Waiting Season

I came across a sermon on YouTube from ONE | A Potter’s House Church Channel, I did not regret clicking on it to watch. During my downtime at work, I try to make the best of each minute, second, and hour. I am usually on YouTube watching a video, surfing the web, creating, or whatever else comes to mind at the time. Whenever I’m watching a sermon, I like to take notes that I can look back on. This particular sermon really spoke to my heart and is one that I needed to hear. Whenever I watch a sermon that speaks to my heart I'll share it with others but sometimes I feel the message may not be for everyone so I won’t share it. This sermon is titled “While I’m Waiting” by Pastor Stephanie Ike.

The title itself was the reason why I decided to watch the sermon because I feel like I have been stuck in this “waiting” season for quite a while now or so it seems. Normally I don’t enjoy watching lengthy videos but when it comes to the word of God, I find the patience to listen attentively and make note of what stands out to me during the sermon. What I’m sharing with you are pointers from the sermon that Pastor Stephanie talked about and what stood out to me.

Here is what I took away from the sermon (it’s quite a lot) :

Pastor Stephanie Ike begins by telling us about a phrase that has been placed on her heart that is, Embracing the Shift. There are three of them:

1. Shift in Authority

   1. Rising of the underdogs

   2. Shifting people into new positions

2. Shift in Ownership

   1. Taking responsibility

3. Shift in Identity

   1. Embracing what God says about us

My key notes from this sermon

• Embracing the shift starts as an internal process.

  • God begins to do the work within us before we experience it externally.

• When we recognize and understand the purpose of the shift then we can partner with God in it.

• In the waiting season God does three things:

  • Prunes us (John 15:2): She explains it as God removing the broken, the damaged and dead branches away from our life, the things that we have no business holding on to.

  • Prepares us (Hebrews 11:7): God prepares us by giving us a vision

  • Position us (John 15:5)

• The waiting season is a time when we come into alignment for God to prepare us for what has already been established.

• In the waiting season, God gives you vision.

  • Whatever vision God has given you, start building during the waiting season.

• What God is saying to you during the waiting season.

  • Remain in me.

  • Learn about me.

• What to do during the waiting.

  • Submit to the process.

  • Submit to God's pruning, preparing and positioning you.

  • Let God do what he has intended to do with you.

• The waiting season is a sign of God’s love.

• Waiting seasons are markers of turning points in our lives.

• Be intentional about cultivating your faith, you cannot grow in Christ accidentally, you have to be intentional about it.

What really spoke to my heart is when Pastor Stephanie stated, "stop fighting what is for you but embrace it. The more you reject the process, you’re actually pushing out the timeline." I really felt that because I have been rejecting the process by being impatient about the things that I desire in life and how I want to move forward in certain areas of my life. Hearing this sermon is helping me to reflect on my waiting season and how I can continue to do the work while waiting.

You can check out the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HHZaUlPWZc

Here are some guided activity questions you can do relating to this sermon:

1. God, what is the vision of my life at this time?

2. By Faith (insert your name), put whatever it is that God has been putting on your heart to do.

If you do watch it, please share your key takeaways. I’d love to hear!

Be Blessed Sistas