Enduring the Process by Jessie Garcia

I heard a pastor mention once in a sermon that we were dealing with a “Microwave” generation in which everyone wanted a quick fix to all their problems. As I thought about how the pastor referenced this generation and looking at how people interact daily, it made sense. I even went on to make the same statement about this current generation.

One day, as I was observing my son as he watched his videos on YouTube, he noticed that I was watching him. He looked at me and said, “Dad, I am going to be a Vlogger and get famous.” He caught my interest (mainly because I had no idea what a Vlogger was). He showed me several videos of the “Vloggers” he follows.

As he was talking to me, the only thing that I could realize was that this generation is more lost than ever. We are not living with a “Microwave” generation, we are and have always been dealing with a generation of lost people.

There are so many means of connecting with people, yet we are more lost than ever! It’s not that people no longer want to fight for their marriages and families, they don’t know how. It’s not that people want to “instantly” fix their problems or get rich and famous; they have never been shown what happens behind the scenes.

My six-year-old son believes that recording himself and uploading it on the internet will make him famous. He doesn’t know the reality of what it takes to become a well-known public figure.

Before victory there is sacrifice! In the book of Joshua, there is a well-known story about the Wall of Jericho. This story has been referenced in many faith-building sermons, in hymns, and movies. It’s a truly great story to inspire and bring hope. The short version of the story tells us, God gave the land of Canaan to the Israelites, but before they could go and possess the land, God would make a way for them, but they had to overcome their fears and be obedient. As the Israelites marched six times around the city for six days and on the seventh day, they marched seven times around the city and let out a shout of victory and the walls of Jericho came falling. God gives them the victory and they begin their journey into Canaan.

The actual story is not as short and pleasant. The City of Jericho according to several researchers was a piece of land that had a radius of 1.26 miles, approximately 5 square miles. An average person can walk a mile in about twenty-five minutes. It would take an average person almost two hours to walk five miles. On the seventh day, the men of Israel would have had to walk for fourteen hours fully equipped. It would have been impossible for the men of Israel to fight on the seventh day after marching for fourteen hours straight.

People want to hear testimonies of how God restored a marriage, brought someone out of the miry pits, or hear of the faith that someone had while interceding but very few want to go through the process of working towards restoration or have the dedication to endure the pain and time that went into getting out of the miry pits. Even fewer want to go through the hardships of building faith.

It is easy to have faith in God believing that He will forgive your sins and write your name in the book of life when there is little to no work to be put out on your behalf. But when you are asked to go into the missionary field, or to lead a church, or start a ministry, you will have to leave the comfort of your home and career thus requiring an act of faith and obedience to take place on your behalf; faith stops there.

Genuine faith in God comes from knowing God will provide in His time. We become disappointed and lose faith in God when we put a time limit on God to respond to our situation. For God to build your faith, He must first get rid of your strength and abilities that caused you to take the glory and not God. Had the Israelites marched one time on the seventh day, they would have had the strength to fight. God had to remove their strength, God had to put them in a position where they had to question themselves, “Is this really what God wants us to do?” God wants to put you in a place where you trust what He says and trust His timing.

To build a stronger Christian community, we must teach our young Christian members the importance of building faith and not acting on emotions. We must learn that there are no short cuts in life and there is a lot of behind the scene work that takes place to make the outcome victorious. There is no victory without sacrifice.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:7-8 KJV)

With over 20 years of ministerial service, I am a dedicated servant of God. My passion is to live and work for God and bring others into an intimate relationship with God. I understand that this life comes with many challenges and many have stumbled along the way. I am committed to helping those get back up and continue their journey towards a successful walk with God.

Jessie Garcia