When ‘Too Good To Be True’ Comes True

Have you ever thought: 

It’s too good to be true … this must be a set up – a trick of the enemy, straight from the pits of hell!

(Well, maybe not that dramatic of a thought, but you get the picture)

As Christians, we hugely miss the mark sometimes – erring on the side of fear (It’s too difficult and I’m not qualified, so God isn’t in it) or on the side of extreme fighting (Well, God promised us pain and suffering, so as long as there is an obstacle I must be on the right path). 

But how often do we choose the side of faith?

Faith knows the promises of God and does what is necessary to obtain them. 

I’m talking about a faith that is proven through works (James 2:17-18)

Faith that understands the righteousness of God, His limitless love, and our requirement to obey His commands (John 14:18-21)

This faith, true faith, exists only through an intimacy and knowledge of God and what He has promised (Numbers 14:7-9)

When presented with an opportunity that just seems too good to be true, God expects that we lean on our faith in moving forward. He doesn’t want us to be blind or unwise, but He wants us to know what He has promised and to walk courageously from that place of intimacy. 

Sure, God tells us in John 16:33 that we most definitely will endure suffering:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

He also promises us abundant life, security, freedom, peace, and eternal life:

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises.”

– 2 Peter 1:3-5

I was recently presented with a too good to be true opportunity, and I almost missed out on something amazing because I was afraid to respond to God’s promises. I wanted to believe His promise of obstacles, trials, and many sorrows; but I didn’t hold tight to the great and precious promises of peace and abundant life. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment or really wanted to “suffer for Jesus”, but I forgot about the eternal promises that God has shared with me during moments of sweet intimacy and quality time. 

For a couple of years now, I’ve alluded to my passion and desire to invest in our youth who live in urban and inner city America. I’m called to uncover hidden potential, empowering young women to live a life full of hope, void of fear, and driven by love. I’ve known this and I’ve accepted this truth, but I’ve also been discouraged by the thought that I spent 10 years “wasting my time”.

What I mean by that is that I’m trained and experienced as a technology consultant, for crying out loud. I have a computer engineering degree and have spent the majority of my work life helping companies implement technical solutions for their business intelligence problems. I spent 10 years following a road that lead me down this direction. I didn’t hate my job, I actually liked it; but God called me away from it, and I obeyed. So after 10 years, I had to back track and go down a completely different road. In my very narrow view, there was no room for my experience in technology on the road to urban ministry – so much time, wasted.

In seasons where I’ve cried over how unfair this life change has been and how much I dreaded the concept of “starting over” at 30 years old, God promised that He would redeem my time. He promised that no time will be wasted and that He would use every year, every day, every moment for my eternal purpose. An abundant life full of significance and purpose – this is what God promised me. He promised to prepare me, to go before me, and to give me authority and victory over strongholds in the urban community. THIS IS GOD’S PROMISE TO ME! What He asked of me was to love Him, trust Him, and obey Him. Love. Trust. Obey … got it. 

So, when I was presented with the ‘too good to be true’ opportunity of managing Band of Coders | Girls Academy, a program in Atlanta, GA that empowers young girls and trains them to be leaders in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) – I was afraid to say yes. Can you believe it?? I was offered this position, I didn’t seek it out, I didn’t have to interview or apply, and it perfectly aligns with my experience and my passion. This was basically God giving me a perfectly packaged gift to enjoy- yet I was afraid. 

Why? I was so caught up in God’s promise of pain that I forgot about His promise of peace. I had one experience of obedience that involved hardship and overcoming obstacles, so I expected every other God-ordained experience to look the same. 

It took me 5 weeks to accept this position and take hold of God’s promise to me! 5 weeks of praying and waiting for an answer that God had already given me. 5 weeks of wondering when this too-good-to-be-true offer would fall to pieces. 5 weeks of believing that good gifts don’t come that easily. Finally, the Lord gave me the kick in the butt that I needed. He took me to Joshua: 

‘Then Joshua asked them, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?”‘ (Joshua 18:3)

God has given me a promise, much like the promised land that He’d given the Israelites. After moving into the Promised Land, God told Joshua that He would deliver the enemy into their hands. He would fight for them. He would win the battle, and they would walk in the promise. Because of Joshua’s already proven faithfulness during his previous season with Moses in the wilderness, God was ready to deliver on His promise. 

And that’s exactly what I believe God is doing in this new season for me as well – delivering on His promise!

Thankfully, God’s promises are true even when we can’t fully see or believe in them. All it takes is mustard seed faith; when that faith is supplemented with virtue, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, and love – He makes sure that we don’t miss out on any of His promises, even the ones that we forget. 

Is there something that God has promised you that you’ve forgotten about?

Have you erred on the side of fear or fight instead of faith?

I hope that my testimony will encourage you to be strong, courageous, and stand on God’s promises. As a child of God who diligently seeks Him and faithfully obeys His command, God is more than pleased to effortlessly usher you into your Promised Land!

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In Case You Missed It: I GOT A NEW JOB!!!

It’s so crazy the way God works and how He used my time at Adventures in Missions leading The Fellowship Program to prepare me for this new position. Had I not been obedient and served Adventures, I never would have been considered to serve with the Girls Academy. The Girls Academy is a ministry partner of Adventures in Missions, which makes this transition seamless for me and my supporters!

If you’re interested in learning more about this transition, my new role with Band of Coders | Girls Academy, and how you can partner with what we’re doing in Urban America, please reach out to me! I’m excited to share more about God’s faithfulness and what is in store!

Lastly, check out the video below for a quick overview of what the Band of Coders | Girls Academy Program looks like: