I set this site up with every intention of writing at the very least weekly. Words had been flowing prior to the set up but then it all stopped, like I had a block. I was stuck. It is frustrating to feel stuck and to feel like I can’t move forward in what I am trying to do, especially when I know that God has prompted me to do something, like this blog. Knowing that God is not a God who would ever want me to feel stuck and knowing that He will always provide me with everything that I need to carry out what He wants me to do carry out, I shifted from focusing on being stuck to focusing on leaning into God and reverently pursuing Him.
Pursuing Him has been unexpectedly fun. I’m not sure why I always thought that doing all that I can to surrender to Him would be anything less. Perhaps it was my historical “religious” assumptions based on being around many friends who were catholic or perhaps it was just my own stubbornness- my illogical ingrained unconscious thoughts that I needed to take care of myself and pull myself up by my bootstraps (what are bootstraps btw?).
My father always told me to not depend on anyone for anything and I have always admired my father greatly. It’s interesting to me how I can unknowingly allow some of the things my parents said to me shape my behaviors as an adult, even after many years of sorting through the obvious things that they said to me in haste. But the beauty of God is that He is the perfect father, and He graciously reminds me over and over who I am and whose I am and He removes the scales from my eyes to see His truth and not mine.
The truth is that I must willingly surrender and allow God to lead all areas of my life, both the small and big areas, and fully depend on Him. He doesn’t want me to depend on myself and instead he wants me to lay down all my burdens, allow him to give me rest, and allow Him to teach, show, and guide me (Matthew 11:28-29). He comforts me and renews my hope and joy when I doubt (Psalm 94:22). He watches over me (Psalm 95:7). He protects me and rescues me from the wicked and shines His light on me and gives me joy (Psalm 97:10-11). He never fails and his word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11).
Back to feeling stuck. In the John 10 it says that the enemy is here is to steal, kill, and destroy but that He came to give us eternal life and that no man shall pluck or snatch us out of his hand. Hear me when I say the enemy’s plan is to stop us in our tracks and divert us from the plan God has for us, which includes sharing His word and our testimony. Feeling stuck is simply the enemy’s attempt to stop and divert us from God’s plan. The enemy does not want us to have life and certainly does not want us to assist in leading others to experience the love of God and have life.
So, what do you do when you feel stuck? Surrender to God (stop being stubborn!) and CHOOSE to take your thoughts captive and bring them under the obedience of Christ. How do you take your thoughts captive and bring them under the obedience of Christ? First, recognize the schemes of the enemy so that you can rise up and CHOOSE to lean into God. To recognize the plans of the enemy, make sure that you are in the word so that you can know the truth versus the lies of the enemy.
Once you recognize that your thoughts are not truth, you must immediately choose to shift your focus from feeling stuck and thinking of all the reasons why you are stuck to focusing on God and what He says is true about you and/or your circumstances. To start, choose to focus on His goodness. Choose to remember all that He has done for you, to remember all the times He been there for you, and all the times He has rescued you. Focus on that He has plans for your life, that He orders your steps, and that His word does not return void. Remember that His goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life and shift your focus from “feeling” stuck to knowing that you have an all-powerful God who has overcome the enemy and through Christ, has given you the power to overcome the enemy with the blood of the lamb and the word of His testimony.
We already have victory, but we must choose to claim this victory and operate in His power. When we make the choice to immediately take our thoughts captive and bring them under the obedience of Christ, we are choosing God and surrendering our way for His way and God honors us when we surrender to Him.
I feel it is important to note that even though I immediately took my thoughts captive and brought them under the obedience of Christ, I wasn’t then immediately able to write freeingly again. Over the last 2 months, I have written some and never posted it or wrote partial posts and never finished them, but I didn’t beat myself up over this or get angry about not being able to write easily and instead, I choose to hold fast to all that God was and is still doing in my life and find joy in the journey. I choose to focus on His truths and choose to believe that His plans will always prevail. ~Spiritual Grinder Girl~