Feeling Stuck? You can Start Again and Move Past your Past

Are there hopes and desires that you once had, and now there somewhere in the distance? Maybe you have tried to step out many different times, only to see things crumble and lay by the waste side. Perhaps, you’re tired of trying to get back up again, and you feel you’re your hope has been deferred one too many times. So, now you feel stuck, stuck to go forward and try again. You may feel what the point in trying again is.

You may be in a season in your life where you feel stuck; you can’t go back but you’re not moving forward either. Let’s explore some reasons why you may feel stuck.

               

You may feel stuck but in fact you are not, God has you in the transition of waiting until the next season opens up. It could be that it is not time to move forward, yet you feel antsy in your flesh to move ahead. There is a grace and a flow when it is time to move ahead with the things of God, and when it’s not it feels like you are in quicksand and cannot move no matter how much you want to.

You might feel like you have tried many times before to mend a relationship, start a ministry or business, heal an old wound, break free from addiction and sin, get out of debt, or just enjoy your life, but each time you try it seems to fail. This has caused you to feel hopeless and like a failure. You have become tired and weary in the trying, and now it is comfortable and convenient to stay where you are.

Maybe you just don’t know what to do. You don’t know whether to go left or to go right or stay in the middle. You don’t have clear direction about moving forward, yet you desire to go forward; you have become tired of the waiting.

There could be resistance from the enemy. The enemy has seen your potential and is trying to defeat and discourage you, and thwart the plans that God has for you. You listen to the lies of the enemy and you stay bound where you are at.

What are you to do when you are stuck?

1.     Detach from your regular routine. Take time and step away and gain perspective and vision from God. Get a journal and ask God to give you a new vision. Even if you feel like you have already done this before.

2.     As with Jonah (read Jonah Chapter 3), he ran away from God and his calling, but God was giving him a second chance in God’s work. You may feel as though you are disqualified from serving God because of your past mistakes, but God may be giving you a second chance. Believe God is not done with you, no matter how many mistakes and failures that you have had.

3.     If you feel you can’t go back to the past but not able to go forward yet, seek God and ask Him to you if you are in a transition period before your new season comes. Many people do not like to wait for things, and if you are truly in a waiting and transitioning season then it is important to wait on God for His leading.

4.     As you live your life for God, determine not to trust in your own strength or abilities. Sometimes, we are fearful to move forward because we believe we can’t, not realizing it is not us but God that can. Do what you can now, even if it seems small and insignificant because God rejoices in what is right not necessarily what is big. Be faithful right where you are, and whatever God has given you to do now. Begin where you are at and do what you can, and leave the results to God. Don’t try and force promotion, recognition, your ministry, or even change. Let God on His time promote and give if He sees fit. Reframe your mind. Do not despise the small beginnings. Rethink your new opportunities, even if you feel they are small, and prayerfully consider that God may have you exactly where He wants you.

5.     Don’t compare yourself where you are at in life to where others are at in life. This will cause you to move ahead of God’s timing, or resent where you are at now. There is a season for everything, and a time for everything.

6.     Be willing to release and let go of your past and as the Holy Spirit leads you to move forward. Leaving the past behind you may feel sadness, depression, isolation, and loneliness, these negative feelings may cause you to cling to your past because it’s too painful to let go. Ask the Holy Spirit what you need to let go in your past.

7.     Be free and at peace to wait for God to open the door of new opportunity, and step out when He gives new opportunities.

Embrace new opportunities and see them as second chances from God. If fear has a tightening grip around you to move forward, know that God is not sending you fear. Be strong and very courageous. Never think it is over, God is in the business of do-overs. 

Temptation Will Come

As I have counseled with numerous Christians I have come to realize temptation will come. I have seen temptation come in various forms such as addiction, pornography, homosexuality, and marital affairs. The enemy knows where you are the weakest and he will target those areas. If you have any areas in your life that has not be healed or exposed to the light of Jesus, satan can and often does attack in these “hidden” areas.

Here is my go to place, the beach when I feel tempted
 and need to get alone with God. Where is your go to place
when you need to flee, run from temptation?

No matter how strong of a Christian you think you are, temptation will eventually come, and you must know your weaknesses and stand your ground. You might say,” I don’t have to worry about this because I attend church weekly, serve at church, and I have a close walk with the Lord.” That is wonderful and that means you will recognize when temptation comes and what to do when it comes. I have seen and known countless “strong” Christians fall into temptation that lead into deep sin. No Christian is immune from the temptations of satan and his cohorts. We must know what to do when temptation comes and be guarded always. This is nothing new, satan tempted Eve first in the garden and she fell for it! Temptation never comes in its purest, evilest form; instead it comes packaged with a beautiful red bow on top, ready for you to open. The only problem with this beautiful gift is that it is deceiving, once you unwrap (or fall into sin), the box or sin is empty. There is nothing in the box, satan deceived you. The enemy set you up to take the beautiful gift and once you open the box it is hard to return the gift to the sender. However, you can always send the empty box (sin) back by repenting and turning away from that sin.

Not all temptation will led to sin, however, a lot of times if you keep “looking at the beautiful box with its shiny red bow” you will eventually open the box. Turn immediately from temptation. It is not a sin to be tempted, all will be tempted, but temptation is where satan tries to get his hook into you. If satan can get you to look and gaze long enough, he will set you up and hook you into his trap and web of deceit. Now, let’s take the analogy of a fisherman who “hooks” bait on his lure to “catch fish.” Satan “hooks, lures” (tempting things/people) into your life so that you will take the “bait.” We know that when a fish is caught on a hook that hook is lodged into the fish’s throat, it is very difficult for the fish to escape now. When the fish was in the water the fish saw this “shiny, beautiful lure” and the fish was deceived into thinking it was food and the fish took the first bite and was hooked. That is what satan does to us, if he can present that “shiny, lure” (temptation), he hopes we will take the “first bite,” because when we do that we become “hooked.” How many people I have spoken with tell me, “I am hooked on pornography and I can’t stop, I just looked once.” Or I have heard, “I can’t stop this adulterous relationship, I am hooked to this person. It did not start out this way, it was innocent at first, just office flirtation, but now I can’t let them go.” Once you enter into satan’s dark world of sin, you become trapped and ensnared. Think about those words, reflect for a moment, does it appear it would be easy to disengage satan’s throws of sin once he gets you “hooked?”

Don’t think for a moment that once the “hook” goes in, satan will just release you. Let’s go back to the analogy of a fisherman who just caught a fish. The fish is hooked and when the fisherman reels the fish in, the fish fights, but the fish is hooked and is not going anywhere. If you have ever fished, you know once a fish is reeled in the fish only can be released when the fisherman unhooks the fish from the lure. If you want to be released from the “hook” first know satan will put up a fight, there may be a battle to release you and you may want to give up because the battle is difficult, but if you allow Jesus to “unhook” the sin, He can truly release you from the grips of this sin.

There are some key steps to take to OVERCOME temptation and stay away from sin:

1.     FLEE. Flee, run, and get away from all situations that are tempting.

2.     Choose to change your thinking.  When thoughts come (and they will), replace that thought IMMEDIATELY with a faith-filled, positive thought and/or Scripture. DO NOT DWELL, PONDER on the tempting thought. The battlefield starts in your mind first! An example would be when a tempting thought comes replace immediately ( using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) with something like, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

3.    Stay away from ALL tempting places and people. Examples: bar, casino, nightclub, seducing people, people you are attracted to, and any others that are tempting to you.

4.   Be careful to guard your mind from T.V., movies, books, computer, phone (if your phone has internet), and all electronic devices. Replace these if they are a problem, place filters on electronic devices if you have to keep them, and NEVER use these devices ALONE if they are an issue for you. If you are alone in your bedroom and this is a problem for you, shut off ALL electronic devices including phone. Use these devices only when around others. I know this is difficult since we are the “age of technology.” But there is no other way. DO you TRULY want to be free?

5.     Tell someone you trust, a pastor, Christian counselor, or friend. Confess your sins to one another so that you will be healed. James 5:16.

6.     Confess, Repent. Cleanse yourself of all known sins so that you can be healed and receive the forgiveness that is yours in Christ. No condemnation, just God’s forgiveness of sins. That’s why He died for us!

7.    Get an accountability partner if the sin is uncontrollable.

8.   Read the Bible daily, pray daily and as often as needed, and worship Jesus through thanksgiving, praise, and music. This step cannot be underestimated! You cannot get rid of the temptation or sin without replacing God’s truth. The lies of the enemy have to be exposed to the truth of God’s word! You cannot skip this step!

Here are some Scriptures to reflect and meditate on. They are truth and are not from the author but from the Word of God. Do not take what I say or anyone else but what the Word of God says.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in power of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgive all your sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.    Colossians 2:9-15, NIV.

Praise Jesus! We are not prisoners of sin any longer, He nailed our sins to the cross, know the truth, the enemy cannot hold you captive if you are a born-again Christian! You can tell the enemy he has to flee from you in Jesus name!

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.   1 John 4:4-6, NIV.

Once again, we see that if and when we sin we have Jesus, our High Priest to take away our sins. We do not need to live bound in sin any longer.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused live in us envies intensely? But He gives us more grace. That is why the Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.    James: 4-10, NIV.

Submit to God, Flee from the devil and repent with sorrow and God will cleanse you and lift you up.

Read carefully and meditate on this Scripture from Galatians 5:16-26

Additional resources from author can be located @ these websites:

Online Christian Counseling:www.gospelguidance.com/advisors/5311-sreck

Latest book publication, Wilderness Mentality, Stop your Stinkin’ 

Thinkin’:www.createspace.com/4036785

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Don't Give Up! Hope for the Wounded and the Downcast

                 

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Psalm 13:12

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Psalm 13:2

Have you ever asked God, “How much longer? I can’t possibly endure this any longer.”

May the Peace of the Messiah fill you today, breathe! 

What are you struggling with? What has you up at night, and causes you deep distress? If I could hear your answers I can only imagine what your responses may sound like, “I desperately am wanting a Godly marriage, I am waiting for my prodigal child to return home, I long for a child, I suffer in secret with depression, I have an addiction that controls me, my family is toxic and dysfunctional, I suffering from physical illness, I feel rejected and alone, and the list can go on and on. It can be multiple issues you are dealing with, not just one or two. Multiple issues can cause heart-sickness and grief, you can begin to feel hopeless and without cause. You may wonder if others experience the depth of your pain and suffering. You are honestly tired and want to give up. You have tried to “put the mask” on for everybody but you cannot pretend any longer that everything is okay. You may even feel misunderstood and you may have isolated yourself from others for fear of what they would think of you.

You have had enough and your looking to just get by or not by at all. Don’t give up now! Hold and wait once again for the Lord. I know that may sound cliché, especially if you have been hurting a long time with no relief, believe me I understand. I have felt pain and experienced depths of depression that was debilitating. I will encourage you to seek Godly counsel and support, find someone who you trust that will hear your story and show you compassion and encourage you to “get up” again. There are plenty of resources on the internet if you are unable to find someone in your area or even feel more comfortable in your home. Get back into the Word of God and take time to pray, and even cry. You must let out the pain through tears and even through writing (journaling). God knows your pain, but you have to release it. Keeping things “bottled-up” inside can cause depression, anxiety, anger, and a host of physical ailments.

Know who your real enemy is, it’s not God, but the thief who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). You are in a real battle and the enemy would love to destroy you and whatever purpose God has for you. Get up! Stop letting the enemy walk all over you. Rest, be healed and then fight! Fight for your life, fight for your God-given rights. You are not alone in your suffering, many Christians have endured and walked through severe trials. God does love you and He does have a plan for your life. A plan of hope, victory, peace, and joy over-flowing. You will make it, you will get out of this pit. Let go of your expectations for your life and others and surrender your hopes and dreams to the One who created you. He is not done with you, the story is not over.

Even David in the book of Psalms understood depression.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5-6, 11; 43:5)

To contact author and to find additional resources: 

www.christianhopecounseling.com

Online Christian Counselors: www.gospelguidance.com/advisors/5311-sreck

You tube videos on HOPE & ENCOURAGEMNT: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOEx8uKfKE

Hope & Encouragement BLOG: www.onlinechristiancounselingforwomen.blogspot.com

Latest publication, Wilderness Mentality, Stop your Stinkin’ Thinkin: www.createspace.com/4036785

Pain of a Prodigal, A Mother's Perspective

Every soon to be mother begins dreaming for her child that is to be born. Mothers dream that their children will be productive, love their parents and honor them, be who God destined them to be, and fulfill the call and purpose in their life. Mothers dream early on that they will have a close, loving relationship with their child. Mothers see themselves shopping with their daughters and having lunch dates and mothers see themselves at every ball game of their son’s life. Mothers dream of harmony and peace for their child. They desire their child to have to go through minimal pain and heartache in their lives. Mothers dream of the day they child will find and marry their God-given mate and produce Godly grandchildren.

What happens when all those dreams become shattered, crushed, and torn? A mother is thrown a lot of the times into deep despair and discouragement and sometimes even depression. A mother will often go through a series of grief encounters. Sometimes a mother accepts this tragedy and finds some comfort that her child is far away from the things of God, and other times the mother grieves in her spirit. She has a pain that no one can see. A type of “hole” in her heart, a slow leak. You may see this mother at the grocery store or even at your church. Most likely every mother’s day and every holiday she feels pain. She gets that reminder, as she sees the other children with their parents that her child is once again not there.  She tries not to show too much emotion but she is overcome in private with a whirlwind of emotions. She wonders what went wrong and how much longer. Every phone call she holds her breath, for she does not know if this time it will be the dreaded phone call. Every unexpected knock on the door startles her. Fear takes over her mind more times than she would like to admit. She realizes that fear does not come from God, but sometimes fear gets the best of her. Sometimes, this mother is up at night, can’t sleep; disturbed. Other times she is up warfare praying for her child. Regardless, her sleeping is not as peaceful and restful as it once was.

This mother waits year after year for the return of her prodigal child. Each year she grows more wearied and despaired. The waiting is excruciating. There are good moments and even peaceful times, but a mother forgets their child and never forgets what or where they might be. Sometimes to survive she has to put this out of her mind and “pretend” all is okay with her. She has tried to discuss this with other mothers, but they can only understand so much about the plight of a mother waiting for the return of her child. They can only understand the unresolved grief that plagues her, and how sometimes she is strong and other days she is weak and wearied from the crying and waiting.

What is a mother to do in this type of pain? How does she continue to hold on when her world seems to be flooding her with overwhelming circumstances? She sees and knows her child is in a desperate situation. Some prodigal children lose everything and a mother has to sit there and watch her child suffer. She knows if she intervenes as she has done in the past so many times, that it only makes matters worse. How difficult it is to not intervene. A mother’s love will always want to intervene when they see their child in trouble; it’s natural and normal. It is not normal for a mother to do nothing when she sees her child yet again suffer a consequence. As mothers we understand that if we continue to bail out our children from their difficulty they may never learn and turn from their destructive ways.

So what is a mother to do as she waits?

1.      Take time for yourself. You have to take regularly time for yourself because of the enormous stress having a prodigal can have, it is vital that you take regular time for yourself. I like to call them retreat days. Pamper yourself during those times.

2.      Have daily time under the cover of the Lord and Savior. Also, incorporate at least 1x monthly retreat days with God. Journal during those times, listen for God, pray, worship, sit outside and rest and wait for God to refresh your soul and spirit.

3.      Exercise. Walking is a great stress reliever.

4.      Find at least one friend who you can trust and pray together, laugh together and have a “girl day.”

5.      If you are married, have your spouse pray over you regularly and pray together in intercession weekly for your child. Praying in agreement is powerful.

6.      Worship and sing praises to our Lord. Praise will defeat the enemy and send him running!

7.      Play relaxation music at every chance you can. Soft melodies, jazz, nature music, and even classical.

8.      Take bubble baths and light candles, bring your relaxation music in your bathroom as well.

9.      Do something fun at least 1x per week.

10.  Find a creative outlet, painting, drawing, and writing.

11.  Go to the movie or rent a movie on something funny or inspirational.

12.  Date your husband. Go on at least 2 planned dates a month with your spouse.

13.  Do not talk non-stop about your prodigal child. Assign 20 minutes a day to discuss your child and then move on to something else.

14.  Incorporate nature into your life, walk on the beach, watch and/or feed birds, ride bikes or walk on nature trail.

15.  Be gentle with yourself and forgive yourself. Love yourself, take care of yourself. Let go of all false guilt and false responsibility.

16.  Live one day at a time and do not live in fear and terror.

17.  Do not take on other heavy loads and burdens. Having a prodigal child is a heavy enough load and burden to carry. If you have other family members that are difficult and needy, you will need to let go of them and let God intervene. God will not put more on you than you can handle.

18.  Stay away from getting entangled in other people’s problems and lives. You can pray and encourage someone but do not get entangled. The enemy would love to burden you with not just your prodigal but everyone else’s problems.

19.  If you are not able to attend church on holidays or mother days because of the intensity of the grief, don’t.

20.  Find other things in your life to focus on instead of your prodigal all the time.

21.  Live in HOPE! Never, lose hope and wait expectedly upon the Lord.

If you are in need of additional help or prayer, contact author @ www.christianhopecounseling.com for online counseling, support and prayer. She understands your pain and what you are going through. You ar

Adjustments and Transitions

Adjustments and major transitions can be difficult, especially if you have problems with control. If something changes and you have an issue with control you can be easily side-swiped. It is important to take it one day at a time. You can’t say you will go here or do this tomorrow for certain because you do not know what will happen. We have to make adjustments and transitions and they will go a lot smoother if we realize that we have to hold our plans loosely and be ready for change.

A definition from Wikipedia.com for adjustment is regulating, adapting or settling in a variety of contexts. If you are not able to adjust easily to transitions and changes it will create disequilibrium and unbalance in your mind, body, and spirit. You will begin to feel stress in all of these areas. When an adjustment needs to be made, in the beginning you may feel some stress, but then you need to enter into the flow of the Spirit of God. That means seizing all control and outcomes of the situation and trusting that God has a plan and He will work it out for you good. It means stop trying to figure out why and instead remaining calm and peaceful. Sometimes adjustment periods can take a while to work out. For instance if you have a step family, or your teenage daughter is pregnant and needs help, or even divorce; the adjustment period may take longer. All are considered a crisis and all can pose a threat to our well-being. Under stress our bodies will either fight or flight, that means stay and fight or run away. Fight or flight is usually seen in stressful or threatening circumstances. There may be a time to run, but from what I know of God He does not want us to stay running He wants us to rest and get up and fight.

Taking it one day at a time is the only way to stay and fight in your situation. If you decide to stay and fight you cannot project tomorrows fears and concerns. God gives you grace for each day, not stored up grace. If you are living out on tomorrow’s grace, you will not survive the adjustment and transition period.

With any adjustment or major transition eventually you will adapt and begin to learn new coping skills. It is amazing how God created us to cope and adapt in the most stressful of situations. So no matter what you are adjusting to, know that it is not permanent. Get up today, stop wallowing and having pity parties and say, “This too shall pass.” Nothing in life is ever permanent. As the seasons change, so does our lives. There is a season for everything. Though it may be painful and dark today, tomorrow is new and full of possibilities.

Rest in your adjustments and transitions. Hasah, is Hebrew for trust. It means taking refuge in God. Batah, means to have confidence in.

Hasah Batah, Trust, take refuge and have confidence in God.

And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today, at the latest, tomorrow, we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”

James 4:13-15, Message

To order a copy of the author’s book, Wilderness Mentality Stop Your Stinkin’ Thinkin’ go to the link: www.createspace.com/4036785

Confusion, is not God's way

Confusion, is not God’s way. Confusion is not of God.

For God is not a God of confusion but peace. I Corinthians 14:33, ESV.

What are you perplexed about? Is there something that keeps you up at night? Is there something you can’t seem to quiet your mind about? Rest assured, if you answered just one of the questions, yes, God is not involved. Have you been trying to figure out a problem and you just can’t seem to find the answers? Do you seem to get more confused if you try and figure out the problem?

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10, NKJV.

Is your mind at rest or is it in turmoil? The enemy loves to distract us from what God has for us so the enemy sends deceivers in our paths to disrupt the plan of God. You begin to lose focus and perspective and get of track. You know longer know God’s plan; you are confused and perplexed. You then become restless and agitated and lose your sense of purpose. Whatever came into your path seemed so innocent, but it got you off track and distracted. Your mind is like a war-zone; a battlefield. The enemy would love to entangle you and drag you back into the pit.

You may have a real desire to help, but if God has not given you a clear direction then you are trying to fix something or someone rather than waiting on God’s leading. You must never step out of God’s leading in a situation, no matter how great the need is. The enemy will use devastating circumstances to try and lure you into their entangled web. You might say, “But this is family, I have to help.” If you feel overwhelmed, unsure, confused, guilty, then the motivation is not coming from God but satan. Check the source before intervening in a situation.

The problem is not understanding we are in warfare and we do have a real enemy, and he does come disguised to take us off guard. Don’t follow the crowds because you most likely will be misled, but follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. If God remains quiet for a time, then it is not time to get impatient and decide to step out of God’s leading. In everything you do, it must be first brought before the throne of God.

God is a God of peace and order, God brings order and an easy flow. GOD DOES NOT BRING CHAOS AND CONFUSION. If God is in something you will know it, and you will not have to try and figure out what to do. If you have been interceding in a situation that God had not directed then you could be falling in a snare of the enemy. The enemy wants to set a trap to ensnare you with, and he will use the people closet in your life to do so. The enemy will entice you with their problems, needs, and threats. The enemy will show you their situations and magnify them. You will get the sense you have to act know and immediately because they are in danger. The enemy will use manipulative and controlling tactics to get you into his scheme. WHY DO WE BELIEVE God can’t step in and intervene in the most horrific of situations? The best help you can truly give someone is intercession prayer. Without satan and his cohorts being bound first in their lives, the enemies’ tricks and plans will try and infiltrate your life. There is a lack of understanding about spiritual warfare and so many Christians are getting themselves in situations that could put them in the line of fire for the enemy. We must never fear the enemy but we must know him and we must guard and be aware of his schemes to take us out. If you have been in a cycle of fixing and controlling people and situations then it is time to step back and let God have His way. God may not want you to intervene other than prayer. As Christians we believe every need and hurt is our cause, when in reality God may be having His way in that person’s life and we must step out of the way.

Confusion comes when we are in the way, and we hate to see people hurt and we try and figure out solutions to their problems. Get out of the way and the confusion will leave and when Christ directs you to do something you will not have to try and figure it out because Jesus will give you the answer. Be still and KNOW that He is God. Psalm 46:10.

To order a copy of my book, Wilderness Mentality, Stop Your Stinkin’ Thinkin’ go to www.createspace.com/4036785

The Journey's been long but the tide is about to turn

Circumstances, trials, crisis, let downs have captured the people of God.

Some have succumbed to the hardships of life. Some have even given up hope. While others have lost their faith and doubted God’s plans and purposes for their lives. This journey has been long and daunting.

The journey that you have been on has been unrelenting in trials and hardships. You may have even wondered at times what you have done to have such pain. Sometimes you have felt alone on this journey and that you have been misunderstood and even rejected by others closest to you. You have not known which path to take and have even found yourself going in circles or around the same ”mountains” again and again. You have tried to express to others how you have felt but it became apparent that you were not being understood. You may have lost all or most of your traveling companions on this journey. Others left because they could no longer figure you out or you realized at some point you were traveling two different journeys.

You may have experienced health aliments and even emotional distress during this time. You asked for prayer and maybe have been standing, waiting for your healing; and you are still waiting. You are not even sure which direction to take anymore. You feel you are in a waiting period, but you seem to still be waiting. Waiting on what you say, “those prayers, promises, healings, restorations, and direction.” You have held out and waited as you have seen the desires of your heart upon your enemies. The moms who have been praying relentlessly for their prodigal to return, the single waiting for their Godly spouse, family members waiting for family relationships to be healed and restored and for the sick waiting to be healed; these are the times to wait and trust a new journey will begin. It is not God’s intent to bring tragedy, pain, heartache and suffering for you entire life and you never receive good from the evil or harm that has come into your life.

There will be a day of reckoning, a day of restoration. What have you been holding out on? What are you still believing God for? Or what have you lost hope in? Be honest before the Lord, He already knows your heart. Is there something you have given up on already because the wait became too long? I will encourage you to read the entire chapter of Ruth. Ruth lost everything, husband and two sons and was beyond childbearing age. Her future looked bleak and hopeless. But then, God restored everything back to Ruth.

“And may He be a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”  Ruth 4: 15

Ruth waited a long time for things in her life to be restored. I am sure she had no idea how God was bringing these things to pass in her life. You may be in a place where you have hoped and nothing has happened or you did hope for something but it did not last. You may have deep discouragement and be very disillusioned about God. Ruth was so bitter about her circumstances she asked that her name be changed to Mara, which means bitter. What if she would have given up before her life was restored. Keep hoping, keep believing, and keep trusting God is a restorer.

The time has come for many to receive a new direction for your life. There is a new tide that is turning for the people of God who will flow in it. This new direction will not be familiar, you will not have chartered this territory before. It may not look exactly how you planned, but it is exactly what God has planned for you and it is good. It may be difficult to transition over because we like familiar and comfort, but go with the new flow and direction of God; do not stay stuck or you will become stagnant. God has been refining, restoring, correcting, teaching, and now the time has come to embrace a new journey. Don’t pick up where you were before. Start fresh, a new, and don’t look back, or compare the past to the future.

The tide is about to turn on this very long journey that you have been on. Make sure you are obedient to what Christ tells you and cleanse and repent of all sins. Forgive yourself and forgive others. Embrace the new journey. God is preparing His people, do not be deceived and continue on the journey that the world is taking; stay the course Christ has for you.

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Wait on the Lord

So many of God’s people have grown weary and are tired of waiting for answered prayers and promises to be fulfilled. You may have experienced trial after trial in your life and you are exhausted; maybe even lost your faith. Perhaps you have begun to doubt God and His promises and plans for your life. Let’s get honest, we all go through those times. We may wonder where God is in all of this and if He has heard my prayers.

There is a battle raging like never before, and the enemy would love you to believe all his lies and deceptions. The war is on and a sifting is occurring among God’s people. Remain steadfast and remain faithful even if you can’t see what is ahead. God is coming; He has not forgotten His people.

Renew your commitment to Christ today. Though you may be wondering what is going on, don’t despair; help is coming! Remove any and all distractions that are keeping you from your relationship with Christ. Seek Him once again and expect that He will act on your behalf. If you have been waiting months or even years for something; keep waiting! But wait in expectation of God’s promises. Your only other choice to is step subtlety in the enemy’s camp. Once the enemy pulls you in he will destroy everything you know and believe about Christ. Do not be deceived there is a battle going on, and it is to take the people of God out of the Kingdom of light. The enemy will use your circumstances, trials, and times of waiting to destroy what you believe about Christ.

God has not forgotten you. He knows you intimately and He is passionate about you. He sees your desires and even knows your deepest longings. God does love you and wants nothing more than for you to trust Him. When you trust Him the wait gets easier. Waiting on the Lord is expecting that the promises of strength will help you rise above life’s circumstances. Be patient people of the Most High God; Jesus is coming. God is not here to fulfill every desire and longing we have but to reconcile us to Him and to bring others into His glorious reign. Our lives are not our own; but His.

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord,

The creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints or grows weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and grow weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with the wings of eagles,

They shall run and not grow weary,

They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Reflection: What do you need to lay down today (unmet expectations, desires) and then ask God to renew your strength. Ask God to prepare you to align your desires with His desires and to want what He wants for your life. It is His desire to bring you good gifts, but not to fulfill all our desires of the flesh.

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Word of Encouragement-Hold on in these end times!

New Perspective

Change your thoughts and change your life. How do you view your life? Do you see the glass half empty or half full? Maybe you need an attitude adjustment and a new perspective. You may be seeing your life through faulty lenses.

We lose perspective in our lives when:

1.      Discouragement occurs

2.      Disappointment happens

3.      Defeat, failure and regret sets in

4.      Hope is deferred once again for those things we are waiting for

5.      We become weary in our waiting time

6.      We stop being thankful and become complainers and murmurs

7.      Trials, circumstances, crisis and trauma that are out of our control

All the above can change our perspective in life. Life can let us down and our expectations about life can let us down. We can become disillusioned very quickly when our lives take a detour. A detour happens when the path we would like to stay on gets detoured by life’s circumstances. If we are not careful our attitudes can become rotten.

Maybe it’s time to get your perspective back today. You might need new lenses to see out of today. When you put on these new lenses your life will look differently.

How do you get a new perspective?

1.      In every situation, trial or circumstance know that God will bring good from it. Maybe not right away but good eventually can come from your worst circumstances.

2.      Be thankful for the good and blessings in your life. If you want the enemy to flee from you, then praise God in everything; this will send the enemy packing. When you do this you are telling God,” I trust you and I know you will turn this around for my good.”

3.      Take the garbage out and stop your stinkin’ thinkin’. Renew your mind and take all your thoughts into the obedience of Jesus Christ. Don’t just allow anything to fall into your mind. You must be proactive and stop the A.N.T.S. (automatic negative thoughts).

4.      Ask God to renew your faith as your waiting for His promise to come to pass in your life. Some of you have been waiting a long time for certain things, and you have grown weary and disillusioned.

5.      See the good in every situation. Don’t see the negative in a situation but see the potential and the good that can come from it.

6.      Surrender your life to God totally. That means giving up controlling your life and others.

From our perspective, God seems slow to intervene on our behalf. But what might appear slow to us is good timing from God’s perspective. It is easy to become impatient while waiting for God to act, but we must never give up on Him! God is worth the wait. Change your perspective and change your life.

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Be Strong and Very Courageous

Sometimes we don’t feel strong or courageous. Sometimes we feel weak and scared. Sometimes we are afraid to move forward and afraid to go backwards. There are even times where we feel paralyzed.

We even like the familiarity of our comfort zones. In other words, stepping out into a “new season” or God’s calling for your life is not always in our comfort zone. We know when God is calling us to step out, but our flesh may say, “I’m okay here in my comfort zone.” You may even feel safe in your comfort zone, but you will miss God’s calling and purpose for your life if you stay there.

What Do We Really Fear if We Step Out Into God’s Promises:

·        Fear of failure

·        Fear of the unknown

·        Fear of other’s reactions (man pleaser, instead of God pleaser)

·        Fear that you won’t have the strength to do what God has called you to do

 Do you have peace about stepping out? You may have some fear, but God wants us to be strong and courageous. Many people never take a step of faith and remain in bondage to what they fear. Living in bondage to fear is paralyzing, and you will not be able to fulfill God’s purpose for your life.

When God asked Peter to step out of the boat and onto the water, Peter had to do it by faith not fear. What is God calling you to do but you are acting in fear not faith? We are in a spiritual battle so sometimes the enemy will hold you captive to fear. If the enemy can hold you captive, you will not move forward to what God has for you. Ask God to show you the source of your fear. Is your fear from your flesh, the enemy, or perhaps a combination? Stepping out means believing what God has told you to do and then doing it. Don’t be surprised if you are attacked with fear before doing something for God.

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life;

as I was with Moses, so shall I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

Be strong and courageous;

for the people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

Joshua 1:5-6, NKJV

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid; nor be dismayed,

for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

                                                                                                                        Joshua 1:9, NKJV

From the above scriptures we know that Joshua succeeded Moses as leader. What a huge task that must have been for Joshua. Joshua’s new job consisted of leading more than 2 million people into a strange new land and conquering it! What a challenge that must have been. Just as God was with Joshua, He is with us as we face new and difficult challenges. God’s promises to never abandon us or fail to help us.

What has God challenged you with? Now, be strong and very courageous; for your Lord God goes wherever you are.

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 Be Strong and Very Courageous