Stop Missing the Moments God Sends You| Barbara Curtis

Good evening, Lakewood family and friends. My name is Barbara Curtis, and I would like to welcome each of you. We're so glad you've joined us tonight from all over the world, and we trust that the next half hour or so will be a blessing in your lives. Do you know that God loves you?

And so do we. And I believe he has a special message tonight just for you. Did you also know that hundreds of you, thousands of you can hear the same message and receive something different from it? As I'm praying and preparing for our time together, I ask the Holy Spirit to speak directly to each of you and your situations.

And it always blesses me when people come up to me and thank me for something specific from a message. And I have absolutely no recollection of it. Those are Rama words straight from the throne of God. I'm simply the vessel he uses. I'm simply the vehicle, the mode of transportation he uses to get his message from his throne straight to you.

So tonight, I ask you to lean in a bit. Remove yourself from all of the distractions. Open your Bibles. Open your eyes and your hearts and expect a word from the Lord. Let us pray. Oh gracious and heavenly father. Lord, we welcome your presence tonight and we thank you for your word as we seek your wisdom and guidance in our lives.

Father, your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths. It leads us, guides us, and directs us. Your word literally gives us life. Open our hearts and our ears. And tonight, Lord, we're ready to hear your voice. Speak. Speak, Holy Spirit. Lead this time of study and reflection.

And may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight in Jesus' name. Amen. The title of our study tonight is it's the moment you've been praying for. That title alone generates excitement in my spirit. Many of us pray for things and about things, but then over time we unintentionally place them on the shelf, our metaphorical shelves, out of sight and out of mind.

We may keep praying out of habit or routine, but deep down, if the truth were to be told, we really don't expect God to move. We know he can do it, but we really don't expect him to do it for us. In the Gospel of Mark, there's a familiar story of a paralytic man who had waited at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years to receive his healing.

His faith and trust rested on being in the first spot in order to make it to the pool at the time of year known for miraculous healings to take place. When Jesus the healer showed up and asked him, "Do you want to be made well?" he responded by informing Jesus of his physical limitations and his disappointments concerning others not helping him into the pool.

You see the moment he had been praying for had literally arrived. Jesus in the flesh. Not an angel, not a messenger, Jesus. But he was not positioned to receive his miracle. He was in proximity to Jesus, but he did not discern the significance of his presence. He was at the pool, but not prepared.

His physical location did not match his internal expectation. He was not positioned to receive the divine opportunity that God had for him, the opportunity that he had been hoping for and praying for. As I was preparing, I wondered what happened between his prayers and God's answer. What caused him and what causes some of us to at times miss opportunities or respond to divine moments with murmuring and complaining rather than expectancy and gratitude.

Sometimes delays or seemingly unanswered prayers can cause us to lower our expectations. If it doesn't happen on our timetable, we lose hope that it will happen at all. This man had been waiting 38 years. I wonder if he truly believed it could still happen for him. Many of you may be waiting for years.

Do you still believe or have you bought into the belief that it's too late or you're too old? At other times, we expect God to answer in a specific way. We lose sight of the fact that his ways are not our ways. We put our human limitations on the almighty God.

So when he answers our prayers in a way that's unexpected beyond our human understanding, it catches us by surprise. The paralytic could imagine his healing coming through the angel stirring of the water. That miracle had been demonstrated. He had actually seen evidence of that. But he could not imagine Jesus simply commanding him to take up his mat and walk and he actually being able to do so.

He had elevated his circumstances above God, giving them more power than God when God is actually bigger and more powerful than any obstacle, illness or situation we could ever face. Despite this man's lack of or misdirected faith, God responded to his situation with grace and mercy. However, while God is truly merciful and may answer our prayers despite our doubts, a continual lack of faith and expectancy can result in missed opportunities and unfulfilled desires.

James 1:es 6-7 reminds us, "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt. Because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind." That person, the Bible says, should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. We all see this lived out in the Old Testament story of the children of Israel.

God had delivered them from Egypt and given them the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. However, as they stood on the brink of this promised land, fear, doubt, and disobedience prevented them from actually entering in. They had prayed and cried out to God for deliverance from Pharaoh.

And God answered their prayers, but they still did not believe that he could or would allow them to conquer the giants who inhabited the land. It was this unbelief that led to a whole generation missing their moment, missing the divine opportunity to inhabit a land flowing with milk and honey.

Only Joshua and Caleb positioned themselves to receive the fullness of God's promise. As with the paralytic man and the Israelites, oftentimes the answers to our prayers don't necessarily come directly. They come in the form of divine opportunities that require action on our part. They come in the form of open doors requiring us to step out of our comfort zones and into the unknown.

We must be able to seize these divine moments and opportunities. How we approach them determines whether we experience the fullness of answered prayers or miss out on what God has prepared for us. You see, seizing the divine opportunities God presents to us requires three key responses. Each of these responses helps us to align ourselves with his perfect will and plan for our lives.

First, we must respond to all opportunities with spiritual discernment. This response requires spiritual sensitivity and a genuine desire to seek God's guidance. Without discernment, we might overlook the divine opportunities God presents because we they don't necessarily meet our expectations. They might come through unexpected people, places, or circumstances.

Or they might come packaged as ordinary moments when we're expecting something extraordinary or grandiose. They might even come as challenges or risk when we're hoping for smooth and easy paths. Spiritual discernment requires a heart attuned to the Holy Spirit. As we are praying for and about situations and circumstances in our lives, we must pray for wisdom, godly wisdom.

We must ask the Holy Spirit to direct us so that we do not miss the moments he is orchestrating or mistakenly embrace those that the enemy presents. Tonight we will look primarily at the story of David and Goliath in 1st Samuel chapter 17. This very familiar story illustrates David's proper response to a divine opportunity.

The opportunity is presented while he's simply delivering lunch to his brothers. His obedience to his father's mundane request positioned him for the divine opportunity of a lifetime. How many of us would have likely missed the moment because of our murmuring and complaining? After all, David had already been anointed king of Israel.

His response to his dad could have been, "Are you serious? Do I look like Uber Eats? Why should I deliver lunch to my brothers? They should be serving me. I'm the future king. And why am I still here with the sheep?" But not David. Instead, David was able to make the most of this very ordinary but divine situation.

In Ephesians 5 15-16, the Bible tells us to be very careful than how we live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. David exercised great wisdom and discernment throughout this story. He did not allow his brother's insults and Goliath's antics to distract him from the larger picture.

How was he able to do this? I believe it's because of what we see in Proverbs chapter 9 verse 10. The Bible says, "The reverent fear of the Lord, that is worshiping him and regarding him as truly awesome, is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom. It's the starting point and its essence and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.

David was a passionate worshipper and he honored God. His response to Goliath's threats shows his discernment which was rooted in his relationship with God and his ability to see the situation through spiritual lenses. His reverence for God allowed him to view Goliath's taunts as insults to the God Almighty, not simply a military challenge.

You see, facing Goliath was an opportunity to defend God's army and God's name. We too must be able to look beyond the obvious to see how God may be moving in the spirit realm. We must be able to recognize his hand in our natural circumstances. As a shepherd himself, David knew how important it was for him to recognize the chief shepherd's voice.

John 10 27 tells us, as a matter of fact, Jesus tells us in this verse, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me." Like David, daily encounters with God through prayer, reading his word, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit position us to hear God's voice and sense his prompings.

I am fortunate to have several friends with whom I have very close relationships. We communicate regularly and over time I've learned their ways. When they call me, I don't have to say, "Who is this?" I recognize their voices when they invite me to their functions. I can accept without hesitation.

I don't have to wonder or ask now what kind of party is this? Because I know how they move. I know their character and they know me. With so many voices and opportunities vying for our attention on a daily basis, it is crucial that we discern the voice of God and the opportunities that are from him.

Not every open door is aligned with his perfect will and plan for our lives. By seeking his wisdom and guidance daily, we ensure that we are not led astray by distractions or counterfeit opportunities. What do I mean by counterfeit opportunities? They are those opportunities that appear attractive but are not aligned with God's plan for us.

They look good but they are not good for us. They even look very similar to the divine opportunities but ultimately lead to negative outcomes. The Bible says it like this in Proverbs 14:12. There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

In other words, these counterfeit opportunities look right, but they will ultimately lead to death. Not necessarily literal or physical death, but the destruction of our dreams, our relationships, and even our peace of mind. I often counsel young single women and I warn them that I've seen it happen time and time again that just before God sends the right one, the enemy sends a counterfeit.

We must be spiritually alert and able to identify the enemy and his schemes. The Bible says he roams around like a lion seeking those he can devour. When we respond to opportunities with discernment, we expose his plots and plans and prevent him from planting counterfeits and decoys in our paths.

If we allow him to keep us tied up with these distractions and decoys, it robs us of precious time and energy, we could have invested in god orained moments. While in college, I worked as a teller in banking and we were trained to recognize counterfeit bills. To my surprise, we spent very little time studying the fake bills.

Instead, we spent our time becoming familiar with the authentic ones so that we will be able to quickly detect discrepancies and counterfeit ones. Just like we were trained to recognize counterfeit bills by seriously getting acquainted with the real ones, we can discern counterfeit opportunities by being so familiar with God's word and his ways that when something that is off or out of alignment is presented to us, we quickly discern it.

By discerning and staying aligned with God's will, we can avoid settling for counterfeits and instead walk in the fullness of the blessings God has in store for us. The second key response required to seize divine opportunities is preparation. Preparation positions us to not only discern the opportunities God presents to us, but to also maximize them.

In other words, preparation allows us to make the most of the doors God opens. When God presents an opportunity, we must be ready to receive it. We must be ready to take action. I'm reminded of an embarrassing but educational moment in my own life. Many years ago, God gave me the vision for a book I was to write.

I spent months, maybe even a year or so, thinking about the book, organizing the chapters in my head, envisioning the book's cover, and telling others about the book. And finally, one day, I had the amazing opportunity to meet and have lunch with Susan Taylor, who was then the editor and chief of Essence magazine.

I was so proud to tell her about my book. I will never forget her looking at me with excitement and saying, "It sounds great. Please send me your manuscript and I'll get it to someone I know in the publishing business." She must have seen the dumbfounded look on my face and asked what was wrong, to which I embarrassingly responded, "I don't have a manuscript." "Okay, what about your book proposal?"

Sorry, I don't have anything to give you right now. It's all in my head. Well, I'm sure you can guess how that meeting ended. God presented me with the opportunity I had literally been hoping and praying for, but I was not prepared to seize it. Some of you are probably thinking, "Well, it must not have been God's timing."

Well, my question to you tonight and to myself at that time was, well, what if it was? What if it was a divine opportunity and I simply missed it? We see several examples of missed opportunities in scripture. An entire generation of Israelites not entering the promised land. Missed opportunity.

Saul's kingship being rejected by God. Missed opportunity. Lot's wife turning back. Missed opportunity. The people of Noah's time literally missing the boat. Missed opportunity. The good news is while missed opportunities may come with consequences, they are not the end of God's plans for us. Thankfully, the Bible is also filled with examples of God's grace and mercy. stories of restoration and new beginnings like Jonah's, Peter's, and the prodigal son to name a few.

No mistake or missed opportunity is beyond God's ability to redeem. Even my missed moment did not thwart God's plan for me. A few years later, he granted me another opportunity to publish the book. And this time, I was prepared. But again, being prepared helps us to circumvent missed moments and unnecessary delays.

The story of Esther is another powerful example of being prepared for a divine opportunity. I encourage you to read it. Esther was prepared physically, spiritually, emotionally, and practically when her moment arrived. Her story teaches us that preparation positions us to partner with God to fulfill his purposes. Her preparedness ensured that she was able to fulfill her calling for such a time in history.

Being prepared spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and practically also equips us to handle whatever the opportunity unfolds. You see, sometimes opportunities come with obstacles. Preparation equips us to handle them. It gives us the confidence, the resilience, and the fortitude needed to persevere through every challenge. The process of preparation is included in God's plan for each of our lives.

Before he ever formed us in our mother's wombs, he knew us. He knew the opportunities he would place in our paths and he knew the processes it would take to prepare us for them. The process of preparation isn't always pleasant but it produces great results. When you consider Moses, Joseph, David, Esther, Naomi, and Ruth in scripture, God presented all of these greats with remarkable opportunities, but each of them endured a season of preparation before they fully stepped into the promise.

It's good to know that God doesn't waste seasons of our lives. Romans 8:28 tells us, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose." God has a plan for our lives, and he uses the good, the bad, and the ugly to get us to where he has purposed us to be.

David's time served as a shepherd prepared him to face Goliath with both skill and confidence. It was in the pasture that he learned to defend the sheep and himself. It was in the pasture that he became a skillful warrior. David's faithfulness in the pasture prepared him for the palace.

And Joseph had a dream and a gift. Even while in prison, God used his gift and prepared him for the moment he would step into the role as prime minister. If you're in a season of preparation right now, don't despise it. Steward it wisely. And remember, God uses preparation to masterfully align us with his timing, his provision, and his plan.

Take it from me. It's better to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. Thirdly, in order to seize the opportunities God presents to us, we must respond with faith, trusting God even when the outcome is uncertain. In Hebrews 11:6, the Bible tells us, "But without faith, it is impossible to please him.

For he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him." When God presents us with opportunities, they don't always come packaged neatly with complete details and instructions. Sometimes we have to take the first step before he gives us instructions for the next one.

Sometimes he simply opens the door, but we must walk through it in order to see and receive what's on the other side. One of the greatest obstacles to divine opportunities is fear. Fear is a natural response to perceived danger. It serves as a protective purpose by alerting us to threats and potential danger.

However, it becomes problematic when we allow it to dominate our decisions, cloud our vision, and paralyze our progress. Faith, on the other hand, moves us beyond our fears and doubts and into the flow of God's plan. Again, while fear is natural, we as believers are called to walk by faith.

We can acknowledge fear, but we cannot allow ourselves to succumb to it. Back to the story of David and Goliath. Unlike his brothers and the other military men, David was not intimidated by Goliath's size or strength. I'm sure he considered both along with the potential risk of a battle with him.

But he did not focus on the risk. Rather, he kept his focus on the rewards and the rewarder. David had experienced God's goodness and protection throughout his life. Throughout the Psalms, we see him praising God as his rock, his protector, strength, and shield. One of my favorite passages, Psalm 23:4, David says, "Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

For you, God are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." You see, David trusted and believed that just as God had protected him from the wild animals in the sheep pasture, he would protect him from Goliath. Furthermore, he knew that the battle was not about him.

Instead, he saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate God's power and glorify him. Like David, when facing daunting opportunities, we cannot focus on the size of the obstacles. As Pastor Joel reminds us frequently, we have to keep our focus on the size of our God. We must remind ourselves of his faithfulness and trust that he is with us and he will see us through whatever it is that we are facing.

As I was preparing for this study, I sensed in my spirit that there would be someone or several persons watching or listening tonight who were facing something you've never experienced before and this is causing you paralyzing fear in your life. Maybe you've always had a savings account, but now you find yourself wondering where your next meal will come from.

Maybe you've always had a job, but now you find yourself unemployed and wondering how to even structure a resume. You've always been in good health. You've eaten right. You've exercised. Now you find yourself battling cancer. Maybe you've been married all of your adult life. Now you find yourself divorced and feeling all alone.

Let me encourage you tonight. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He still has a good plan for your life. He wants me to remind you tonight to fear not. He wants to remind you that he is still a provider. He's still a healer and he's still a comforter.

He's still a restorer. I encourage you to search the scripture and see where he has moved in situations like yours before. Find his promises in the word and stand on them. This will help you to feed your faith and starve your fears. That's also why church attendance and fellowship with other believers is important.

When we gather together, we strengthen and encourage one another through our shared experiences and testimonies. The enemy wants to keep you isolated and discouraged. But in the book of Revelation 12 11, the Bible tells us, "And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony."

One of the things I love about our Sunday services here at Lakewood is the testimony segments, the powerful stories of God's goodness. These stories help us to overcome the enemy and his tactics of fear and discouragement. Although I may not see God moving in my own life in a particular area, the testimonies inspire and encourage me when I see him moving in someone else's.

I'm always thankful that he did it for them. And I know he's no respector of persons and he can do it for me. Again, God's plan for you is still good. You may feel stuck, off course, or off schedule. Don't give up. Be faithful in whatever season you find yourself in.

Trust God and continue to walk by faith. Don't worry about the closed doors and the missed opportunities. Remember, God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Seek God and new opportunities will find you. Lastly, on responding in faith, in order to seize the opportunities God gives us, our faith must be accompanied by actions.

In James 2:1 17, the Bible says, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." In other words, faith without corresponding actions is not useful. The Bible consistently teaches us that when we step out in faith and obey God and move toward his purposes, opportunities follow.

Often times, we want to pray and have God lay out the whole plan or present the opportunity and make it crystal clear before we take a single step. But he says no. And he requires us to exercise our faith. Exercise requires movement. When we activate our faith, God activates opportunities.

In scripture, we see the Israelites crossing the Jordan River. God did not part the waters until the priests stepped in. It wasn't until Peter stepped out of the boat that he walked on the water. Jesus told the paralytic man, "Take up your mat and walk." What action is God prompting you to take this year?

I don't know about you, but I'm committed to being very intentional about my actions. I admittedly tend sometimes to wait too long for the perfect moment or the perfect opportunity. But God has made it clear to me that he does not call the perfect. He perfects the called.

This doesn't mean that he makes us perfect or without faults. Not one of us is perfect. Instead, he uses ordinary, imperfect people like you and me to do ordinary things. Our actions don't have to be perfect. They just need to be purposeful. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12:9, God told Paul, and he's telling us tonight, "My grace is sufficient for you.

My power is made perfect in weakness." Lakewood family and friends, as we conclude our study tonight, let us commit in our hearts to approach this year with expectation, trusting that God has divine opportunities in store for those of us who are ready to respond with spiritual discernment, preparation, faith, and trust.

Let us pray. Father, I pray that 2025 will be a year filled with divine opportunities in our lives. May God open doors for us that no man can shut. And may we not allow distractions, fear, doubt, or procrastination to cause missed moments or delays. I pray that each of us will seize every opportunity that our heavenly father presents to us by discerning wisely, preparing faithfully, and stepping boldly into the purposes and plans that he has in store in Jesus mighty name.

Amen. If you receive that word tonight, just type amen in the chat. Before we go, I want to give you an opportunity to make one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life. This is the most important opportunity you will ever receive, the opportunity to accept Jesus as your personal savior and lord.

Don't miss this opportunity. One thing I can assure you of is you can't make it successfully through this life without Jesus. You need a risen savior. You need the power of the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in us the moment we accept Christ. If you don't know Christ as Savior and Lord, I encourage you to invite him into your life tonight.

To do this, simply repeat this prayer after me. Lord Jesus, I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. I need you, Lord. I can't and neither do I want to live this life without you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.

I repent of my sins and I ask you to come into my heart. lead me, guide me, and make me the person you created me to be in Jesus' name. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, I encourage you to not stop there. Yes, you're saved. That was a free gift from God.

But now, get into a good Bible teaching church and begin to grow in your relationship with God and your fellowship with other believers. As our pastor says every weekend, I promise you, your life will never be the same. God bless you, Lakewood family. Good night.