In Jeremiah 1:5-10, we observe a profound dialogue between Jeremiah and God. God reveals to Jeremiah that He knew him before his formation in the womb, and had appointed him as a prophet with a specific purpose even before his birth. Jeremiah, however, expresses self-doubt, highlighting his perceived inadequacies and youth as reasons for his inability to fulfill the divine assignment. He claims he lacks the ability to speak effectively.
A similar exchange occurs between Moses and God when Moses is tasked with liberating the Israelites from Egypt. In Exodus 4, Moses strenuously attempts to evade this assignment, citing his inadequacy and poor speaking skills (echoing Jeremiah’s concerns), and even suggesting God send someone else. God assures Moses He will empower him to speak, yet Moses persists in his refusal. In His mercy, God provides Moses with Aaron as a helper to speak on his behalf.
These two narratives offer several key lessons. Firstly, we are born with a divine assignment for our souls. Secondly, these assignments are impactful, designed to alleviate suffering in some capacity. Thirdly, we will likely feel inadequate for these tasks because they demand we overcome our shortcomings. Finally, God will enable us to execute these assignments by providing the necessary help, demonstrating His willingness to assist us in conquering our weaknesses.
Even when God presented a solution to improve his speech, Moses persisted in complaining rather than embracing the help offered. As a result, Moses did not accept God’s offer to enhance his speaking ability, despite God’s readiness to facilitate it during their conversation. Instead, God provided an alternative: Aaron would speak on Moses’ behalf. I believe this situation with Moses mirrors a common experience for us today. However,I believe that God eventually did help improve Moses’ speech as evident in the speeches Moses delivers to the Israelites later on in the wilderness.
In our contemporary lives, God continues to give us assignments before our birth. Therefore, we should strive to understand what our earthly assignments are from God. Once these assignments are revealed, we will likely feel inadequate and unprepared. However, the revelation of your assignment is a challenge to “level up,” as God designed you to be a conqueror, not a slave. God’s assignment will appeal to the conqueror within you.
It is crucial that when your assignment is revealed, you communicate your perceived inadequacies to God, seeking and accepting His help to strengthen and equip you. Do not repeat Moses’ mistake; do not forfeit an opportunity to be healed, improved, and perfected by God. God will help you grow into the assignment He has for you, which involves strengthening your character and personality, and healing your soul in the process.
Unfortunately, many of us are unaware of our God-given assignments. And for those who are aware, intimidation by the task, a focus on inadequacies, and a belief that they are not good enough often paralyze them. They fail to take the steps God directs, hiding from their destiny due to the fear of failure, effectively communicating to God that someone else, more equipped, should undertake the assignment.
Many individuals age and die without accomplishing their assignments, either due to ignorance of their purpose or because self-doubt and fear of failure prevented them from taking God-ordained steps.
In Moses’ case, God not only assigned him a task but also guided him on what to do and say before Pharaoh. Once God reveals our assignments, He does not intend for us to execute them alone. He accompanies us and remains with us, empowering us to fulfill His commands. Therefore, we have no reason to fear, as He never asks us to do something He has not or cannot equip us for.
The “spirit of delay” manifests in our lives concerning the execution of assignments and the acquisition of gifts necessary for them, and gifts we acquire as a result of them. When we neglect to seek and know our assignments from God, or when we allow ourselves to remain fixated on our shortcomings instead of asking God to equip us, believing ourselves incapable of what we are called to do, we invite the spirit of delay, stagnation, and lack of progress into our lives.
In Matthew 4:18-19, Jesus gave his disciples, two fishermen, a new assignment, to become “fishers of men.” This new calling likely left them feeling unprepared, as it was far removed from their skills in catching fish. However, Jesus didn’t abandon them; He spent three years training them. Moreover, following His resurrection, Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to empower them for this very assignment.
There is no legitimate reason for the spirit of delay to operate in our lives. We must not allow Satan to delay or abort our assignments, either by being too preoccupied with life to inquire about God’s purpose for us, or by allowing self-doubt and fear to rob us of our destiny once God, in His mercy, reveals our assignment.
As God reveals our assignment, we should also ask Him to reveal the things that might invite the spirit of delay and stagnation into our lives. We should ask God not only to show us our assignment but also to expose patterns in our lives that could lead to delay or incapacity in executing it. Once these patterns are revealed, our task is not to conclude we are incapable, but to bring these inadequacies to the Father in prayer, through the Spirit and the blood of Jesus, asking for His help to fix them. We must then remain vigilant, listening for God’s directives and asking for the strength and courage to follow them.
For those already experiencing the spirit of stagnation and delay, feeling that too much time has been lost, I want to assure you that we serve a God who restores. In Joel 2:25, God speaks of restoring the years the locusts have stolen. Unlike us, God is not bound by time. He is capable of restoring lost years by enabling you to achieve far more than you could on your own within a given timeframe. He can introduce divine speed into your journey, helping you catch up on lost time, if you allow Him.
Some believe God’s assignments are exclusively religious. This is not the case. The Kingdom of God is vast, as are its assignments. Consider Joseph in Genesis 41:37-57, who received an assignment to become prime minister of Egypt. God has many assignments for us, not only in ministry but across various industries. We are Kingdom representatives, and in a world shrouded in darkness, our light is needed in all sectors. We need godly doctors, engineers, business people, and more; we need representation. Our purpose is to ease suffering wherever we are assigned, and God should be honored in how we execute our assignments here on Earth.
In conclusion, when we allow God to guide us in discovering and executing our assignments, He helps us address the patterns in our lives that can cause stagnation and delay. In turn, He grants us divine speed, empowering us to reach our destiny powerfully. All the best!.
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