“For now I will break off his yoke from you, And burst your bonds apart.” Nahum 1:13 NKJV
‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them.’ Jeremiah 30:8 NKJV
I spent a few days this week inspecting my yard and playing with my camera. Doing so, I came across my hostas! Hostas come in many varieties and return faithfully year after year. However, for this to happen, the hostas must first break through my very hard Georgia clay.
Like hostas, we have to push through some hard things as well. These things are as unique as each of us, yet if persevere, pray and stay with God; we can also find the warmth of the Son/sun and enter a season of growth and renewal. Not only does the hosta have to break through the cold hard ground to thrive in the spring, it must also shed some of its old dry and useless self. Hostas push away the old “bones” left over from last year making room for more life-sustaining leaves. There is a lesson in this for all of us.
The scriptures above speak of God’s promise to His people. Both prophets testify about how God will free His people. God’s Word speaks of delivering His people from enemies both physical and spiritual. God doesn’t want us to be in bondage to other people or sin.
For some of us to live our lives as God intended we need to
Break some bad habits
Break new ground…learn something new, meet new people, broaden our thinking, vision and aspirations
Break off the shackles that bind…fear, depression, doubt, regret, guilt or whatever holds you hostage
Dare to deviate from what is not working. What has God promised you? Have you asked Him for direction, discernment, revelation? Have you done the things He’s told you to? If you are waiting on God, He is probably waiting on YOU!
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For [it is] time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12 NKJV
Fallow in the above verse refers to land that is allowed to lie idle during the growing season. Many of us are waiting for a break through but do nothing during the growing season. How can we expect to reap a harvest if we don’t sow good seed? Our break through requires work on our part!
Reap in mercy. To reap mercy you have to sow it. If some of us were a bit more merciful and less judgmental it would allow more time to improving ourselves!
It is time to seek the Lord! Many of us continually look for the next best thing, big idea or solution to a problem; yet, if we would only seek Him we would find the answers we desire. Our God is more than able. He is more than willing.
For those of you waiting on the perfect time to take that leap of faith, obey God’s prodding or even courage to take that first step, do it anyway. Do it afraid.
You don’t have to be fearless. God rewards our faith in Him, not perfection.
Finally, I never know when my hostas are going to appear. Some years I find them in February. Other years not until May. I never know when they will break through. We don’t know when our big break will come either. Yet, I am always expecting them to appear. I dare you to expect God to do the miraculous with you and through you.
Break out of what was and step into what can be.
Life is waiting. Time will not.
“A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;” Ecclesiastes 3:3 NKJV