Many of us wrestling with one question that we sometimes confront God with: Why was I born into this world when all hell is breaking loose? And many of us believe that we can’t win for losing; if it isn’t one thing, it’s another. And when it rains, it pours.
At each stage of life, we will encounter different challenges. And often we find our lives complicated, frustrating, and confusing, causing us to turn away from life rather than toward it. However, we should consider this thought: we were made to be challenged. When challenges come, they force us to grow and help us make positive changes, creating a life worth living.
“You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.”
— Michelle Obama
There is a war within our minds, a conflict, spiritual warfare between the spirit and flesh, and between our obedience and sinful nature. On the other hand, we have the power to resist the devil, but that doesn’t mean that we can prevent certain issues from happening in our lives. “Resisting the devil doesn’t mean resisting the problem. Resisting the devil actually means resist A-C-T-I-N-G like the devil while you’re going through problems.” –Joyce Meyer
How about “letting go” of the thought that we disappoint God?
There are many people in the Bible that dealt with life struggles just as you and I do today. Let’s look at Moses. He went from being a confident and secure individual to someone who doubted himself and his purpose in life, all because of fear. The Bible tells us in Numbers 27:18-20 (NLT), “The LORD replied, Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him.”
When are you going to let it go!?
Life was never meant to be a perfection show. Life is hard, but that doesn’t mean we should beat ourselves or others over the head because of it, nor should we carry shame and act as though we must be perfect for Jesus to love us. However, we all have a duty to do good and be fruitful. In fact, even a tree cannot grow without “good soil” regardless of providing nutrients, water, and all the other things that are needed to help trees grow. Because “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
How many of us have lost opportunities because we are afraid to step out and do what God has called us to do?
We can no longer wonder why things are not happening for and in us while not trusting that God has a plan and many opportunities waiting for us, if only we would step out and ACT. When God wants something done, and it’s not being followed through with obedience, then sometimes blessed opportunities are delayed or missed altogether. It’s important to realize that timing is everything and His timing is not our timing, so when He advises us to move, we need to move. Dictionary.com defines the word “opportunity” as “a particular time, especially as marked by certain circumstances or occurrences; a convenient or favorable time, opportunity, or juncture.” In other words, your missed opportunity could have been the moment of God’s favor on your life.
Why are some of us moving forward while others are waiting for something to fall into their laps?
For me, fear and anxiety have held me back too long. And these types of emotions tend to leave people feeling crippled, powerless, and hopeless. But, then I realized these emotions came from a place of my past that I needed to revisit to move past the hurdle that kept me from moving forward; I needed to get to the root of what was triggering those emotions in the first place. In addition, many other situations and challenges in our lives are not meant to paralyze us but to create an awareness of how devastating events can negatively impact and shape how we see ourselves, especially when we don’t consider nor recognize the potential God put inside of us to keep us moving forward instead of backward. You are not living your dream, not because God doesn’t want it for you. You are not living your dream because of the battle inside of you. You must know: if there is anyone who wants to see you succeed at everything you do, even if you don’t believe it for yourself, believe that God wants it for you!
In Romans 17:15-20 (NLT), Paul says, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So, I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.” “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”
“It’s not hard to do the right thing; in fact, it’s easy. What’s hard is knowing what the right thing to do is. Once you know that, and believe it, doing the right thing is easy.” — Ben Kingsley
Obviously, the simple answer is to understand, as the Bible tells us, that God looks at the heart of man, and Jesus came to convict us, not to condemn us. So, wherever you are in life right now, you need to know that your faith, your behavior, or the person you are today had nothing to do with the choice God made when He chose YOU! That’s right! He chose you, and He loves you. The war within is no match for His power!
Won’t you surrender, allow Him to take control, and watch what He does with your life?