Editor’s Note: This devotion was written by Dianna Hobbs and used by permission from her ‘Your Daily Cup of Inspiration’ blog. To read more encouragement like this, visit YourDailyCupOfInspiration.com.

One day I was strolling through the student union during my undergraduate college days. I was a hungry and struggling student without enough cash to buy myself lunch.

Suddenly I spotted two ladies seated at an oblong table. They were both motioning me over and waving King-Size Snickers Candy Bars.

“If you sign up for a new Student Discover Card, you’ll get this candy bar as a free gift!” they said.

“Free? Really?” I asked, pleasantly surprised. “Deal!”

I was hardly able to believe my good fortune. I signed on the dotted line, got approved for my first student credit card (with many more to follow), and walked away happily munching on my gigantic chocolate bar.

It took a few months before I learned that my good fortune was not so good. You can’t pay off debt with candy bars! Jobless and naïve, I ruined my credit and regretted the decision I’d made while seeking instant gratification.

“What God has for you is worth the wait. Don’t get in a hurry. The blessing will be released right on time!”

— Dianna Hobbs

My plight was sort of like Esau’s in Genesis 25:29-34, only he stood to lose way more than a good credit score! He, like me, was hungry one day, when his twin brother, Jacob, offered Esau a bowl of homecooked stew in exchange for his birthright.

The birthright belonged to the eldest, so Esau was automatically positioned to get special privileges. He was entitled to receive the biggest chunk of the inheritance and a double portion of all his father’s possessions (Deuteronomy 21:17).

Unfortunately, Esau chose a King-Size bowl of stew over his invaluable birthright and lived to regret that decision. Instant gratification strikes again!

I’m sure you can think of a time when the pursuit of instant gratification led you to make a not-so-great decision—maybe with long-term (or even permanent) consequences in exchange for short-term pleasure. You’re not alone. I’ve made my fair share of bone-headed decisions in my day, so I get it.

Though the sting of regret was horrible, something good came out of it. It taught me to wait on God despite my flesh occasionally throwing a full-on tantrum and crying, “I want it right now!”

God knows not only what we need but when we need it. So, keep walking by faith, friend. Trust God’s perfect timing. In due season, you will reap the benefits you’re entitled to because of the divine birthright you possess as a child of God. You will be the recipient of special favor and a double portion of blessings.

And beware! Satan would love to wave around a King-Size curse called instant gratification and disguise it as blessing called instant breakthrough. He hopes he can get you to forfeit your royal benefits, give up your harvest, and throw away the blessings God has for you.

That’s why God is getting your attention right now and making you a promise that if you wait on Him, He will surely bless you in amazing ways.

To help you remember that you have a divine inheritance stored up, I’m stirring Colossians 1:12 NIV into your cup of inspiration, which says, “and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, know that you’ve got a reason to praise, because God has a great inheritance in store for you, and He will release your harvest if you wait on Him.

Now, let’s pray.

God, thank You for encouraging me to be patient when my flesh is demanding what it wants right now. As I wait on You and trust You, I know that in due time, You will release my divine inheritance just as You promised You would. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dianna Hobbs is founder of EEW Magazine Online and CEO of Empowering Everyday Women Ministries — a 501c3 nonprofit organization that shares the gospel and provides humanitarian aid to the hurting. She is also the writer of Your Daily Cup of Inspiration and executive producer of the companion podcast. Follow Dianna on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube. Sign up for her free ministry newsletter here.