Positioning Yourself to be Ready
Back in August I had a phone chat with guitarist, Phil Joel. He used to be the bassist for the Christian rock group, Newsboys. We were talking about being ready, being positioned in such a way that God can use us at any time. My convo with Phil and this specific topic specifically has been on my mind, and I want to share a few thoughts that may be a blessing to you this year.
Phil bought up Nehemiah as an example. Nehemiah is my man. He shared how the Newsboys had started in New Zealand and he joined the band in 1994. He knew he was ready for what God was calling him to do next. He didn’t know what it would be, but it pushed him to ready himself, it motivated himself to get things sorted out, like getting rid of things he didn’t need- selling things, saving, getting money together. He even went so far to get a Passport and a 6-month visa to the U.S., but he had no idea that the Newsboys was going to call him and ask him to go to the US and join them there.
“I just took these different steps to prepare and be ready, and I was. And when the time was right, off I went!”
Listen to a few minutes of what Phil had to say about being ready:
Nehemiah is a book about many things- leadership, grit, and being unwavering in the midst of challenge from people. But, it’s also a book about being ready, it’s about dreaming, seeing the need, gathering information, casting vision for others and creating whatever it is God is asking us to create- building alongside others whatever God is asking you to build- Phil pointed out. And that means being ready, getting yourself in position to move when the time is right.
Twice, God has taken me back to Washington, DC for short stints, the first time it was in 2012 for almost 2 years when I became born again, and the second time was in 2016 for 7 months to face one for the biggest work challenges of my life so far. Both times I knew that He was going to uproot me out of the US when my time was up so I wasn’t to buy a house, a car, or too many things that would tie me down. I needed to be ready to go with my suitcase with little notice. So, I positioned myself to be ready to be used by God.
Are you positioning yourself in life to be ready to be used by God? As I wrote in the first Friday Post of this year when it comes to calling: “God is always working and at various times He is doing something new, changing our “calling.” So, if you’re learning or mastering a new skill or talent, be flexible as you ready yourself with that new knowledge because God can use you in another season of your life.