By Pastor Naomi Mitchell
For the Carter County Times
Sometimes the greatest temptation in life is to turn away from our self and to flee our own life. To settle for a shallow and superficial life, to not show up to our own life, to sleepwalk our way through this world. Ask yourself, “Is that really the life I want for myself?”
If you feel like you have been in a season of waiting for a long time, just remember God is always working behind the scenes. Your story is being written every day, and your best chapters can be just ahead. Don’t settle for a life of “boring” chapters! No one wants to read a boring book, not even you.
Stop the sleepwalking and wake up. Seasons do change. God has given us all we need in His Word. Take a step back and think about a few “maybes”. The things you go through are strengthening your patience. God is protecting you from things you cannot see. He is preparing a blessing bigger than what you asked for. He’s holding back the blessing until you are strong enough to carry it. He is working on someone else’s heart before they step into your story. He is removing the people and things that cannot go where He is taking you. He is making sure your faith is in him, not in the outcome you want. He is letting you see that His presence is enough even without the answer. He’s closing doors you begged for Him to open, because He sees the hurt they would have caused. He is making you wait because what you have asked for isn’t ready, or maybe you aren’t. He is making sure your heart is healed before He gives you what you have been asking for. These are some things to think about.
If you are a regular student of the Word of God, you will learn a lot about life. If it’s from God, it won’t steal your joy. If it’s from God, it won’t ask you to compromise. If it’s from God, it won’t put out your first love fire. If it’s from God, it won’t make you insecure. If it’s from God, it won’t lead you into sin. If it’s from God, it won’t damage your confidence. If it’s from God, it won’t make you chase. If it’s from God, it won’t make you question your value. If it’s from God, it won’t be impatient. If it’s from God, it won’t steal your peace. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. 1 Corinthians 14:33
When you kneel to the Lord in prayer every day, He will stand up for you. Prayer is keeping company with God. If He be for you who can be against you? The Word of God is your weapon against the spiritual warfare of life. If you don’t read His Word, you won’t know it. If you don’t know it, you won’t live it. If you don’t live it, you won’t be transformed by it. God wants to speak directly to you, not through a podcast, video or IG clips – even though these things are good – but through your Bible. You need to know the Word before you need the Word!
You say, “If I felt happy, I could trust Christ.” But that is trusting your feeling, not Christ. “Do not rob your heart of the deepest joys of trusting in Jesus.” “If I have seen in Jesus all that my soul can want, then I am one with him.” Trusting in Christ does not come from us, it is always the work of the Spirit of God.” (Charles Spurgeon)
God doesn’t need anything that you know or have to assist Him in fulfilling His plans, or to bring to life the dreams that He has placed in your heart. All He needs is a surrendered heart that’s willing to lay down your own desires and timelines and your willingness to pick up His.
Renewing your mind in the Word isn’t a one-time event. It’s a daily practice, a commitment to align our thoughts with God’s Word and replace lies with His Truth! Get yourself anchored in the scriptures. That is your most powerful tool. God’s Word says you are loved, chosen, forgiven, and redeemed. Cultivate a prayerful mindset as a direct line to God. As we bring our thoughts, worries and struggles to Him, He will meet us with grace and peace. Practicing gratitude daily has a transformative power. When we focus on what God has done and is doing in our lives, it shifts our perspective and fills our hearts with hope! This is life! Sleepwalking is boring and going nowhere. Amen! So be it.
JOYFUL House of Prayer, 2519 Quicksand Road, (P.O. Box 856), Jackson, Kentucky 41339. Send Comments/Prayer Requests: Pastornaomi4god@gmail.com. FB: JoyfulHoprayer. Services: 10am Sunday and 6:30pm Thursdays. Radio Broadcast: WJSN 97.3 FM & WEKG 81.0 AM Sundays 1-2pm.
