Remember the game tug of war when you were a kid?
Two teams pulling against each other, trying to see who was the strongest. As a kid, it was a fun game of strength and determination, and it felt pretty good when the other team lost their grip and you won.
Now that you’re grown up, could you still be playing tug of war, but now it’s in your spiritual life?
Does this sound familiar? You want your life to go a certain way, a path you are certain you are supposed to be on, a prayer that should be answered the way you want it to. You’ve prayed about it, but nothing is happening.
What do you do when you’re faced with those situations? Do you trust God or does the internal struggle start with you going back and forth, between praying, then giving up, and then taking things into your own hands?
A tug of war begins and could last a long time if you’re not careful, and the results could be far from what you wanted in the first place.
Let’s talk about not wasting any more time in opposition to God. It’s time to get on His side.
Perseverance is where you start with your faith
Not always easy, but you are going to develop some strong faith muscles in the process!
How do you persevere when no answers are coming, and it feels like God is silent? It starts with prayer.
Pray scriptures that speak to you about the situation you’re in. Write them down, memorize them, whatever it takes to get them rooted in your heart.
What helps me is to pray Scripture back to God. After reading a particular verse, I will say, “God you say in your Word that”… and then I read back what that scripture verse says for me personally.
Try it the next time you are reading promises and truths He is speaking to you. They will make their way into your heart and will help you when you’re in a time of waiting and are tempted to start that tug of war with God.
I promise you, this can be faith changing for you. Your spirit will be reminded that God’s Word is true and that He is active in your life.
Give Him back the control
When I’m praying for a situation or for someone, and the answer is coming way too slow, I stop and think there must be a lesson in this for me. I want to learn what it is and be changed. Sometimes we can be our own stumbling block. God loves us too much to leave us where we are, never growing or flourishing in Him.
Surrendering to Him, and saying it’s ok if the outcome is different than what we want, is a big step in letting your faith gain some strength.
God wants what is best for you and only He can see the big picture and the future of what you are asking for. Maybe let go of the rope a little and give Him some room to advance in your life.
I can look back and am thankful that God didn’t answer some of my prayers the way I thought He should!
What is your trust level?
It’s easy to trust God when things are going our way, and no big problems are in our life. What happens though when you get blind-sided, and your faith is rocked to the core? This is the fork in the road. You’re either going to hang on tight and keep trusting, or you’re going to slowly or quickly drift away and let bitterness start to take root in your heart.
Dig in your heels, and CHOOSE to keep trusting. It’s really hard sometimes, but that is what sets you apart from the world. If your faith is shaky, ask God to give you more trust in Him, and more faith. The apostles asked for their faith to be increased, and you can ask for the same thing! God is more than willing to supply you with a faith that is renewed and unshakable!
Life can be hard. From a personal standpoint and a world standpoint. Both can shake your faith and leave you weak. Don’t pick up the rope of anger and bitterness, and take things into your own hands. That will only pull you into a pit and that can be hard to climb out of sometimes. Let go… and let God take up more space in your life and set your feet back on a solid path.
No more battling. Take His hand and choose to persevere, and trust. Set your feet on the Rock that doesn’t move or change. It’s time to be on His side and claim victory.
(Micah 7:7 ) ” But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord. I wait for God my savior; My God will hear me.”
Until next time,
~pat
