Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:36 (NLT)
One of the greatest passion-killers is disappointment.
We all face letdowns in life—whether it’s losing a job or relationship, having our dreams delayed or seeing plans fall through. What matters is how we handle it. If we don’t deal with disappointment quickly, it turns into disillusionment, indifference and finally, cynicism. A cynical person will find it impossible to dream or hang on to a sense of passion.
I remember when Sally and I were house-shopping as newlyweds. We found a beautiful home in a location we liked and began praying and believing that it would be ours. In the end, however, the homeowners sold it to someone else. Both of us were discouraged. But around that time, I read Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV), where it says that God is able to do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
Sally and I decided that we would start claiming this verse. Every time we believed God for something, we would finish our prayer by saying, “God, You are allowed to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we’re asking for right now.”
Give God room to exceed your plans and expectations. When you have this attitude, you can be confident that even if an opportunity is stolen from you or you don’t get what you are hoping for, the final answer will be good. Remember, no one can take from you what God has prepared for you!