The first morning of October may look ordinary: light across the table, a fresh page, a cup waiting to be filled, and another day asking something from you. But Jesus is not standing outside this month to see how it goes. He wants to enter the room with you: the room where you plan, wait, worry, hope, work, pray, and try again.

You may have already read the first two articles in this series. First, you were invited not to let the year so far write October’s story. Then you were encouraged to take up the pen and write honestly about what you hoped to see, what you wanted to change, and what you were willing to place in Jesus’ hands. Now comes the next movement: inviting Jesus into the room while you live what you wrote.

Maybe a healing has not come yet. Perhaps you have prayed over your body, followed wise medical guidance, and continued through days when nothing seemed visibly different. You might be searching for work after applications, interviews, and unanswered messages. Maybe your business is still flat, your finances are still tight, or a relationship remains strained even though you have tried to communicate with care.

Perhaps the page you wrote down has not produced anything visible. You may be quietly asking, “Did writing it down change anything at all?” If this sounds familiar, you are not being asked to pretend that the wait is easy or that a specific result is guaranteed. You are being invited to let Jesus work with you in the middle of it.

That partnership matters because Jesus can change more than what you have. He can change what you want. A changed desire can lead to a different decision. A different decision can change how you use a day, which can change how you use a month. You cannot force Jesus’ hand, control His timing, or guarantee an outcome, but you are not helpless while you wait. You can make new goals, learn to think differently, pray differently, go different places, and allow Jesus to reshape how you see.

This week, begin simply. Bring the page you wrote to Jesus. Ask Him to work with you in the details, not only to lift you out of the situation, but to strengthen you within it. You may notice a new question, a wiser boundary, a different opportunity, an unexpected conversation, or a desire that begins to change. Those shifts may not answer every need immediately, but they can give you a faithful next step.

1. Open the Door: Jesus Wants In

Jesus is not a spectator observing your October from a distance. He is not a last resort you call only after every human option has failed. He invites you into a life where you learn from Him, depend on Him, and walk with Him through both action and waiting.

This does not mean Jesus is promising to remove every difficulty on your preferred schedule. It means you do not have to carry every burden as if you are carrying it alone. Jesus works with you, and in harmony with the Father, on your behalf. He can give you strength for the day, wisdom for the decision, and rest for the part of you that has become tired of trying to understand.

Jesus said:

> “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
> Matthew 11:28–30

A yoke joins two together for work. In that picture, Jesus is not offering a passive escape from responsibility. He is offering a different way to carry responsibility.

Benefit: Inviting Jesus into October can make your work more partnered and your burdens more honestly carried. You may still have applications to send, appointments to attend, conversations to repair, bills to manage, or habits to rebuild. But perhaps you can approach those responsibilities with Jesus instead of treating them as proof that you have been abandoned.

2. Why This Matters Even in the Wait

You might wonder, “If I am still waiting, how can I help change anything?” The honest answer is that you cannot control the timing of another person, force a healing, manufacture a job offer, or command a breakthrough into existence. Waiting does govern some things.

But waiting does not govern everything.

Jesus said:

> “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
> John 15:5

This verse is not meant to make you passive. It shows where your life and strength come from. You are not being asked to produce a new October by yourself. You are being invited to remain connected to Jesus while taking the steps that are yours to take.

Maybe you have been repeating the same prayer because the need remains real. That is understandable. But you might also ask Jesus to show you how to pray through the situation, not only how to escape it.

During a long wait, the honest inner questions may sound like this: “What is going on?” “Does praying to Jesus work?” “If it works, what is taking so long?” You do not have to silence those questions with shallow answers. Bring them directly to Jesus. He can meet you in honest prayer.

Why worry, when you can pray? That does not mean worry disappears on command. It means worry can become an invitation to turn toward Jesus again. God answers prayers, but an answer may involve comfort, wisdom, redirection, endurance, provision, or a changed desire before it involves a changed circumstance.

3. The Four Differents You Can Begin This Week

These four changes are not a formula for controlling Jesus. They are practical ways to make room for His partnership. Start with the how-to step before looking for the benefit.

1. Pray Different

You may have been praying the same request in the same words for years. The request may still be important, but Jesus may be inviting you to add a new kind of prayer: “Show me the next step.”

James 1:5 says:

> “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

How to begin this week: Read one honest line from what you wrote in the earlier article. Say it to Jesus without polishing it. Then pause. Instead of filling every quiet moment with more words, listen for wisdom through Scripture, wise counsel, conviction, clarity, or a practical idea.

Try praying:

> “Jesus, show me the next step.”

You may not receive an entire plan. You may receive enough light for one decision.

Benefit: Praying differently can move your attention from demanding a complete explanation to receiving wisdom for faithful action.

Daily affirmation: My prayers can be simple and honest.

2. Think Different

A thought can feel powerful simply because it has been repeated. You may have thought, “Nothing will change,” “I have missed my chance,” “No one will choose me,” or “I always end up here.” Perhaps the thought arose from real disappointment, but that does not mean it deserves to direct every decision.

Romans 12:2 says:

> “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

How to begin this week: Catch one recurring thought. Write it on the left side of a page. On the right side, write a truer, Scripture-shaped statement. For example:

• “Nothing will change” becomes “I do not know the whole future, and I can ask Jesus for today’s wisdom.”
• “I am behind” becomes “My wait does not cancel my next faithful step.”
• “I cannot do anything” becomes “I can take one wise action while remaining dependent on Jesus.”

Do not replace honesty with denial. Replace exaggeration with truth.

Pray:

> “Jesus, renew how I see this.”

Benefit: Thinking differently can help you examine a thought instead of obeying it automatically.

Daily affirmation: A thought can be examined, not obeyed.

3. Go Different

Sometimes a new direction begins with a new environment. This does not mean every new place is a divine appointment or that changing locations guarantees an opportunity. It means familiar surroundings can sometimes reinforce familiar thinking.

Israel had to move toward the water before the way opened before them. The movement did not mean they controlled the miracle. It meant they responded to the direction they had received.

How to begin this week: Choose one place you have not been recently:

• A different place to pray
• A different aisle in the library
• A different coffee shop
• A different church service
• A community event
• A walking trail
• A place where you can learn, serve, or meet people wisely

Go with attentiveness, not superstition. You are not trying to make Jesus perform a sign. You are creating room to notice what you may have overlooked.

Pray:

> “Jesus, lead me somewhere new.”

Benefit: Going differently can expose you to new information, conversations, resources, and possibilities without requiring you to force an outcome.

Daily affirmation: I can take one step out of the familiar.

4. Want Different

This is the deepest change because it reaches beneath your plans. Psalm 37:4 is often treated like a blank check, but it is better understood as an invitation to delight in the Lord and allow Him to reshape your desires.

The verse says:

> “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
> Psalm 37:4

This does not mean Jesus is obligated to give you everything you want exactly as you imagined it. It suggests that as you draw near to Him, what you want may become purified, redirected, deepened, or released. Sometimes Jesus changes what you desire before He changes what you possess.

How to begin this week: Once a week, spend a few minutes asking Jesus to adjust your desires. Instead of listing only your demands, say, “Jesus, show me what is worth wanting. Remove what would harm me. Strengthen what serves love, wisdom, purpose, and obedience.”

Pray:

> “Jesus, change what I want.”

Isaiah 43:19 gives language for newness:

> “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
> Isaiah 43:19

This is a promise of newness, not a guarantee that your preferred result will appear in October. It gives you permission to remain open to a new work of Jesus, including a new desire, direction, understanding, or way of seeing.

Benefit: Wanting differently can change the decisions you make because your deepest motivation is being brought into the presence of Jesus.

Daily affirmation: Jesus is allowed to reshape what I long for.

4. Where Jesus-Sized Ideas Come From

You may expect a Jesus-sized idea to arrive like lightning, but divine ideas oftentimes manifest in divine ways. What if Jesus has been wanting to give you an idea that could not only change your life but change the world? Would you want it? John 14:12 states that Jesus believed that because you are a believer you would do even greater works than even he did. And in order to do this, you need better ideas, divine insight, and eyes to see, ears to hear and to be focused as well as paying attention to what you are doing, what shows up, what you are praying, and who you are interacting with minute by minute and day by day to get the kind of ideas that could change your life and or change the world.

An idea may come through:

• A renewed mind that notices an option you missed
• Scripture that speaks directly to the day you are living
• A person who crosses your path
• One honest conversation
• A closed door that redirects your attention
• A class, book, or resource
• An idea that arrives while you are walking, cleaning, driving, or drinking coffee
• A growing desire to serve, learn, build, repair, or begin again

Ideas, solutions, and strategies often need room. The four differents help create that room. Praying differently makes room for wisdom. Thinking differently makes room for new interpretations. Going differently makes room for new information. Wanting differently makes room for Jesus to reshape your priorities.

Some ideas will be yours to act on. Some may need testing, counsel, and patience. Some may only make sense later. You do not have to label every thought as a message from Jesus. Write it down, compare it with Scripture, consider wise counsel, and look at its fruit.

Jesus can help you recognize the difference between impulse and direction. He may not show you the entire road, but He can help yoou take the next faithful step.

5. Seven Daily Practices for the Week After You Read This

Keep these practices to about ten minutes. Return to them weekly if they help. Your page is a record of your walk with Jesus, not a contract you are failing to fulfill.

1. Day 1: Write one honest line about where you are.
2. Day 2: Write one line of Scripture that speaks to it.
3. Day 3: Pray one sentence out loud.
4. Day 4: Take one small action, however small.
5. Day 5: Notice one thing that shifted.
6. Day 6: Release one thing you cannot control.
7. Day 7: Pray for one other person.

A small action might be sending one email, making one appointment, reviewing one budget item, taking a walk, apologizing, researching a class, opening your Bible, or resting without guilt. The point is not to impress Jesus. The point is to remain available to Him.

6. Affirmations You Can Say Daily

Say these slowly while reflecting on what you wrote. They are not claims that guarantee a result. They are reminders rooted in Scripture and centered on your walk with Jesus.

• Jesus is working with me, not watching me.
• My wait does not cancel my next step.
• I can think differently because Jesus is renewing my mind.
• I can go somewhere new.
• God is allowed to reshape what I want.
• Jesus is not finished with me yet.
• I can pray honestly without pretending.
• I can have faith in God while admitting that I do not understand the timing.
• Jesus can help me carry what I cannot yet change.
• Jesus came to give me life, and life more abundantly.
• God is near, even when the answer is not visible.
• When no one else cares for me, God cares for me.
• God’s miracles are possible if you pray, but I will not use prayer as a way to control the outcome.
• October is not a guarantee of a result; it is another chance to walk with Jesus.
• I can surrender the how, when, and where while taking the next faithful step.

Isaiah 43:19 reminds you:

> “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

And Revelation 21:5 gives this closing hope:

> “Behold, I am making all things new.”
> Revelation 21:5

7. Bring It Home

Your October can become different because you can become different in it, not through a formula, pressure, or promise of a specific outcome, but through the work Jesus is doing with you.

Your prayers may become more honest. Your thinking may become more examined. Your direction may become more open to wise change. Your desires may become more aligned with what is good and life-giving. You may begin to recognize that waiting does not remove every choice from your hands.

Jesus is not obligated to produce the result you wrote down. Your actions do not force His hand. Prayer does not give you control over another person, a medical diagnosis, an employer, or a financial timeline. But Scripture does invite you to abide in Jesus, receive renewal in your mind, bring your burdens to Him, and remain open to newness.

The change Scripture places before a willing heart is a renewed mind, a reshaped desire, and guidance for the next step. Your part is the next faithful step. Jesus keeps the outcome.

Maybe the biggest change in October will not begin with what you receive. Maybe it will begin with what you no longer want to carry, what you are finally willing to learn, or what you now have the courage to try. God loves you. Jesus is near. And even if no one else understands the details of your wait, Jesus sees the whole story.

For more encouragement, and to read the other articles regarding creating a better October visit wisdomofgodwithwendy.org, and wordofgodwithwordofgodwithwendy.org to read the articles on creating a better October. Also, explore the ministry’s Christian encouragement and Walking with God resources. You can also visit Wisdom of Jesus with Wendy for additional faith-centered encouragement.

Let Us Pray Together

Jesus, I invite You into the rest of my October. You know what I am waiting for, what I have written down, what I have tried, and what I still do not understand. You know the healing I need, the work I am seeking, the relationship I am carrying, the financial concern before me, and the breakthrough I continue to place in Your hands.

Jesus, partner with me in the days when I have no idea what to do and in the days when I have a clear next step. Teach me to pray for wisdom, not only relief. Renew how I see my circumstances. Lead me into wise places, helpful conversations, and opportunities that fit Your purposes.

Please change what needs to change in me. Reshape what I want without taking away what is good. Help me recognize the difference between fear and wisdom, impulse and direction, pressure and obedience. I surrender the how, when, and where to You.

I do not want to treat this month as a formula or a contract. I want to walk with You. Help me take the next faithful step while trusting You with the outcome. Stay close to me through the waiting, the work, the quiet moments, and the unexpected ones. Amen.

One small action you can take today: Open the page you wrote in the earlier article, read one honest line to Jesus, and then write this beneath it: “Jesus, show me the next step.”

You do not have to see the whole month to begin walking through it with Jesus. Keep returning to Him, keep your heart open, and remember that Encouraging You in Your Faith is part of the mission of WIN International Ministries.

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