacob’s son) and his time in prison.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers (Gen. 37:26) and ended up in Egypt, enslaved to Potiphar, captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s army.

After Potiphar’s wife wrongly accuses him of sexual assault, he winds up in prison. (Genesis 39:19-20)

During all this time, Joseph’s relationship with God grew and he gave honor to Him by his obedience, his patience and doing the best he could in whatever position he was placed.

But still, in all of this, I have to believe Joseph prayed like crazy to be released, probably since the day his brothers threw him down the well!

Through all he endured he waited patiently for God to answer.

Finally, there looked like the perfect opportunity.

While Joseph is in prison, he interprets a dream for the king’s cupbearer who is in-prisoned with him.

Joseph, seeing the cupbearer is pleased with his interpretation, says to him: “… When all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness, mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of prison.” (Genesis 40:14 NIV)

Now he’s thinking,
Ah, so this is how God is going answer my prayer. God gave me the interpretation to this dream. It’s my open door. It’s my way out!

But it was a false positive.

Verse 23 of chapter 40 says, “The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

The Bible doesn’t say Joseph was discouraged, but I bet he was.

I would be. And I do get down in the dumps when I see an opening, a possible answer and find it’s not for me.

You see, sometimes I get so impatient for God to respond to my calls for help (especially when the wait is long), that I force the timing on answers when God’s timing is different.

Maybe the circumstances are not where God needs them to be yet.

Maybe He isn’t finished setting things into motion to complete His purpose.

Or, maybe I jump the gun. Speak too soon. Walk though the wrong doors.

Maybe I need to put less worry in my wait and put more weight in my trust.
Trust that God will answer at His perfect time.

It was a full two years before the cupbearer finally brought Joseph to the attention of Pharaoh. Just in time for him to interpret Pharaoh’s dream—one that would elevate Joseph to a leader in Egypt, which in turn put him in a position to save his brothers and the whole nation of Israel.

So, in looking at our own prayer life, why the false positives and how do we avoid the trap?

1. Know there’s always opposition to prayer.( Daniel 10:12-13, Ephesians 6:12)

2. Satan knows our weaknesses—our patience threshold. He’s lurks about waiting to trip us up. Don’t let him. (1 Peter 5:8)

3. Study God’s Word. The Bible is chalked full of stories of long waits with purpose and God’s faithful answers. (Hebrews 11, 4:12)

4. When God is quiet, we often jump at opportunities to answer our own prayers. We walk though doors not meant for us. If you see what looks to be an open door, seek God’s wisdom. Pray about your prayer. (James 1:5)

5. Recount your own stories of answered prayers. Keeping a journal of “God things” is helpful.

I hope this has lightened your load today.  Even when it looks like our answer is far from coming, God hasn’t forgotten us and the surprise behind His open door is worth the wait.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  Psalm 27:14

Connect with Christy Mobley at, Joying in the Journey  christymobley.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

It’s LinkUp Day at Soaring with Him!

Share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us!

4. Grab our Recharge Wednesday button and put it somewhere on your blog or blog post. The code is on our sidebar!

I'm Recharging! LINKUP today with @PatHolbrook @christy_mobley at #RechargeWednesday. Join us?
Click To Tweet

The post What to do with a False Positive {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:5-7

My husband and I were watching one of the Gaither Homecomings last night, when the show paused for an interview with Vestal Goodman. The late singer was asked what advice she would give any aspiring gospel singer, when she replied in her sweet southern accent:

“I tell the young people who want to sing for Jesus: If you don’t keep God in it, you might as well hang it up and go get you a job in the grocery store. It ain’t gonna work. It just plain ain’t gonna work.”

Her words make me smile…

Because truth be told, sometimes we may be so caught up in making our work for the kingdom count, that we forget that success God’s way doesn’t necessarily mean that our voices are heard in the four corners of the world… that our blog get amazing hits, or that our speaking or singing schedule is completely full.

Moreover, I wonder how many of us are striving so hard to do “great things for Jesus”, that we forget that we aren’t responsible for the growth of the seeds we plant in His kingdom? Just as Paul mentioned in the passage above, while addressing the jealousy that was growing among believers regarding the work of the Lord – we are only instruments used by God to do His work.

True growth comes from Him and Him alone.

Indeed, if we are called by God to do ministry, then our focus should not be on the growth of our ministries.

Neither should I be concerned if so-and-so is more successful than I am…

Neither should I be overly focused on self-promoting…

Or whether what I say is accepted by the masses or not.

If I know that God has called me to do what I do, He will be the One opening the doors… or growing my sphere of influence. He knows the timing, and when I am ready to receive more.

“He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” Revelation 3:7-8

When our hearts are in the right place… and at the right time…

He opens doors that no one can close…

And shuts doors that no one can open…

When our hearts are in the right place and at the right time, God opens doors that no one can close… And shuts doors that no one can open.
Click To Tweet

My responsibility is not to strive to do more or be more.  My responsibility is to simply be obedient to my calling, truthful to His Word and to keep my priorities in check:

God first…

Then Family…

Then Ministry.

It’s a chilling thought  when I realize how easy it is to lose focus of these priorities…

Because what good does my ministry do, if my family hurts…

Or what good do the accolades of this world do, if Heaven is silent as men applaud?

Oh, Lord, may it never be…

I’d rather have my children desire to stay close to You, because the work I have done for You did not rob them of precious time with me… and because my life was truthful to the words I wrote, than to have them resent You because my work for You kept me away from them… and made me so stressed out that the Fruit of the Spirit became dim in my life.

I’d rather have people want to know You because of my faith in You, rather than because of eloquent words I may have spoken.

I’d rather take the blunt of criticism, as I stand for Your truth… and have many turn away when I speak because I choose not to compromise, than have multitudes follow me, and watch as You silently turn Your precious Face from me.

I’d rather have Jesus.

I’d rather have family.

Help us, Lord, not to lose focus… and forget that the growth is not ours, anyway. It’s meant to be for Your Glory.

We are mere stewards of Your gifts.

And if “it ain’t from You, and it ain’t for You…” then may we never want it, anyway.

The post Trying too Hard… in Jesus’ Name appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.