Romans 4:2
But he did not doubt or waver in unbelief concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and empowered by faith, giving glory to God.
Do you question if your God relationship is working? Do you question if it is worth it? When something shifts in your life and there is unexpected chaos do you react by abandoning God? When you need more time in a day, do you find that time by cutting your time with God?
Staying faithful is a daily decision. Each day you must choose God and put Him first above all else. You need God. Whether you feel like you do, you do. You may foolishly think you can do this on your own, but you can’t. What happens when you step away from God and try to handle it all on your own is you start to not only tell yourself lies, but believe the lies of the enemy.
The enemy wants you to put your head down and plow through. He wants you to believe that you must get things done. Don’t worry about enjoying life now. Check off your list, complete that big project, take care of everyone else and then you can focus on you. Plow. Plow. Plow. There will be time later to relax. There will be time later to be happy and peaceful. Now is not the time. Keep your eye on that end date and just get through.
In the meantime, you fracture relationships. You miss out on time with family. You miss out on intimacy with God. You miss out on you! Plowing through life is not a good method. It is not how God intends you to live. It disconnects you from yourself, from others and from your Father. Your Father loves you, wants what is best for you and longs to be close to you.
The enemy knocks you down and each time tries to convince you God is disappointed with you. He tries to convince you there is no return. You don’t need a relationship with God. A relationship with God is too hard, takes too much time and is too much work. You are going to return to your old ways anyway. Why bother? The enemy is really good at getting you to blame God for what he is stirring up. He gets you to believe you are alone, not understood and abandoned.
It is normal to have bad days, to doubt and to feel alone. Just be aware that the enemy is always at work to drive a wedge between you and God. Be aware of his desire to block you from seeing God in all that is. Be ready to reset, to self-care or do whatever it takes to remember God’s love. Have a plan, a routine, to leave your negative mind space. When you’re in the middle of a bad day the enemy convinces you that this is the way it will always be. But God has proved repeatedly that isn’t true. Remember all the ways God has shown up in your life and all the ways you have felt His love. You survived the last episode and the one before that and you will survive this one and the next. You rallied, partnered with God and pulled through. You grew! Don’t give up. You are working hard to change your mindset.
You are not alone. God is not only in the light, He is in the darkness. He is everywhere. He is in peace and in chaos. He is in wholeness and brokenness. He is in those that know Him and those that are unaware of Him. He is in you! Be empowered by His love for you.
Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for being everywhere. Thank You for being in believers and non-believers. There are many times I fail to believe fully in You. I put faith in chaos and drama instead of You. Forgive me for embracing old habits out of comfort. Forgive me for not seeing You everywhere that You are. Help me to be gentle and kind to myself in times of dips. Help me to take the time and make the effort to reset and restore prior to burnout and exhaustion. May I seek You even when I do not feel like it. May I have patience, recognize Your presence and have faith You are giving me the strength to pull through. You always do.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
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