It's On the Way

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Your Answer Is On the Way

It’s easy to fall prey to discouragement when the answer to your prayer seems to be delayed. I understand. I have been in that place many times, and I want to encourage you with four powerful words: It’s on the way! Whatever you are praying about today, whatever your dream is, or whatever promise God has placed in your heart, don’t give up because your answer is on the way.

The verse above in Habakkuk 2 lets us know that the things we envision for our lives are for an appointed time, and though they tarry or seem delayed, we must wait for them, because they will surely come. Your dream has an appointed time. The promise has an appointed time. The answer to your prayer has an appointed time. And we are to wait on God’s timing to see them fulfilled. The New Living Translation says, “If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed” (Hab. 2:3).

But waiting can be hard. It’s in the waiting that we begin to doubt ourselves. We begin to doubt whether God gave us the dream. We wonder if we are really supposed to be praying for what we’ve been praying for. Then we begin to doubt God and wonder if the promise will ever come to pass. But God is saying, “If you wait, victory will surely come.”

Of course, there are times when God performs instantaneous miracles, but usually it is after waiting on the promise that God suddenly breaks through. So we must learn to wait properly, wait in faith, and wait patiently. Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that there is strength for us even in waiting: “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in him] will gain new strength and renew their power” (AMP).

Victory Is in Your DNA

There is another scripture that has breathed hope into my life every time I was tempted to give up. It’s Proverbs 2:7–8, which says, “God holds victory in store for the upright. He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.”

Whenever I think about this scripture, I imagine God in heaven holding his hands as if he has something in them, saying, “Son, daughter, I’m holding victory for you. I’m guarding your life. I’m protecting you. Even though you may not see me, I am. Even though you may not feel me, I am holding victory in store for you. It is my plan for you, and it belongs to you even now. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t worry.”

God has actually wired you for victory. He has not wired you for defeat or hopelessness.

Consider God’s promises to you personally:

God always leads us to triumph when we put our faith and trust in him. He is the one who brings victory out of the ashes of your life. He has stored up goodness for you. There is no doubt that we will face adversity, opposition, and persecution, but you can always expect victory in your life because it’s your spiritual inheritance, your God-given DNA.

My challenge to you is this: Always plan on victory in your life no matter what you are going through today. Take defeat off of your mind and out of your thoughts. Too many times we plan on defeat when God has promised us victory. When you plan on victory, you will receive it. Proverbs 23:7 teaches us, “As a [man] thinks in his heart, so is he” (NKJV). In other words, whatever you believe in your heart and mind, you will become. Therefore, set your faith for victory, and plan on winning the battle you are in. Plan on your dreams coming to pass, plan on God fulfilling his promises in your life, and plan on God’s faithfulness because he can be trusted!

I believe that, as you embrace this challenge, the tide of the battle is going to turn for you, starting today. Your answer is on the way! Don’t give up. Instead, rise up with a spirit of faith, an attitude of expectation, and a determination to trust the faithfulness of God.

Your Prayers Are Heard

When you do finally receive an answer or a breakthrough—and you will—I want you to know that is not when God started working on your behalf. He began working the day you prayed. He is working on your child who is away from God. He is sending laborers into their pathway. He is dealing with their heart. He is working on that legal situation. He is delivering the desires of your heart.

The very moment you prayed, God heard you and heaven began to work on your behalf. One of my favorite people in the Bible is Daniel in the Old Testament. He was a godly man who had a spirit of excellence. Once he was thrown into a den of lions because he prayed to God when the king had forbidden it. God actually closed the mouths of the lions and Daniel escaped unharmed. Talk about a divine reversal! The king made a decree that everyone in his kingdom must honor Daniel’s God! Daniel became a well-respected prophet and wrote one of the books of the Bible.

One day Daniel was reading the words of the prophet Jeremiah when hope came into his heart as he discovered a promise that God had given for his people. He began to pray that God would fulfill his promise to the Jewish nation. Daniel 10:12 says that the first day Daniel prayed, God heard his prayer and dispatched the answer with the angel Gabriel. But Daniel didn’t receive the answer immediately. In fact, three weeks later an angel appeared to him in a vision and said, “Daniel, you are greatly beloved… don’t be afraid. Since the first day you set your mind to humble yourself and seek God, your words were heard and I have come in response to your prayers” (vv. 11–12). It is very interesting what the angel told Daniel next. Gabriel explained that for twenty-one days he faced opposition in the spirit realm. So much so that he had to get help from the angel, Michael, and together they fought off the enemies of darkness (v. 13).

You must realize that there are spiritual forces of darkness that will try to oppose, hinder, and pressure you to give up on the promises of God. In this time between the promise and its fulfillment, you must trust that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf, refuse to give up, and keep planning for victory.

You Are Greatly Loved

The angel spoke words over Daniel that show us how God views each one of his children. He said, “Daniel, you are highly esteemed and greatly loved.” This is how your heavenly Father sees you. You are the apple of his eye and no one can snatch you out of his hand. God cares deeply about you and knows every detail of your life. Many times, we think that the delay of the dream or the answer to our prayers is God’s denial or lack of attention, but you must hold on to this eternal truth: God highly esteems and cares for you.

What the angel said next thrills me: “Peace, be strong now. Be strong.” Sometimes we are at home thinking, God, where are you? Why aren’t you answering my prayers? When, in fact, God is working on our behalf and speaking peace over our lives. In this passage of Scripture, it’s as if God pulled back the veil to the spirit world and gave us a glimpse from his perspective. We may not know exactly what is happening behind the scenes, but from Daniel’s story, here’s what we do know:

God and the host of heaven are always working on your behalf. Scripture tells us that the Lord is watching over your life and he never slumbers or sleeps (Ps. 121:4). This means that while you are sleeping, he is working.

Of course we will feel discouraged or weary at times, but I want to encourage you to not overthink the situation on those days. In fact, go to bed and get a good night’s rest because God promises to sustain you. When you feel stressed and the pressure to give up becomes so strong, just get it out. Voice your concerns to the Lord. Sometimes in the midst of the hardest seasons, I’ve said, “God, I am frustrated and stressed! I feel like giving up, but I’m not going to. Instead, I will continue to trust you!” And then I eat some chocolate because it makes me feel so much better! Somehow chocolate ministers to my emotions. I think God made chocolate for times of stress!

But truly it is just as Psalm 55:22 says: “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (NLT). In that moment of honesty and surrender to God, he will speak peace over you. He is singing songs of deliverance over you. Then when you awake, God’s mercies will be new to you that morning. His grace is sufficient for you today, tomorrow, and the next day. You will find that God is faithful, and you will be okay.

A Host of Angels

There’s another part to your persisting in prayer and waiting that I want to bring out. Here’s how the angel that appeared to Daniel is described: “His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people” (Dan. 10:6). These same magnificent angelic beings are watching over you. They are ministering spirits sent to serve you (Heb. 1:14), and like the angels ministered to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane—at his lowest point—angels are ministering to you and working on your behalf. (See Luke 22:43.)

Powerful things happen in the spirit realm when you pray. You set miracles in motion. All of heaven begins to move on your behalf. When you pray, angels are dispatched and your answer is released. Because God watches over his Word, he also commands his angels to war until his promises are fulfilled. Just as Gabriel called for backup and brought Michael in to fight off the forces of evil set against Daniel’s prayer, so it is that angels assigned to you will not relent and will overpower the opposition to get you to victory.

God is fighting for you in the spirit realm. He is pushing back the darkness. He is defeating your enemies. All around you are angels, ministering spirits, whom God has assigned to you. You may not be able to see them, but you must trust God.

Angels are so real. We must be aware of the fact that we’re not alone. Not only are God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit with us, but we also have a host of angels accompanying us. The Bible indicates that a third of the angels fell to the earth and followed Satan (Rev. 12:4). This means two-thirds are still in heaven and on earth working on our behalf. As the Scripture proclaims, “Those who are for us are more than those against us” (2 Kings 6:16).

Joyce Meyer once told a story about a woman who had brought her reluctant husband with her to one of Joyce’s meetings. He did not want to be there and was not enjoying himself, so he sat there through worship like a bump on a log. When Joyce finally came up and began to speak, he panicked and said, “Who are all those men with Joyce?” His wife looked up at the stage and then back at her husband and said, “There are no men with Joyce.” He said, “Yes, there are. They’re all standing around her in a semicircle. And when she opened her Bible, they all pulled out their swords and lifted them up.”

This man was seeing the angels of God encamped around Joyce. God had caused him to see into the spirit realm. Did he ever become a believer that day!

There’s a similar story in 2 Kings 16, where the prophet Elisha was being pursued by a mighty army. Elisha’s servant was afraid, but the Bible says, “Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” Unseen to natural eyes, those fiery angelic spirits delivered victory to Elisha that day, and they are warring for your victory today. Psalm 103:20 tells us that angels excel in strength as they hasten to fulfill God’s Word.

Plan on Victory

I can’t tell you how many times in my life all of these scriptures that I’ve shared with you have greatly encouraged me as I walked through my own challenges. I’ve seen the faithfulness of God in my life time and time again. I was born with a severe birth defect, and the doctors told my parents I would never walk or talk. I had absolutely no muscle tone in my body, could not move my neck or limbs, and had no sucking reflexes, which meant I could hardly eat. What I had was similar to cerebral palsy. I’m beyond grateful that my parents did not give up on me or the promises of God. Instead, they turned to the Bible, had faith that God heals today just as he did in Bible times, and prayed for me. God completely healed me before I was one year old.

You may have heard about another time later in my life when my faith was put to the ultimate test. In 1990, a package was sent to my father at Lakewood Church. It was my job to open my parents’ mail at the time. When I picked up this particular package, I did not know that I was about to open a pipe bomb filled with shrapnel and ten-inch nails. When I lifted the last piece of tape on the flap of the box, it exploded. I heard a deafening boom and, through my shock, I thought I was dying. But I came to my senses and realized that not only had I survived, but that I also only had minor injuries compared to what could have happened to me. I could have died, but God protected me. His angels were surrounding me that day. I often say jokingly that Satan tried to kill me with a bomb, but now I am the bomb!

When I was in my early twenties, God proved himself faithful yet again when I went through an unwanted divorce. Everything in me told me to give up. I was depressed and hurt, and even thought my dream to be in ministry was over. I felt disqualified. It seemed like I was drowning in shame and hurt, but I pressed through the discouragement and refused to give up, and God restored my life and purpose. With time and healing, I met the love of my life, Kevin, whom I’ve been married to for over thirty years as of the writing of this book. (You can read these stories and more in detail in my book You Are Made for More!)

After God healed my heart and Kevin and I settled into our life, we began to try to have children. We weren’t having success on our own, so we sought the help of fertility doctors. For several years we went through infertility treatments and I had two surgeries before our doctor told us he couldn’t help us anymore. It was a very difficult time, but the first thing Kevin said to me was, “Our hope has always been in God and not man!”

So what did Kevin and I do next? We planned on having children anyway. We took hold of God’s promises and began to pray and declare what he said about us in the Bible: “God makes the barren woman keep house and to be a happy mother of children” (Ps. 113:9). Our declaration was, “Children are a reward from God and our children will be mighty in the land” (Ps. 127:3; 112:2).

When we bought our first house, we made sure we had a couple of extra bedrooms for the children we were going to have. We bought a piano because we believed that one day one of our children would play the piano. One time, we received a sample package of diapers in the mail. It had two diapers in it, and Kevin brought it to me and said, “Look what came in the mail—two diapers! We are going to have twins!”

After eight years of believing and not giving up, God blessed us with twin girls and a son at the appointed time. We adopted our children from Mercy Multiplied, an amazing ministry led by our dear friend Nancy Alcorn that helps unwed mothers and girls who are struggling with challenges. We didn’t even have to apply for adoption. God supernaturally brought them into our lives. It was such a miracle!

During those eight years, when we could not see it, God had a plan and he was working on our behalf. He was working behind the scenes, bringing us the children he ordained for us to have. And I am so glad I didn’t have to go through nine months of pregnancy, then the labor and delivery! I got my children, and I got to keep my shape!

Kevin and I still have that package of diapers today. It’s a reminder of the faithfulness of God. And our daughter Catherine plays the piano.

Throughout my life—through fear, heartbreak, betrayal, and infertility—God has been faithful to his Word. As I walk with the Lord, more and more, I am learning how to take hold of God’s promises found in his Word. I am learning to take them as truth beyond the reality I see with my physical eyes or feel with my emotions. I am learning, day by day, the importance of praying and declaring the truth of God’s Word. Speaking God’s Word rather than rehearsing our hardships magnifies God over any of the challenges we face.

You Will Never Make It Talking Like That

I remember a time, twenty-nine years ago, when Kevin and I went on a mission trip to India with my dad, my brother Joel, and his wife Victoria. Though I was excited about going, this trip proved to me that I was still learning the power of my words.

My father had made many trips to India, and his ministry work there had greatly impacted the country. I was thrilled to be a part of this endeavor. Our objective for this trip was to speak to hundreds of leaders and pastors who had gathered from all over India, but somehow along the way the vision for the trip grew a little blurry for me.

In order to get to the place where we would speak to the leaders, we had to ride in a bumpy van for three hours. It was so hot and dusty. I was just ready to get to the hotel and get cleaned up and settled.

We were planning to stay in what they called a government hotel. It sounded so official and nice, but when we arrived in this remote village, I knew things were not going to be quite what we thought. The so-called hotel was basically concrete walls and two old twin beds. The ripped mattresses were one inch thick and filthy. There were lizards and roaches crawling around, and the bathroom was so dirty that I didn’t take a shower for the five days we were there because I felt like I was cleaner than the bathroom. One night we came back to our room and there were roaches all over our bed!

There was one bright side in all of this. I had spotted the cutest monkeys in the trees and that made me happy. I’ve always loved monkeys and even wanted one as a little girl. But as soon as I said something about the cute monkeys, the host said, “Beware of the monkeys. They are dangerous!” Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.

Now, listen, I am a city girl. Just give me a nice hotel, and I’m good. But God knew what he was doing.

I loved teaching the people during the day but dreaded going back to the room because I could not sleep at all. I kept saying to Kevin, “This is awful! I can’t sleep here! I don’t think I can make it for five days!”

After two days of complaining, Kevin said to me, “Lisa, you need to quit complaining and change what you are saying. You’ll never make it talking like that.”

Well, it made me mad, but I knew he was right. So I decided that, every time I thought about quitting, I would say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I can do this! I am on a mission from God!”

Check Your Words

The Book of Proverbs teaches us that death and life are in the power of your tongue and what you say matters (Prov. 18:21). Our words have power. We can talk ourselves out of something or talk ourselves into something. We can talk ourselves out of victory or talk ourselves into victory. You—not anyone else—have the power to set the tone and atmosphere of your life with your own words. You have to think about what you are saying because many times our words are draining us and working against us.

During those first two days in India, I kept saying, “I can’t do this. I can’t make it,” but Kevin reminded me that I had to take the emphasis off of me and put it on God. Often, we measure ourselves against the problem, but the battle belongs to the Lord (2 Chron. 20:15) and nothing is too difficult for him (Jer. 32:27).

I changed what I was saying, and I was able to sleep better that night. The next night, I had such peace and slept like a baby.

On the last night of our trip, I woke up slightly because I felt the bed shaking, but then I quickly went back to sleep. Soon, Kevin woke me up a little panicked and said, “Lisa, do you feel that? I think it’s an earthquake!”

I surprised myself when I said to Kevin, “I think you’re right,” and I turned over and went back to sleep.

I will mention that Kevin stayed up worrying. I told him the next morning he needed to quit complaining and trust God! We learned there had been an earthquake many miles away and we were feeling the tremors, but I had entered into a supernatural peace that only God can give, and I was unafraid and had no desire to give up anymore.

Don’t Dwell on the Circumstances

If you feel like you want to give up all the time, you may be focusing on the circumstances. The Bible teaches us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2). It’s necessary to receive prayer and talk things out with someone you trust, but if you find yourself rehearsing the situation over and over, you will become discouraged.

There comes a time when you must start rehearsing the Word of God, dwelling on what God says, and prophesying your own future by declaring God’s Word. What I learned from my trip to India was that I had to change the way I was thinking and talking. I needed to get into agreement with God’s Word and allow him to sustain me. I learned that I couldn’t speak defeat and expect to get victory. My negative words were discouraging me and making things worse. I also learned that I had more in me than I realized. And so do you.

When you feel like giving up, remember you have supernatural reinforcements. God’s grace and strength are available to you. God will give you supernatural peace that passes all understanding. It’s a peace that only God can give.