2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
God is in the in-between. He is in the gaps. You tend not to expect Him there. You see the in-between as a spot to wait for what is next, to wait and see if He will return. You wait, become unmotivated, because your just not feeling it. The in-between can be a time of insecurity, a time of questioning. But what it should be is a time to accept an opportunity for growth, to face insecurities and move beyond them.
Everybody fights the battle of insecurity in their own way. An insecurity can completely define you and limit you if you let it take over. Insecurity questions who you are and your purpose. Insecurity says you don’t have it in you to succeed or overcome. It starts with a thought, an assumption and your mind runs with it. Clearly my boss doesn’t think I do enough. My children don’t appreciate me. I don’t know how to do this. Where is God? I will never succeed at this. I am just not made for this. I can’t do confrontation. Thoughts are just thoughts. Just because a thought comes into your head doesn’t mean it is true. What emotion sits with that thought, peace or fear? Does the thought bring a feeling of success or failure?
The enemy’s best tool is fear. He uses fear to cause you to believe everything you know and are comfortable with is threatened. Fear threatens to steal your home, your health, your family, friends, and your job. Fear says you are not allowed to fail. As you put your energy into pushing failure away, fighting it, you put your value in perfection. Perfection is an unattainable goal. The enemy wants you to be afraid of failing. He wants you to believe that you have control over every step, every day, every moment and control what the future holds. If you slip, make a mistake or are not perfect, then you are welcoming a future of failure. All your security will disappear. You failed you and you failed others. That is a big burden to carry.
Shift your mindset on failure. Welcome failure. Failing doesn’t define you as a failure. Failure is just an opportunity to rise. You can either quit or rise. Don’t think of failure as losing something. You can’t lose what isn’t yours. You aren’t losing anything if all you have is God’s already. The enemy can’t take what belongs to God. The enemy wants you to believe all belongs to you and you must hold on tight to it. God calls us to recognize all we have is His. This is not your house, your food, your car, your paycheck, or your iPhone. All is God’s. Even the clothes on your back are His. The enemy can’t take away what you have already given to God. You can give God more than just material things too. Give to God what others think of you and how they see you. Gift to God all your failures, all your successes, your struggles and your celebrations. Give God your current relationship or whatever relationship is to come. Give Him your financial woes. Give it all to God.
The enemy wants you stuck in the in-between, as if the in between is bad. You find God in the in-between. It is the moment past a slight push forward. It is the moment of two steps back, and right before a new awakening. Two steps backward allow you to appreciate the steps forward you already made. It gives you a chance to see the distance you’ve gone and what you have learned. Two steps backward is just a view, not a destination. You are just visiting not staying. The enemy wants you to believe you slipped backward. He wants you to question your ability to move forward. The in-between is where God does His best work. It is where you dig in with gratitude and face your fears. It is where you let go and let it be. It is where you show your grit. You feel alone but are determined not to believe you are alone. You feel weak but are determined to remain strong. You face the enemy here. You stand tall and say not today, not any day! No matter how bad it gets I stand in faith. I am committed to believing in Him and trusting in Him. Get behind me and get out of my way.
Rise! Rise to meet God. You need God. You need to love Him, hear Him. Expect His presence. He is there in the steps backward, your moves forward, in the silence, and all that is.
Prayer
Father God,
Thank you for being in the in-between. Thank you for being in the moments I take two steps back and the moments I have labeled failures. You use all for good. Forgive me for my insecurities and my fears. There is nothing for me to fear losing, for I have nothing to lose. All I have is yours. May I recognize fear as what it is, a lack of love. You love me in my imperfections. May I welcome failure as an opportunity to grow and not as an identity. You are in the in-between loving, accepting and calling me to rise!
In Jesus' name,
Amen
Awesome and so, so true and loving from our Father to your pen.