You Are Not Ready Until God Says You Are Ready

Many of us have rushed into purpose or delayed our manifestation in purpose because of what we call readiness. Some think they are not ready for what God has purposed for them while others think they are ready when God has not yet given them approval. This is often influenced by a biased perception of oneself based on worldly standards or criteria.

God does not judge our preparedness by the physical but by His approval. 
Jeremiah was a child when He was called but Joseph was tried till he was thirty before ascending the throne.

““O Sovereign Lord ,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.” — Jeremiah 1:6–7.NLT

Joseph went through rigorous training and trials before he was approved to ascend the throne. It is all about divine timing.

“Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.” — Psalms 105:19.NLT

Samuel was also called as a child while David went through a lot of process before ascending the throne.

The time of your readiness is not when you feel or look ready but the specific hour that God calls and approves you because His calling comes with the power to execute. You might not have been ready yesterday but if God calls you today, you are ready. But don’t be mistaken, the presence of the anointing and talent is not the approval. God’s approval is subject to His timing. Your gift only produces light and pleases the Father when it is backed by His approval. Your gift needs to be refined by God for you to bring glory to the Father.

Esther was nabbed out of her cousin’s care to become the queen in a culture and with a king she was not familiar with. She felt she was not ready to ascend the throne but God chose her as Queen. She felt was not ready to step up for her people but when she submitted to purpose, all things worked for her good.
You may want to wonder why Esther was not confident at the first that God would once again grant her favour before the King despite being a partaker of a great historic miracle of being favoured above more seemingly qualified competitors in a strange land. She still felt she was not ready like many of us today.

A lot of us still believe we are not ready for what God has called us to be or do because we are still holding on to worldly and physical standards of preparedness. When you chose doubt over faith, you begin to feel inferior and act in Cowardice. 
Esther was the best person to be the queen not because of her looks or intelligence but because she was God’s pick. You must understand that you are the best person to execute that assignment because once you are God’s candidate, you automatically have all the backing and resources of heaven you need to do the job. You are not alone.

Most times, God makes use of people that did not seem like the best fit from a physical perspective because He wants to bring us into the spiritual understanding of His capabilities in us and through us.
“It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” — Zechariah 4:6.NLT

Why did Jesus not chose one of the scribes as his disciple. Some of them were ‘illiterate’ fishermen and another was once a tax collector. He uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. How bold of you to think God needs your degree or intellect to accomplish His will through you. God is looking for a ready minds with a teachable spirit, not qualified men. He qualifies who He calls.

“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” — Isaiah 55:9.NLT

Worldly standards do not only blind believers to their endless possibilities in God but also to their shortcomings in purpose. Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Ghost in Jerusalem and they did but what if they had disobeyed and gone for an outreach with the mind that they had been fully discipled for the task ahead of them. 

Jesus knew that their preparation for the battles of today will not be sufficient for what awaited them in the future and that was why He asked them to wait. They needed to renew their strength in the Spirit. Jesus had been caught up and so many of them had gone through so much trial and heart break, they needed the comforter. The fullness of the word without the fullness of the Spirit will be highly insufficient for this new assignment, they needed power.

Do not think you are ready to start a company because you knowledgeable and prominent mentors. Don’t say it is time because you have now bagged an MBA. Don’t think you are ready because you have the passion and funds.
Don’t think you are ready for ministry because you graduated with honours from the school of theology or because you have been discipled by great men of God. This is why we have so many failed destinies, businesses and ministries. The disciples were mentored by the Son of God but when great trial arose, one betrayed Him, Another denied Him and the rest left Him and fled. They even left the work of the kingdom and went back to fishing after Jesus’s death. But these same disciples and Peter who denied Jesus three times proclaimed the Word boldly after receiving the approval of the Spirit.

Moses thought he could deliver his people by his strength and authority but ended up a fugitive after killing an Egyptian. It was his destiny, but he was not ready and it was not yet time. He mistook prophecy for approval. God clearly did not need the throne of Egypt to fulfill his promise to the children of Israel. God granted him royal status to preserve him for his appointed time not as a major factor in destiny but he did not have this understanding at the time. The same way most of us mistake our talents and physical or intellectual advantage for our purpose. They are only a means to an end not the main goal. Your purpose is a mystery that can only be revealed by God.

There is more to preparedness than what meets the eye.
You are only ready when God says you are ready.

Now we must also understand that there is a difference between been called to purpose and being called to execute purpose.
You need to align with God’s will in time to be viable in purpose. The blessing and grace to execute will only come at the time appointed. If you delay, you miss it and if you go ahead of God, you will also miss the reward.
God might give you a vision now but that does not mean you should execute it now. Don’t make a move till God says it is time. Sometimes he tells us ahead of time to prepare our mind and ourselves for what is to come.

“This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” — Habakkuk 2:3.NLT

That fact you are gifted does not mean you are ready for service. That you have a certain talent does not mean that is what you have been called to do. You cannot fulfill purpose without the giver of purpose. Many have missed it because they did not seek God or because they ran with half information. 

Learn to sit in God’s presence to get the full picture of His purpose for you: You must know what it is that God wants you to do, not the job title. The job or title will align with whatever it is;
You must know the time. God moves with time. If you miss the time, you will also miss the empowerment that comes with the time of execution; 
Know the place. More than the gift, you need the presence of God to prosper. God will not follow you, you must follow Him;
You must know the people. What generation has God called you to help? What kind of people? The sinners, the sick, the young, the old, the broken hearted, the poor, leaders, followers?

Beyond direction, you also need to seek God for the strength to execute. 
The presence of God is where we receive instruction and strength to execute: Jeremiah complained that he was too young speak and God touched his mouth. This was in the secret place; Solomon asked God for help and received wisdom. This was in the secret place; Moses cried to God for help as he was a stammerer and God gave him an interpreter. This was in the secret place; Esther fasted for three days till God granted her favour before the king. This was in the secret place.

If God has called you to purpose but not yet to execute, it means He wants to work on you first and it is not yet time. If you rush out of God’s presence, you will run into misfortune.

While in the refiners fire: Be patient in tribulation like Joseph. Sometimes the fire may be hot but it wont burn you, it only purifies; Be busy like Ruth till you meet your Boaz. Be proactive and diligent in preparing yourself for purpose. You also have your part to play in preparation; Be prayerful like Daniel. For every prophecy, there is an opposition. Pray that you might obtain; Be watchful like David. Beyond prayer, watchfulness is needed, especially when your enemies have seen your star. Be wise as serpent but harmless as dove; Be obedient like Abraham. You need instant obedience to God’s instruction to excel in purpose. Timing is key; Hold on to your integrity like the three Hebrew children. He who cannot stand for God, cannot stand in purpose; Conceal the vision like Mary and Joseph. If you expose yourself to the enemy before time, he will surely kill the vision. Keep your mouth shut till God announces you.

Gold may spend hours in the fire, if not days of refining but when it is tried, it will come forth as fine gold.
Be patient if it is not yet your time.