Tag: challenges

Unexpected Detours

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Nobody likes unexpected detours.

They mess with your plans and remind you that you are not in control.

Maybe your life has taken an unexpected detour.

The road before you may look different than you expected.

Life is taking you down a different path and you are not sure where it will lead.

That is okay, God does.

He knows what lies before you and that His plan for you will not be detracted by it.

It may take longer to get where God wants you, but you will get there. 

Through Jesus, this promise is for you: 

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Isaiah 43:1-2 NIV

Do not fear. 

God is not suggesting it.

He is not asking you to consider it, He is not giving it to you as an option, it is a command from His heart to yours: Do not fear.

My friend, you are a chosen, treasured child of God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

God will meet you on this unexpected detour and be with you every step of the way.

He will help you face whatever problems you encounter and whatever challenges rise up to discourage you.

You are not alone.

God is with you. 

And as you go, my prayer is that you will rest fully in His endless supply of grace and mercy.

Frustrated?

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“Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:1-2‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Are you frustrated today?

You may be dealing with a bad habit that needs to be broken also known as: things aren’t working out the way you want them to.

You may well not even realize it is a habit until you go through something difficult.

Until you are challenged.

Until things don’t work out the way you expected them to.

Jesus said that you are free when our lives are not centered around what you want but around what God wants.

When you struggle, you may think it is because God doesn’t love you.

In reality, He loves you so much that He will use the stressful circumstance at hand to break the habit of the-only-way-I-will-be-happy-is-when-I-get-my-way.

God has more for you than that and He calls it freedom. 

All Things

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“Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take.”
Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ MSG

Today you have a task before you that is too big for you to do on your own.

God knows this too.

He doesn’t intend for you to do it on your own or by yourself.

He intends for you to move forward with Him.

To face the impossible challenge with Him.

If you should keep going forward or if you even have the strength to, hear these words from your Father in heaven:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ NIV

Should you move forward?

Yes.

Can you?

Yes.

Why?

Because you can do all things through Him who strengthens you. 

Everyday

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“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”

Psalm‬ ‭68‬:‭19‬ NIV

Every day brings:

  • New choices to make
  • New challenges to face
  • New fears to conquer
  • New burdens to bear

Every day brings:

  • Old memories that linger
  • Old mistakes still bearing consequences
  • Old fears that refuse to die
  • Old baggage that demands space and attention

God will bear your burdens every day. 

Old, new, heavy or light.

Everyday.

You may not know what burdens will be thrust upon you today but God does. 

He stands with open arms and strong shoulders to bear them for you.

What new burden do you need to give to God? 

What old burden do you need to give to God? 

How can I pray for you today? 

Today’s Challenges

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God will use today’s challenges to give you the skills you need for tomorrow’s assignment.

Look to Jesus to guide you through it and help you navigate all the way to the other side of it. Don’t give up halfway through. Storms do not last forever but the lessons you could learn from them will.

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭MSG‬‬

It doesn’t matter where it’s coming from, God will use It to get you going in the right direction.

God will use whatever opposition is coming at you as an opportunity to grow your faith and character.

Let Him.

What is God using your current challenge to develop in you?

Push Through

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push-through

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God doesn’t want you to have a life that looks good. He wants you to have a life that is good.

That means facing the challenges, sticking it out thru the hard stuff to learn the hard lessons.

The hard lessons are the ones that give us the truths (and strength) to live a good life.

Your identity is in Christ, not a title, a position or job.

Your worth is who you are, not what you have (or don’t have).

You are loved completely, endlessly and for all eternity because you have been embraced by God.

You were made for more than just an easy life.

You have been made to live a God-ordained, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit powered good life.

Push through the hard stuff to get to the good stuff, to the peace that passes understanding and the faith that does not depend on circumstances.

I know it is hard.

With Jesus, you can do the hard stuff.

Worry or Peace

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You will have many opportunities to worry today.

Some things you worry about all the time.

Some things you can’t anticipate until they are upon you.

Either way, you can collect worry like it’s your job or you can choose peace.

You have peace with God through Jesus Christ and because of that you can receive peace from God in every situation.

That doesn’t mean the day before you is not full of challenges, it means that you have already decided to face them with the peace of God ruling your heart rather than the anxiety of man.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Recognize that out of all the decisions you will make today, the most important one will be what you choose to hold onto God’s peace or your worry?

Insurmountable Obstacles

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Do you have an obstacle before you seems impossible to overcome?

When Jesus walked the earth the term
“mountain” was used in that day to mean an insurmountable problem.

““Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” (Mark 11:22, 23 NIV)

God can overcome any obstacle, move any mountain, no matter how big and immovable it seems.

It is not difficult for Him and does not weaken His strength. He is not worried about it and does not stress over doing it.

However, He will not force Himself on you or bully you into giving Him permission to move. He will not pry your fingers off it or come into the situation uninvited.

But He will come in when you invite Him too and He will move when you give Him room.

Jesus did not say “have faith in yourself”, he said: “Have faith in God”.

Put your faith in God.

Speak to your mountains with that faith and watch God do the impossible and move the immoveable.

Comfort Zones

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Your comfort zone is when you do what you have always done.

When you go where you have always gone and see the same people you always see.

But then Jesus walks into your life and whispers “follow me” and He leads you right out of your comfort zone.

He leads you to go to new places and to see different people.

He leads you to learn new things and deal with new situations.

We like being comfortable and dealing with the familiar. But comfortable and familiar doesn’t always mean your where God wants you to be.

Sometimes He calls you away from the job you’ve always known and the identity you have got from it.

Sometimes He calls you out from behind the desk you have always sat at and challenges you to use gifts you didn’t know you had.

Sometimes, He answer prayer in ways you never expect and walks with you through things you could not have anticipated.

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, (‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬ NIV)

Your job isn’t to create a new job, or develop a new coping mechanism or try to forge a new identity.

Your job is to follow Jesus right out of your comfort zone and allow Him to forge you into the person He created you to be.

What comfort zone is God calling you out of?

Friday’ Reward

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Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. (James 1:12 MSG)

Today:
Do what you can,
with what you have,
where you are at.

Meet your challenge head on and stick it out to the end. In the meantime, let the struggle drive you to your knees.

Let it bring you to the place where you can’t possibly hold the weight of it or it will crush you.

Then surrender it all to God. Bring him your heavy burden and let him lead you one step at a time.

Your reward

for letting God take your burdens, following Him on the high road and trusting Him in the dark

is

learning to dance in the dark, to walk on the edge and being able authentically embrace His daily presence

which equals life and more life.

May you redeem your reward today and enjoy it for the rest of your earthly life.