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Vision In The Valley
Finding inspiration, even in the low valleys of your journey and appreciating that the Lord speaks to us wherever we are. You are at the foundation of your next victory, your next peak...and the only place to look is UP!
Vision In The Valley
Season 5 It's Time: Recognizing and Embracing Life's Shifts
Have you ever felt like you're stuck in pause mode, questioning if the timing is right to make a significant change? After a nine-month break from the podcast, I return to share the rollercoaster journey of leaving a long-term position only to find unexpected blessings and opportunities that seemed to come out of nowhere. This episode, "Vision in the Valley," dives into the profound realization that God's timing is perfect, even when it doesn't align with our own plans. We'll discuss how intense spiritual warfare can be a sign of impending breakthroughs and why it's crucial to recognize and embrace the shifts God orchestrates in our lives.
Life's unpredictable nature often mirrors the chaos of air travel. One moment you're ready to board, and the next, your flight is delayed or your gate is changed. Similarly, our spiritual journeys require us to stay adaptable and aware. We explore how elevation in life comes with inevitable changes, teaching us patience, focus, and the importance of being present. Through three key lessons, we uncover that God embodies time, staying focused amidst noise is essential, and recognizing our arrival at new phases in life is crucial. Tune in to learn how to navigate these transitions effectively and seize the divine opportunities laid out for you.
Welcome back to Vision in the Valley. So this season was dedicated to time. I'd given you a heads up early in the season that I felt the topics may be a little bit heavy, and I wasn't afraid of the heavy, but I was concerned that I'd be able to convey it in a meaningful way. It's actually kind of funny and I love God's intentionality. This is the longest period of time between releasing new episodes. In fact, it's been nine months since I recorded the first episode of season five. It's all about his perfect timing, even when it doesn't feel like it.
Speaker 1:So what happened? Well, I spent a great deal of time concerned about how to share everything that was happening to me during this period. I wanted to connect the dots back to my journey so that new listeners and old listeners could see the beauty in God's plan on my life, and I wanted listeners to know that he is no respective persons, and if he was doing it for me, he could also do the same for you. And as I began to jot down the timeline, I became even more overwhelmed. Right, I become so wrapped up in detailing the things that were happening to me that I wasn't experiencing what was happening. I wanted new listeners to know that these blessings that I was going to speak about didn't come overnight. And even though looking from the outside or, as I should say, listening from the outside it would seem like it, that was not the case. I had so much to thank God for and in my head it started to seem like bragging, and I definitely didn't want that to be the case. I didn't want it to sound like that. That concerned me, so I struggled to tell my story in this season. So here's a quick overview. If you've been keeping up with me, you know that I felt in my spirit that my season was over at the last company and I'd been there for seven years. But toward the end, I was offered a few options in the form of promotions.
Speaker 1:Toward the end, I was offered a few options in the form of promotions. I ended up selecting one position and although it came with a slight pay cut, it was still the right decision, and the Lord blessed me with repeated confirmations about this. So in fact, I was in this role for 90 days when another opportunity was offered from the outside of the organization. Now Pastor Hannah tells us to put our names out there in the atmosphere, and here was yet another example of being contacted for an opportunity that I had never considered or even applied for. This is amazing, right? This is like. This is what happens when you follow, you know the good shepherds and put your name out there in the atmosphere.
Speaker 1:So, 90 days after joining the new organization, another opportunity presented itself. The short of it is that I became the director of a department that needed a lot of support and a lot of strategy. The team is solid and they're great people and they're kind people, but there is a lot of work to be done. So I'm not going to mention the warfare that went along with the entire journey, especially, or specifically, the first 90 days. I won't mention it because we understand that with increased favor that kind of favor that levels mountains and raises valleys, that kind of favor we will also have tests and warfare, and all of that's going to be on an increased level too.
Speaker 1:The fact is that the Lord was giving me the very thing I've been praying about while at another company. If you recall, I mentioned this several times earlier in the podcast. Go back and listen to, I think, seasons one and two especially you'll hear me talking about what I believe that the Lord was going to do for me in terms of the directorship, and I initially felt that I'd wasted time because, if you again remember the details of earlier episodes, I had to start my life all over again, so to speak, and it was taking too long to just get to the same level. I left off from before right level. I left off from before right. I eventually realized that God is time and we have to understand that his timing is perfect. And so what didn't happen for me in seven years in one company happened for me in four months in another.
Speaker 1:I love how pastor reminds us that where there is a need, there is a need for you, and this was absolutely the case. This sudden and immediate need was what propelled me into my new opportunity. So he's made up for my lost time, if you will. He's given me territory and authority, and although I praise his name and gave God glory for allowing me to witness this, I failed to experience it. Giving God the praise is the easy part for me. I can do that in my sleep. In fact, I do do that in my sleep, in my dreams, right? I know that anything good that comes out of me comes from the Lord.
Speaker 1:What I found not so easy was receiving the shift. Now, this is where Pastor Glenn would say lean in. So I'm going to say lean in, right. I allowed the warfare to drain me, to wear me out, and because I kept praise on my lips, I thought it was enough. The truth was that I did witness my progress, but I wasn't experiencing the shift.
Speaker 1:In my position. The background noise was loud and it was strong, and I was allowing the background to take center stage. You see, I had shifted. I was no longer shifting. I'd shifted. The shift that I've been praying about was happening, it had happened and I wasn't experiencing it. It matters that we realize where we are in our seasons, where we are in time. My serve had to change because my assignment had changed. In Daniel 2.21, it reminds us that God changes the seasons. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning, and I had been praying for discernment. And once I realized that I'd shifted, I no longer needed to be timid with this new role. He'd allowed me many lessons in my last work environment. In fact, all of my previous roles prepared me for this. All that I needed he had already downloaded in me.
Speaker 1:It was time to move in authority and in power, regardless of the opinion of others. It was time to enact the change in the system that I've been talking about, the change the system needed, and it was time to implement all the ideas that I kept insisting would work. I was now in a position to do just that, but it took me a while to adjust to the shift. I was still talking about what could be done right, what should be done, and now I had the power to implement those changes. But I wasn't experiencing it yet.
Speaker 1:The shift was seismic and it was sudden. The background noise was loud and strong and I nearly missed experiencing my elevation. So I knew better, because I know that distractions come in many forms. I know that when you sit in a seat of expectation, like I do and like you do, and if you believe God, you also need to be ready for that sudden and seismic shift. That just goes hand in hand.
Speaker 1:And when I thought about it, even the chaos surrounding what was happening, this blessing that was happening, it was also familiar to me. What was happening, this blessing that was happening, it was also familiar to me. I realized that every time the Lord shifted me, so came a test. So came naysayers, basically, so came a testimony. I should not have allowed the background noise to deplete me. This was familiar territory and I should have known what I needed to do during this time.
Speaker 1:That made me think about the tribe of Issachar. First Chronicles 12, 32 says the sons of Issachar had an understanding of times to know what Israel ought to do. Knowing where you are, knowing the season that you're in, the assignment you've been given, all matter, knowing this tells you what you ought to do. Different assignments, different times and seasons all require different actions. I was familiar with promotions, as you've heard me share, and I was even familiar with God's favor. What I was not familiar with was the aggressiveness of the warfare. It was just unbelievable and again it depleted me. But that alone should have told me something was happening. That alone should have told me something major was occurring. But instead of using it as a context or navigational clue, I let it distract me and overwhelm me. I was sensitive to the spirit and I knew that I needed a retreat some time away. And I knew that I needed to pray and meditate and just unpack all of what was happening. And I knew that I needed to pray and meditate and just unpack all of what was happening, and I knew I had to do this alone.
Speaker 1:So my youngest son, jason, who we've heard a lot about, he planned a beautiful trip for me to Puerto Vallarta and he selected an all-inclusive resort that offered every amenity one could ask for. He even selected Jason Jason approved excursions. Those are excursions that he deemed safe for me, like whale watching, right. He booked the flights and the initial service from the airport in Mexico to the resort. He actually put a lot of planning into it because, first of all, that's just the kind of guy he is. And then, second of all, he wanted me to experience some real R&R and I had an amazing time. And although Jason did all of that planning, I still had to be responsible for my portion. I had to be present, I had to experience my trip.
Speaker 1:So let me just talk about the flights. Flights in general require much of our attention, right? There's always something going on around us in the airport, some type of announcement, and, depending on where you are or where you're going, you'll hear the same message in multiple languages. If you're a people watcher like me, you're satisfied just looking at the sites, right? My departure flight from Chicago was reportedly delayed by a few hours, so I decided to grab something to eat in the interim. I had just made myself comfortable and suddenly felt a push to get up and go back to my gate, and once I arrived I noticed that none of the familiar faces that I'd seen earlier were there. The flight had not only been moved to another gate, but also moved closer to the original time it was intended to depart. I'd not been gone more than 15 minutes. I would have missed boarding had I not given in to the spirit moving me with such urgency. So on my way back from Mexico, I was again told that my flight would be delayed, and this time it was for four hours. This wasn't just happening to me, it was happening to everyone on those particular flights, but more importantly, it was happening, or it happens, to all those that travel via airlines.
Speaker 1:Part of the freedom in flying and arriving in hours instead of days right is understanding that things change. Sometimes we know the reason for the change, but often we do not. We learn early on to pay attention to our surroundings, listen to the announcements, even if the first message was not clear or not in our native tongue. We also pay attention to the clues on the information board, and that only tells us part of the story. So how can we accept these challenges and these last minute pivots without reason or discussion? And yet we continue to fly. We usually plan our next trip before we even make it home.
Speaker 1:Or is that just me? It's because we understand that with elevation and with access comes pivots and shifts. That's strong. I'm going to repeat that part. We realize that with elevation and access comes pivots and shifts. We have to be in tune with all that's happening around us. We have to be ready to adjust whenever necessary and, most importantly, we must be patient, because where we're headed is worth the wait. We must be patient because where we're headed is worth the wait. There will always be distractions and background noise right before an elevation. At least that's what I've experienced in my life, some of which may not actually feel like a distraction.
Speaker 1:Like me and my people watching, a seasoned traveler is someone who is able to tune out all the private and the not so private conversations that are happening all around them and lean into the announcement that relates to them. We lean into what's being said over the overhead and if it doesn't relate to us, we just keep it moving. If it does, we follow instructions accordingly right. So is the same need for our spiritual awareness. We reserve flights, book hotel accommodations and we pack. These are all activities we complete in preparation for the trip. This is all occurring before we arrive at our destinations, right? But then we do the thing we need to do once you arrive, regardless of whether it's a meeting or if it's what I needed to rest.
Speaker 1:You have to experience a trip. It's important that you do that thing. That's what the preparation was all about in the first place. Right, listen to the cues and respond to your internal GPS. When God is telling you to change gates or that your flights have been moved or delayed, be okay with that and when you've arrived, know it. Be present for the experience. Our God is perfect and he is sovereign and he knows the flight plans and has afforded every moment that you were delayed. He literally makes up for what we thought was lost time. You must be sensitive to the time and be wise enough to know what you ought to do. If you've shifted experience the shift, lead your team. Do the thing you've been waiting and praying to do. If you're like me in this season, I'd shift it into my next.
Speaker 1:However, I wasn't even aware I didn't receive it, or experience it, at least not right away. It was as if I had gone to the airport with all that I needed for my destination right, with all that I needed for my destination right. Yet when my gate was changed, I just sat there waiting for a chance to fly, waiting for my opportunity to board, but never listening keen enough to the announcements or, better yet, listening to details about every other flight except for mine. I mean, how ridiculous is that right? So your packing is complete. You have everything you need for the journey. You've arrived at the airport. Don't get stuck listening and responding to information unrelated to your destination. That message is for someone else. It's a distraction for you, though. You stay focused and check your information board. So that's, that's my story. That's a lot. Right Now you know why it took me nine months to deliver the whole season, and no pun intended there. This was a delivery right.
Speaker 1:I want to be more like the men of Issachar. I want to recognize what's happening around me, to me and through me. I want God to use me to speak a new dialogue about the same solid word. I want to help connect the dots of everyday living back to the word of God. That's really what the alignment period brand is all about. That you hear me talking about from time to time connecting the dots between the word of God in our everyday life.
Speaker 1:So that was a lot, but I want to leave you with three takeaways. The first one is know that God is able and that he is time. He is time, and if you believe that he is time, you know that there is no such thing as lost time. Right, because God cannot be lost, so he's afforded for every delay. The second one is do your part and keep up with your takeoffs. Don't let background noise confuse you or deplete you, but instead use it as transitional or navigational clues. Be sensitive in the spirit and call a distraction by its name. The third takeaway is just finally realize when you arrived and be present. Experience your trip, your promotion, your shift, trip, your promotion, your shift. Acknowledge your arrival and enjoy the experience, because that's testimony for a new quote, unquote unseasoned traveler it's time, it's time, and if you haven't boarded yet, be patient and listen, but don't become distracted by the background noise. You'll hear your announcement soon. So I'm thanking God for his perfect timing in our takeoffs, in our landings, and I can't wait to talk with you soon.