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Today’s blog is (once again) inspired by Pastor Steven Furtick’s sermon, “Beta Blessings.” According to the Cambridge dictionary, Beta is “used to describe a product or system that is at the second stage of development and that is being tested by a few customers before it is offered for sale.” It is also the second letter in the Greek alphabet, in between alpha and omega. I previously explained that “in-between” can mean those seasons when we are not where we want to be or when we aren’t getting what we want. In these moment, it is easy to forget that Jesus is the alpha and the omega and that right in the middle of our uncertainty, i.e. the beta-stage, He is there too.

There are different dynamics in our faith journey that I have used to demonstrate these (in-between) seasons. In the previous blog posts, we explored the Israelites’ move into Egypt to escape famine (Genesis 46), their journey out of Egypt to escape slavery (Exodus 13:17), the trials and temptations they faced as they maneuvered through the dessert in which we talked about comfort foods (Numbers 11). In addition, we discovered some characters from the bible who experienced different struggles. Gideon who was called by God in the middle of the worst situation, to do what seemed impossible (Judges 6), the prodigal son whose poor decision making led him into a famine but he later found his way back home (Luke 15), and Peter whose whole faith journey and character demonstrate what it means to belong to God’s Kingdom.

Unfortunately, these seasons do not come with a manuscript. When God calls you to go, you just take the step and find out why. According to Pastor Steven, “sometimes you’ve got to set out with a word from God, not knowing all the details.” Such a bold decision technically marked the beginning of Abraham’s story. Only God knew that Abraham’s decision would create a series of events that led to Jesus dying on the cross to pay for our sins. All he told Abraham was that he would bless him, and bless others through him. He didn’t mention that along the way Abraham was going to face difficulties and stay in a Canaan (which was his promise) for centuries as an alien before it actually became a land that his descendants enjoyed. These in between circumstances describe the middle, but God was right there with him through it all. Just like he had promised he would. Abraham was tested, he found himself in doubt, he experienced famine, became an alien and an immigrant in several places such as Egypt. However, all these things happened to prepare him for his (the) promise. During his journey to his promise, he learnt how to be patient, he grew in faith, he saw God protect him and bless him and the people he lived with (as an Alien) such as Abimelech, who saw that Abraham was a man highly favored by God. His faithfulness and obedience also brought blessing on his descendants who came after him. God always reminded them (Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron) that he would fulfil his promise to Abraham. This indicates that our choices made in our journey of faith determine our future.

Similarly, pastor Steven explains that in the beta-stage, God is often developing us, taking us through a process of pruning in which he is preparing us for our purpose. Some of the things He may be developing include; our talents, attitudes, our projects, our relationships, our faith, etc. It is easy to look at where you are right now and think that its not getting any better or that all your hard work is in vain but I will encourage you not to give up, but rather, keep pushing and trust the process! To encourage us, pastor Steven tells us, “just because its buggy in beta, doesn’t mean it’s not a blessing…God is getting the bugs out.” Therefore, you may have to allow God to take some bad traits or people from your life. God may need you to be in a season of obscurity where you have to keep your progress to yourself or only tell the people who can grow you in this season and get rid of all the distractions such as social media, friends, etc. that will deter your progress (keep your progress from all these exogenous opinions). Pastor Steven further demonstrates this and explains that “when they have it in beta, they don’t release it to everybody.” Moreover, in this season, as much as God is testing you, He is asking you to also test him. This means that He is asking you to give Him your all and see what he can do with it. God will test you and when you faithfully obey him, you are technically testing his promise just like He asked us to do in Malachi. Therefore, praise God where you are right now, even if you are still struggling, He knows your struggles. Love the person that he knows you are. Peter had to learn how to do this.

The sermon further reechoes my previous posts and explains that the Israelites struggled to move towards their promise because they kept looking back to who they were and what they used to eat. In response, Pastor Steven encourages us to grow. This means that we have to stop being “loyal to somethings that He (God) is bringing in this season.” When God provided them with the fish in Egypt (a blessing), He didn’t expect them to get attached because it was a seasonal blessing just like the manna was. Sometimes a blessing is only meant to be temporary not permanent, it is only to help you move forward, so, don’t see it as a permanent thing or solution. Always expect more from God because if you are alive, he is not yet done with you.

Moreover, pastor Steven explains that “the thing that you thought was a blessing, you’re about to find out it was a bait to get you to where God wants you to be.” In Luke 5, Jesus blessed Peter with so much fish (Pastor Steven calls these boat sinking blessings) and yet Peter left it all behind to follow Jesus. Peter ended up gaining much more from God. The decision he made in this moment started (for Peter) the most amazing journey of his life. The fish were a bait. “God knows how to get you where He wants you to go,” he adds.

Therefore, pastor Steven advises you not to put pressure on yourself because you are being developed. You are a rough draft in beta. The version of you that God wants you to turn into takes some time. Remember that Peter’s transformation took time. Your current situation (no matter how good or bad), is only temporary, God never stops moving us. Keep on trusting him. You may fail a couple of times but pastor Steven tells us, “sometimes failure is the goal, because of how it positions you.” Don’t try too much to be who you are not. Our impatience with God’s process and our human efforts are sometimes the reason for our pain and struggles which come as a result of refusing to trust God. Here is another thing to remember from pastor Steven’s message. With reference to John 21: 7-9, he says, “All the things we bring to God in our effort to do better, in our effort to be blessed, we find that when we get to the shore and recognize him for who He is, He is already cooking what we couldn’t catch all night”

I pray that you may have the patience that you need to trust the process God is taking you through to develop you into the best version of yourself.

With love and prayers,

Resty Kansiime

Scriptures: Revelations 22:12-14, Luke 5:1-11, Malachi 3:10-12, Genesis 12:1-2, Joshua 5:11-12 and John 21:3,8-9.

Here is the sermon from Pastor Steven Beta Blessings | Pastor Steven Furtick | Elevation Church – YouTube.