"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted: A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 King James Version)
Life so often throws us down pathways that we never could have fathomed traveling. I just relaunched the blog recently and while I usually spend a week preparing a draft, this series is one in which I am just choosing to "wing it" and hope it helps another soul along their personal journey. Last week, I wrote about riding down a path of wilderness during the past year and a half; yet, it is another off road that I still am finding myself enduring. My whole concept for the next few weeks consisted of: prayer, purpose, and praise in the wilderness. As I was led to an unexpected snippet of light last night while flipping through my Bible and asking the Lord to lead me to words I needed to see, I felt instantly encouraged by what was in front of my eyes and it is Scripture in which I have written this post around.
A time to break down. A time to build up. Such a powerful statement.
So often, we forget that as born again believers we are in the process of being continuously molded into who Christ intends for us to be. We became a new creature after accepting Christ as our Savior, but we still battle our flesh & the old sinful nature. We can do our best to follow Christ as closely as we can, but we are still human and therefore we will make mistakes.
We are quick to pummel ourselves with negative thoughts and we find ourselves in situations that seem impossible to escape from. We feel all alone, no one is around us, and we begin to question life; every detail seems to fall apart before our eyes. We make desperate attempts to reconcile the issue, and that only makes things worse.
Either we're in a situation that we didn't create, and it just seemed to happen to us; or we most likely created the mess ourselves. If you are like me, you most likely create your own messes.
Regardless of how the situation came about, it is highly fixable. Most of the time we become better versions of ourselves through any sort of mess without realizing it. Satan wants to distract us and get our eyes off of Christ; he will throw anything in your path: desired friendships, acceptance desires, anxiety about not being a "good enough" Christian, the chase of self glory, approval from others, or he'll tell you that you need to serve Him another way because doing what you love to do just isn't cutting it. Those are nothing but devious lies, and are to be prayed out of your mind!
How can we be encouraged during storms such as this? How can we know that we are to remain joyful when our unfounded negative thoughts dampen our spirits? The Bible tells us so. We are not good ourselves, but we are to remain joyful in what He is.
"I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life." (Ecclesiastes 3:12 King James Version)
Let me ask a question: Does it seem like you keep failing at life in the same way? Maybe there's a weakness in you that you just can't seem to overcome.
The first thing we are to do is to put a halt to the negative self talk. It is a trap one can easily become engulfed by, and it is a powerful detriment to our growth in Christ. It serves no purpose other than to make us miserable, which is what Satan desires most.
We are to be encouraged in every season of wilderness that we come to encounter. We are to seek His face. He will listen even when we feel like He has given up on us. He never does. Look at it this way:
If you've been in a similar situation before, and you've had victory in that storm through Him..He will carry you through it again! Perhaps it is a similar situation, but a different season with a different lesson. God isn't done with you yet, so don't give up on Him. Allow Him to keep shaping the clay that is you.
"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11 King James Version)
Wilderness brings forth growth, which takes time. Every situation you go through makes you who you are; you wouldn't be the person you are today if it weren't for those experiences, now would you? Take heart and know He is there through it all. He corrects you but He loves you and wants you to flourish. He's working on you piece by piece to make you beautiful in His time.
Be encouraged. Be joyful. Pray and seek His guidance. Know that even if situations don't resolve themselves the way you want them to, it will always work out the way that it is supposed to. Take the lesson from it & grow in your walk with Christ. Don't let the devil have the satisfaction of keeping you in your emotional prison.
Keep going. God has a plan for you. He will encourage you in the midst of your wilderness. You cannot mess up His plan for you. Just begin again.
"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." (Ecclesiastes 3: 14 King James Version)
Life so often throws us down pathways that we never could have fathomed traveling. I just relaunched the blog recently and while I usually spend a week preparing a draft, this series is one in which I am just choosing to "wing it" and hope it helps another soul along their personal journey. Last week, I wrote about riding down a path of wilderness during the past year and a half; yet, it is another off road that I still am finding myself enduring. My whole concept for the next few weeks consisted of: prayer, purpose, and praise in the wilderness. As I was led to an unexpected snippet of light last night while flipping through my Bible and asking the Lord to lead me to words I needed to see, I felt instantly encouraged by what was in front of my eyes and it is Scripture in which I have written this post around.
A time to break down. A time to build up. Such a powerful statement.
So often, we forget that as born again believers we are in the process of being continuously molded into who Christ intends for us to be. We became a new creature after accepting Christ as our Savior, but we still battle our flesh & the old sinful nature. We can do our best to follow Christ as closely as we can, but we are still human and therefore we will make mistakes.
We are quick to pummel ourselves with negative thoughts and we find ourselves in situations that seem impossible to escape from. We feel all alone, no one is around us, and we begin to question life; every detail seems to fall apart before our eyes. We make desperate attempts to reconcile the issue, and that only makes things worse.
Either we're in a situation that we didn't create, and it just seemed to happen to us; or we most likely created the mess ourselves. If you are like me, you most likely create your own messes.
Regardless of how the situation came about, it is highly fixable. Most of the time we become better versions of ourselves through any sort of mess without realizing it. Satan wants to distract us and get our eyes off of Christ; he will throw anything in your path: desired friendships, acceptance desires, anxiety about not being a "good enough" Christian, the chase of self glory, approval from others, or he'll tell you that you need to serve Him another way because doing what you love to do just isn't cutting it. Those are nothing but devious lies, and are to be prayed out of your mind!
How can we be encouraged during storms such as this? How can we know that we are to remain joyful when our unfounded negative thoughts dampen our spirits? The Bible tells us so. We are not good ourselves, but we are to remain joyful in what He is.
"I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life." (Ecclesiastes 3:12 King James Version)
Let me ask a question: Does it seem like you keep failing at life in the same way? Maybe there's a weakness in you that you just can't seem to overcome.
The first thing we are to do is to put a halt to the negative self talk. It is a trap one can easily become engulfed by, and it is a powerful detriment to our growth in Christ. It serves no purpose other than to make us miserable, which is what Satan desires most.
We are to be encouraged in every season of wilderness that we come to encounter. We are to seek His face. He will listen even when we feel like He has given up on us. He never does. Look at it this way:
If you've been in a similar situation before, and you've had victory in that storm through Him..He will carry you through it again! Perhaps it is a similar situation, but a different season with a different lesson. God isn't done with you yet, so don't give up on Him. Allow Him to keep shaping the clay that is you.
"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11 King James Version)
Wilderness brings forth growth, which takes time. Every situation you go through makes you who you are; you wouldn't be the person you are today if it weren't for those experiences, now would you? Take heart and know He is there through it all. He corrects you but He loves you and wants you to flourish. He's working on you piece by piece to make you beautiful in His time.
Be encouraged. Be joyful. Pray and seek His guidance. Know that even if situations don't resolve themselves the way you want them to, it will always work out the way that it is supposed to. Take the lesson from it & grow in your walk with Christ. Don't let the devil have the satisfaction of keeping you in your emotional prison.
Keep going. God has a plan for you. He will encourage you in the midst of your wilderness. You cannot mess up His plan for you. Just begin again.
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