We are all building at any given time in our lives. Whether it’s in your personal life, family, business, career or education, the building season is one that keeps recurring. In some phases of life, you will be found building in more than one area of your life. For instance, building a new family while advancing your education or trying to balance being a new parent and establishing a new business. 

Building is not easy though. Whoever tells you that building seasons are a walk in the park, is lying to you. At least I say this from my own experience and from observing other people in my life who have allowed me to witness their building seasons. I have been going through an intense building season over the past year or so, and just when I think I am done with it, a new project is introduced, and I find that I’m back to it. I am not complaining though.

In this blog post, allow me to encourage you in your building season. Either you are coming out of one, going through one or just for future reference when you go into one. See, when we talk about building, I don’t mean the literal construction of structures that involve concrete, steel or wood. I am referring to the principle of working on a dream, a vision, a goal from when it’s just a concept to when it becomes a tangible reality.

When I discerned that I was going into a building season, I panicked. No…correction…I freaked out…I went frantic!! Overwhelmed is an understatement if I am being honest. I had just turned a year older and for me, my ‘New Year Resolutions” are written down on my birthday unlike other people who do so in January. Each new year is marked by a “theme or word” from God that describes or guides me into the kind of season He is leading me into. 

For this new year, He gave me BUILD as the word or theme. I had no clue what He meant by that. I had not made any plans to build a house and so I was a tad bit confused initially. The more I spent time with Him, the clearer the instructions became. When He revealed what I would be building, my first thought was to RUN!! To where? I didn’t know then but I was going to RUN! Ha-ha! 

Thing with building with and for God, is that He gives you the “what” to build. It’s okay to have dreams of what you want to do with your life. The ideas you have for your family, business, career, are all valid and good, but if you’re ever going to partner and build anything for God, He gets to decide what you will build. There is a purpose assigned to your name and there is how we think we ought to fulfil it. However, God has a different way and plan for how that purpose will be actualized and fulfilled and this is where surrender comes in. 

There was a way I wanted to live out my life. When He revealed His purpose for me, I had ideas as to how I could fulfil it. Initially, the ideas seemed like a good thing and I was happy implementing them. But here comes the best part. The part where He shows you His idea of living out your purpose and He invites you to do it His way. Trust me, His ways are not like ours and if I am being honest, they are incomparable and more fulfilling. As a matter of fact, His ways are mind-blowing and seem unreal, but almost every time, they will scare you away. 

My first question to Him was “HOW WILL I DO ALL THIS?” 

He said: “I am glad you asked. This is how you will do it….” And then He gave me the pattern I needed. 

He reminded me of Moses and the tabernacle. Moses had never built a tabernacle before in His life. God shows up in Exodus from chapter 24 and begins to speak to Moses about this phenomenal. God goes into the details of how the tabernacle will be built. From the type of fabric to be used, to the metal, to the ropes, to the measurements. I mean, God went all in with the pattern. He shows Moses what the Priests should wear and the mannerism they should conduct themselves in while ministering to God and His people. 

I marvel each time I read that part of the Bible. I’m amazed at how articulate God was and still is with the details around anything that concerns Him. That was it for me. The comfort I found in His Word in Exodus is inexplicable. I was assured that even though the vision felt scary and too big, I could do it, because He would show me how to. 

Most times we get stuck with visions in our minds because they feel too big to be accomplished. They also look like something out of a marvel comic book, you know, the kind that has never been seen in the real world. These visions seem too great for the kind of people we think we are. However, to God, He doesn’t see us the way we or other people see us. He could be asking you to start a business and when you look at yourself and where you’re from, you begin to wonder whether He’s speaking to the right person.

Like Gideon in Judges 6, you start reminding God of how unqualified you are for the mission, but God claps back by reminding you who you are in Him. Most times when God claps back, there’s no winning for you, ha-ha! 

When God reveals to you what He desires to build through you, be like Moses. Stay up on the mountain until He reveals to you the pattern that you will use to build that vision. God kept telling Moses to build according to the pattern He had showed him on the mountain. The mountain in this context refers to prayer. The challenge with most of us is that, we receive a glimpse of the vision God has for us, and even before God says another word, we are out of the prayer closet and already mapping out how to work out the vision. 

Patience in the prayer closet will save you so much time and wrong decisions. Stay in the place of prayer and wait for God to give you the pattern. This pattern will come with the strategy you need to use, the details of what to do, when to do them and with whom to associate with. God showed Moses the specific people He had chosen to work with Him on building the tabernacle. 

God has the right people, the right tools and the provision for building the vision He has for you. The question is, will you be patient enough to let Him show you? Will you be attentive enough to take notes? 

As you embark on the building of your vision, your ability to pay attention to what God will show you is your secret weapon. There will be so many distractions as you start this journey. You will fight for the vision day and night. If it’s not doubt and fear, it will be negative comments from people watching you, ignore them. Remember Nehemiah? Focus on the pattern God showed you. Accept help from those He will send your way to support you as you build. 

Prepare to be stirred out of your comfort zone and embrace it fully. It will produce a version of you that you didn’t know was possible. Prepare for change in your associations, not everyone will be happy to see you build and they will try to stop you by projecting fear, shut them out. Focus on the end goal of your building, it will fuel you in the days you feel stuck.

Remember the why behind your building. Moses was building a tabernacle for God so that HE could come and have a place to dwell with His people. Your vision is beyond who you are as an individual. You are what is called a conduit, a vessel or a channel that God is using to reach out to other people. The vision seems too big because it actually is. It’s meant to serve generations after generations. You my friend are not building a one man show, no. You are building a legacy that will outlive your children’s children. That’s what KINGDOM BUILDING is all about!

Your vision is God’s dwelling place. It is where He will impact and touch other people who need Him. He wants to reach out to so many people through you and that’s why you must follow His pattern to build that vision. Your employees, your business, your marriage, your career, whatever you are building, is a platform that God wants to use to reach and transform other people. You must follow His pattern and you must keep SHOWING UP! 

When those days where you feel overwhelmed by the journey come, remind yourself that God looked around and saw you. He then believed that you could accomplish what He had in mind. He revealed to you that plan and trusted in you to work on it. He believes in you that much, please don’t let Him down and don’t talk yourself out of it. He’s rooting for you and He’s got your back!!! 

I know you got this, because God’s got you!! We keep building, we keep SHOWING UP like the Kingdom builders we are!! 

I love having you here! 

With Love, 

Kamande