Familiar things are comfortable to us, we are
creatures of habit and like to dwell in places that are known to us. However,
you know in your spirit it is time for change, and God is calling you to a new
and unfamiliar territory. You would like God to give you not just a rough
outline of what is in this new territory but a detailed plan of what to expect.
The problem is rarely if ever God gives such detailed plans for the unknown that
He is asking you to march forward in. When it is time to go forward, God does
provide discomfort in your familiar comforts, such as things just don’t seem to
work and flow as they used to.
You may be in a transitional phase as you are trying
to crossover to the unfamiliar that God is asking you to step into. In this
transitional phase you will be challenged by the enemy to go back to your comfort,
but you are well aware that your comforts are not covered in the grace of God
any longer. Going back would mean a type of death, maybe not a physical death
but a spiritual death. God has given you a mission to fulfill but you keep
looking back, you have one foot in the past and one foot going forward.
You may have finally come to realize that some
relationships will not be able to go with you in this new territory, and other
relationships will not be able to have the same place in your life. This can be
particularly difficult with family relationships and friends that you have had
for a long time. God does not ask you to leave family and friends behind
because He wants you to be alone and torture you, but so that He can get you to
the place where you do not make these relationships idols, and your heart can
heal to make room for godly relationships. If there are any unhealthy
attachments and connections, and God is leading you to a new place of freedom
and service for Him-these unhealthy ties cannot go with you into the new
territory. God can and will work on those that are left as you venture into the
unfamiliar.
Old habits, sins and lingering doubts of God’s
goodness and if you can really trust Him shou be left in the past (familiar)
and new ways of relating to God should go forward with you into the new
territory (unfamiliar place). For instance if in your old familiar past you
entertained thoughts that you were an “orphan” and not really loved by God,
this lie needs to be dismantled and the truth should go with you into the new
territory, “You are adopted and an heir to the Kingdom of God.” This truth may
seem unfamiliar because in your familiar past you related to yourself as
unlovable, unworthy and not good enough. What was familiar to you in the past,
needs to now become unfamiliar, and the old self cannot be brought into the new
season God has for you. How you thought of not only yourself, God and your relationships
need to be dismantled and put under the blood of Jesus Christ, and resurrect the
new truths the Holy Spirit reveals about who He says that you are, His love for
you, and how to let go of relationships that cannot go with you into the
Promised Land. Some of the relationships that you let go of during this time,
will cross over into the Promised Land with you eventually and some will stay
in the pit. If you have come out of the pit and are now in the Promised Land,
don’t go back into the pit to get these people out. Enjoy your new place of
freedom and trust that the Holy One will make a way for all those who desire to
get out of the pit, just like you desired!
Reflect
and Ponder: Has God called you to a new season but you
find you are resisting walking into the unfamiliar territory? Are you at the
crossroad, wanting to move forward but sense a tug-of-war happening to keep you
looking back at your past? Perhaps you are thinking, “What will people think of
me?” or “What will happen if I move forward and leave my loved ones behind?”
Counselor’s
Corner:
Steps to move forward into the unfamiliar:
1. First
and most importantly, know that God is calling you to the unfamiliar. Seek the
Holy Spirit and write down what He shows you. Let nothing be done because it
feels good to your flesh or because you have always done it that way (comfort).
2. If
you feel fear, anxiousness or uneasiness about going forward in the unknown,
stop and be still. Wait for God to reassure you and to confirm what you believe
He is asking of you.
3. Recognize
that leaving the familiar behind can produce feelings of ambivalence, loss,
sadness and guilt. If you have done something a certain way for years, and now
you are doing things a new way, it may not feel right at first. Realigning
significant relationships can be even more challenging, you very likely will
come against an arsenal of attacks from the enemy as you surrender to God these
relationships. Why? The enemy would love nothing more than for you to be bound
to unhealthy, ungodly connections where all spiritual life is choked out of
you.
4. Expect
resistance from the enemy and from relationships that you are surrendering to
God. The enemy hates progress and growth and will use the people closest to you
to get you to abort the necessary changes in your life. The voice of condemnation
will get the loudest as you are getting ready to plant both feet in the new
territory God has for you. If you know God is calling you into this new,
unfamiliar territory then by faith move forward! The only other option is to go
back to the familiar. You will need to in faith push forward as the enemy aggressively
pursues in hindering your new territory. Right before you plunge completely forward,
the battle will intensify-make the decision to trust God and GO! MOVE!
5. God
will not give you a detailed plan as to how everything will work out in the unfamiliar
territory, expect a rough outline. When you step out in faith and decree and
declare your new territory as something God has positioned for you, then God
will fill in what’s next.
6. As
you GO FORWARD, march like a solider and keep your eyes on what is ahead and
not behind you. When a solider marches they can’t look behind them because they
will most likely miss their step.
MEDIATE
ON THESE SCRIPTURES:
I
will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along am unfamiliar way. I
will brighten the darkness before them and smooth the road ahead of them. Yes,
I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.
Isaiah
42:16
Trust
in the Lord, with all your heart and don’t depend on your own understanding.
Seek His will in all that you do and He will show you which path to take.
Proverbs
3:5-6
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