2 Chronicles 15:7 “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Sister listen to me, your journey this year will likely not be an easy one or an instant one. There will be struggles. There will be setbacks. There will be delays. There will come days when you want to sit it out. But you were made for this! Your creator has strengthened you for this journey. All your past struggles have prepared you for the path you walk now. You are well equipped. You are trained. You are ready.

NOW DO NOT GIVE UP. This year if you won’t give up, your work will be rewarded. Remember when you see someone else’s success, you may be witnessing the results of YEARS worth of work being rewarded now. It appears to be overnight success, but it’s what I like to call “overnight success, 8 years in the making.” Christel is a members of our leadership team and she’s preparing to run her first full marathon after losing 150 pounds. It has taken her 9 years. She’s the result of not giving up. Now her work is being rewarded.

Just how bad do you want your change? How bad do you want your breakthrough? Bad enough to work for 8 or 9 years? Bad enough to RELENTLESSLY REFUSE TO GIVE UP THIS TIME? This is exactly what it will require of you.

THE ENEMY WANTS TO DELAY YOU SO YOU LOSE HOPE. Woman, don’t you think Satan himself has been working overtime to delay you? Oh come on … he loves delays, setbacks and roadblocks. He is the master of “nope, not now” and “oh so close.” Why? Because as Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Delays suck. They suck the hope right out of you and leave you sick. Your enemy loves to see you sick. When you start losing hope, he wins. So he throws every wrench he has in his tool box, he throws directly into your plans.

When you’re fat, sick, exhausted, irritable, self-conscious, bitter, depressed and hopeless you are ineffective. And who’s plan for your life is that? NOT GOD’S. So Satan and his demons work overtime to ensure you are delayed. To ensure you are defeated. To ensure the self-talk in your head tells you it will never happen for you.

Every day I personally text all the amazing women I get to mentor. My intention is to remind them of their value, worth and power. To align their thoughts with the truth of who they were created to be, and inspire them to take action so they see their God given power at work in their own life. Yesterday one of these amazing, power house, God-designed, set apart women I get to mentor shared with me it was day 1 of her healthy eating plan for 2019. And at the end of the day she had royally screwed up. Day 1 was a fail. She was naturally disappointed. And she said “Pamela, I just wonder if I’ll ever get it.”

Have you ever felt that way? Wondering if you’ll really ever change your habits? Wondering if it will really ever happen for you? Wondering if you’re really strong enough and good enough to do better for yourself? It’s natural … and understand this is the result of deferred hope. This precious woman was experiencing a sick heart as a result of deferred hope. And this is where the enemy works. He works by getting into your disappointed heart and tells you this is the way it will always be for you. And another little piece of you lets go and gives up.

Listen to me right now you powerhouse of a woman – you perfect and prized possession of the almighty – you have divine appointments for breakthroughs and God-inspired change in your life, in your home and in your family. That is your truth!

And here is your reality: All Hell is coming up against those divine appointments to delay you. Enough delay you might just lose your hope … and here’s the key … then you stop trying.

And THIS is where many of us find ourselves today. We’ve straight up stopped trying. Past delays after genuine effort have stolen our ‘get up and go’. So we lick our wounds and watch as others lose their weight. We see other marriages being saved. We hear of others stepping into jobs they actually WANT to go to. And here we are, completely STUCK. And why even try?

Maybe there was a spirit of delay over your life at one time. Maybe the enemy did have you as his target. But I wonder how many of us are still down NOT as a result of a continual attack … but as a result of NOT TRYING ANY MORE.

Are you now causing the delay yourself? Hitting the snooze button on your hopes, dreams and goals. Delayed action, procrastination, hesitation, continual questioning, and even flat out disobedience. You’re doing the OPPOSITE of what you know you need to do. Ahhh, you can’t blame God’s timing for that one. You cant even blame the devil for that one.

You’ve been knocked down before. Your progress was delayed. BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN IT’S NOT POSSIBLE FOR YOU NOW.

Someone has given up hope and stopped trying because of past disappointment. Someone’s heart is sick over deferred hope. My sister if that is you, GET UP. You are delaying yourself now. God is saying it’s time. The enemy has already counted you out of the game. GET UP.

Stop focusing on how it didn’t work for you last time. Stop focusing on your limitations. Focus on your God who can move mountains and use the strength he has given you to get up.

The enemy may have knocked you down with the disappointment of delay, but you don’t have to stay down. You’re on a long journey, and this journey requires you to keep showing up. This is the journey of a lifetime and I promise it will be worth it. Be strong and don’t give up, your work will be rewarded.