Are you ready to live again?
Often times in life we experience shifts, changes and downright disappointments. Furthermore, there are times when it feels like everything that can go wrong in our life—does go wrong. Life at times can seem very unfair and can leave us feeling as if we have gotten the "small end of the stick." We experience let downs and become discontent through our families, friends, relationships, employment situations, our places of residence and the worst hurt (that I have experienced)…hurt right in the church! Oh, and it's so easy to just shut down, give in and wallow in the hurts and pains of life, especially when what we face seems unjust and unfair compared to the service, faithfulness and love that we give to God and those around us. But I want to encourage you this week that no matter what hurt you have faced in life, that THERE IS LIFE AFTER THE HURT! Someone reading this now is facing what seems like an impossible situation, I speak to your inner giant and your spirit man to let you know that things are already turning around for you. It's not too late, you're not too old, God has not forgotten about you! He is going to turn that PAIN into PURPOSE!
I'm more confident now than ever to the fact that whenever we face life's vicissitudes (as a believer in Christ) its never to destroy us—but to always bring us closer to God, our destiny and even to make us more in tuned with ourselves. Have you ever been in a place where you feel like "ok my footing is sure…I can breath….everything is ok" to only wake up and your whole world be turned upside down? Well I have! This year has been such a dynamic year for me filled with many ups and downs. But within those ups and downs, I learned more about myself and my true purposes in life. I learned the differences between "my will" and "God's will" and how to always tell the difference between the two (because you do know that there are times when our will doesn't line up with God's will!). I learned more about the people who I called "friend" and honestly that list gets shorter and more refined by the week. Nevertheless, I'm ok with that because I understand that although I can be cordial to everyone, all the same, everyone is not compatible with my purpose, thus everyone can't be my "friend". Life gets a little easier when we acknowledge that everybody can't walk with us, be close with our inner being/spirit man or be inclusive within our inner circle. I used to feel bad about thinking like that, but I see now when God starts to elevate us or even shake things up in our life—its also to shake those things, people and habits in our life that are not conducive or advantageous to the greater "you". As I sat and contemplated some major changes that took place in my life this year (some welcomed and some not, however all are now embraced) as well as some major decisions I have to currently make, I thought to myself "everything has changed, nothing is the same" and I was for the first time in this season of my life ok with the shifts, changes and disappointments that I have or am currently facing.
In times past when I read 2nd Corinthians 5:17, I always associated this scripture as speaking to new converts and babes in Christ. As I was meditating in the word recently, this scripture dropped in my spirit and the Holy Spirit began to minister to me personally on this particular passage of scripture. The Lord spoke to my spirit and said "my will and plans for your life were never designed to stay in the same place or to lay dormant month after month and year after year. So since my plan and will for you matures day after day, so does everything about you, your mindset, your will and most importantly our relationship has to be elevated, renewed and strengthened." At that moment I said within myself, "well I understand that Lord, but why the pain?" He answered back to me "it was necessary (WOW…remember that?) for your growth, maturity and your relationship with me," (just like God to give you back what you have been preaching to others). As I began to contemplate this, I began to see how my trials, hurt and pains have matured and moved me forward in so many areas of my life. Not saying that it's easy going through, but there are some key points that I want to share with you that as I look back now, I have greater understanding and insight on.
1. Place your trust only in God! So many times we get jacked up in life emotionally because we tie our trust and hopes into the wrong things and the wrong people! Psalms 20:7 says it like this: "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God." You see, it's easy to want to place our trust in something that we can see and things that are physically tangible to us. The true sign of maturity in a believer is when all hope is gone, all else fails, even in the lonely, confused and despairing times you can look to Christ and say "I'm trusting you all the way. I trust you with my insufficiencies; I trust you with my emotions and feelings. I trust you with my heart, my soul, my mind, my body, my life and my future! I know things seem very dark right now, but God I'm placing my hand in yours and I trust you to lead me in the way I should go."
2. Don't seek comfort in man or things! We also mess ourselves up and often times right in the middle of our deliverance process when we try to fill our voids through people and material things. The Word of God promises in Matthew 6:33 that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (or his will, plan and way for us) then all of these things (the material and HEALTHY relationships) will be added or given to us. If we just be honest, going through at times can be very lonely. You can be in a room full of people, everybody smiling, talking to you, etc., and still feel so void and alone. This is a trick the enemy will play with your mind because he knows if he can get you by yourself then more than likely he can get you to fall for his tricks. Next thing you know, you are desiring people and things that you didn't even want before. Can we talk for real for a min? When you are going through a trial or hurt the best thing to do is to get into the presence of God, not the bed of another man or woman, not go and spend till you feel better or even eat, smoke or drink until you feel better. This is the time to lay before God and let him fill those insufficiencies! Because after you reach whatever point of ecstasy within whatever vice you choose, the void is still going to be there. But if you let God fill those empty spaces and make your down time productive then there will be no room for depression or sadness.
3. Don't blame or get angry with God because of the process you are doing through! Man, it's so easy to do this. I remember there was a situation that I was faced with for the first time ever in my life earlier this year and I tell you I had a fit on God. I told him things like "how could you let this happen to me," "God if you loved me then this wouldn't have happened," "and since you let this happen I'm not doing what you called me to do." BIG MISTAKE! Although God knows me and my heart and knows that I will love and serve Him forever, we have to be careful not to become angry with God during the times when He is trying to ultimately empower us. Furthermore, if God was to ever really remove His spirit, gifts and anointing from us…we would surely take ourselves out of here. Because even when we go through hell, He's there keeping our mind from destruction. Where would we be without Him? I don't even want to think about it.
4. When you are feeling down and heavy, put praise on your lips! Nothing (I'm my opinion) solves depression better than a true and intimate time of praise & worship unto God. I have literally been at my lowest lows emotionally and began to just thank the Lord from the fruit of my spirit and before I knew it I was lost in His presence and had forgotten what I was so down over. If we honestly step back and re-evaluate things, we will find that we have more to be thankful for than to be sad over. Yes, sadness is a natural emotion and its necessary in its time, but you cannot stay there! When you feel the spirit of heaviness put on that garment of praise! You have to make a decision, am I going to stay down like this or am I going to take on the oil of joy and lay down this cup of sadness and bitterness. Which leads me to the last point that I'm going to share at this time concerning this subject matter (maybe we will finish it in a future installment!)…
5. Move on from there! There is LIFE waiting for you after the stage of hurt. The enemy gets great joy when they knock you down and you stay there. What gets me up out of little periods of sadness or depression the quickest is when I get a visual of the devil (or my physical enemies) laughing at me and this is exactly what we allow when we stay down and allow ourselves to get entrenched in what we feel at the time. Get up from there, dust yourself off and declare your freedom! Never allow the enemy to see you sweat (THANKS FOR THAT WORD ROYALE!). But on the flip side, don't try to go after the enemy through violent releases or ill words. Better yet, the best revenge that we can have toward our enemies and those who cause us hurt or pain is to SUCCEED! Get up and turn that test into a testimony! God will give us the strength to turn the tables and produce ministry out of our misery (and sometimes He will have us to minister to other through what we are currently facing in life). What have you gone through or are currently going through that could help someone else through their situation? Never in a million years would I have believed that I could so candidly talk about the things that gave me many sleepless nights. But I'm resting easier now because I understand that what I go through is bigger than me and for a far greater purpose!
Friend, its time to live! This week encourage and remind yourself that you will no longer allow anything or anyone to take the joy of life from you. As long as we are alive, we will face hurt and pain as well as the shifts, changes and disappointments of life—it's inevitable. But what we can do is change and elevate our outlook on these situations, how we react to them and how they impact us. Until we leave this terra firma we will be faced with adversity and will have something to work out or to work on within ourselves. Just breathe and take it one day at a time. You have the power to make the best out of any circumstance you face. Most importantly, if you know Christ and have relationship with him you have the greatest power available to make it through. And because God is the Greatest Power—We Shall Not Be Defeated!
With Much Love,
Clyde L. Webster
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