How To Deal With Delays, Stagnation and Denial

I am certain that we have all experienced some sort of delay in our lives at one point or the other. There may be times that you feel stagnated, somewhat choked – you go around in circles as if nothing is happening for you or it is one step forward today and ten steps backward tomorrow.

In those moments, you do tend to feel cheated or denied, especially when you see your peers successfully moving ahead in life.

What about me God? Have you forgotten about me? These are all questions that you ask yourself whether in silence or openly speaking into the ears of God with the hope that having gotten His attention, He will remove the delay and get into action to address your situation.

It is no wonder then that the Psalmist David cried out to God, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

But the truth be told, if you are truly living a life of faith, wholly and solely depending upon God, you will experience delay in your life. Not everything will happen in your time frame.

Another truth that we must be willing to accept is that not all delay, stagnation or denial comes from God. In fact, these are programmed, incubated, and hatched out of the kingdom of darkness by the devil and his satanic agents [demons] that once a person’s life comes under that type of attack, it will lead to discouragement, apostasy and ultimately backsliding.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood [not those we see with our natural eyes] but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]

It is clear then that most delays are satanic and delays can lead to denial and stagnation. This is the conflict that believers face on a daily basis. These are attacks on the lives of God’s people intended to hinder your progress, to bring frustration and to  stop you from manifesting the plans of God for your lives and even the blessings that He intends for you.

Knowing The Difference Between Divine Versus Satanic Delays

There are times that God Himself will cause a divine delay in His plans for your life. He does that for His own purpose where you go through a process of pruning, after that comes growth and development.

Case in point. I recall in my early years right after I first surrendered my life to God and accepted His Son Jesus Christ into my heart as Lord and Savior, I had a habit of wanting everything to happen in my life or with my plans with lightning speed, and I carried around an attitude of ‘it’s my way or the highway.’

Can you relate to that? Am I the only one here who has always wanted things their way? Okay great, I see your hands up. 🙂

To help me overcome that bad habit, and not to be conformed anymore with the ways of the world, I had to go through a very painful pruning process so that my ways, my thoughts and my attitude could now be in alignment with that of God. That process of transformation not only caused a divine delay in the plans of God for my life but it also delayed my blessings.

Now that was clearly God taking me through a process. He was working patience out in me and bringing it to a place of perfection in order for my timing to be more synchronized with His.

“But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” [James 1:4]

Whenever it is God’s divine delay, you go through a process of pruning, growth, development, maturity after that comes manifestation of His plans, blessings and favor in your life.

In this segment it is understood that one reason God causes divine delays [such as was my experience] it is because His ways are not our ways.  [Isaiah 5:8-9] Additionally, divine delay comes so you can begin to demonstrate your faith in God and build spiritual muscles. [Galatians 6:9] He delays so that He can bless your patience [Hebrews 6:10] and that whatever situation you are faced with, He alone is glorified in the end. [John: 11:4]

Now it is completely different when there is stagnation and delay that is demonic. This is when you have done all that you can and you still cannot seem to get a breakthrough. Your life goes helter-skelter! Your life is constantly on a roller coaster. At the very beginning of this article, I made mention of going around in circles and that your breakthroughs are short-lived.

You become discouraged to the point where you feel like giving up. You feel the frustration everyday because somewhere in your heart, you know that is not how your life is supposed to be. You received prophecies after prophecies and nothing seem to manifest. Your life is stagnated.