Don’t Give Up

Since the pandemic the world has become a cosmic of ever changing values, ideas, philosophies and systems that makes it easy to “change your mind.” I mean lets’s face it, we are bombarded day to day with information that feels overwhelming and tends to target our senses and emotions. So much so that people no longer want to leave the house and connect anymore. Everyday task such as work, school, church, exercise now feel mundane and bothersome and it is much easier to only do the things required to sustain ourselves. I know this place well because I have been here many times; especially this past year. It’s easy to get here and even easier to stay; if you are not careful. But let me tell you why its dangerous to remain here. There is nothing at this place. For reference is this blog let’s call it The Barren. The barren is a place of nothingness, its wasteful and bare. Nothing can produce there nor is it supposed to. Its just an open space where anything and everything goes. This is for many, what life after the pandemic has looked like. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are those that have been extremely productive and successful as a result of time off and challenges during the pandemic: opening business, exercising more, spending more time with family and friend and even developing a deeper relationship with God. But the focus of this post is for those who have grown distant for some reason and can’t seem to get there bearings back.

As mentioned earlier, I have been here before and it is not easy. I was comfortable with distancing myself from others and staying to myself as professed introvert, but I was unproductive and unhappy with the details of my life in other areas. I am a licensed mental health professional and I didn’t want to do therapy anymore. I couldn’t figure out to shift gears professionally, I was unhappy with my compensation, I was separated so I didn’t have the distractions of a relationship but felt I needed it. I had stopped going to church and attending small groups so I abandoned my support system. But one thing remained that I am grateful for to this day; I never stopped talking to God…never. Remember when I told you the pandemic strengthened relationships for some? I learned over the pandemic how to establish a personal relationship with my heavenly father. I learned how to navigate, seek, search, and pursue because I was working from home but there was still something missing in my life. There was a gaping hole that being home with family and away from church could not fill and it grew bigger over a two year span, The Barren place. In the Barren place, I changed jobs 10 times, I moved out of my family home, I started a business I thought would make me feel better, it didn’t. I felt…unfulfilled, but I always talked to the Father. I didn’t give up. And because of that I can say I am in a better place today. Here is what I did:

I searched for scriptural prayers related to my concerns and needs at the time. In my phone is tons of prayers ready and available when I need them because at any moment I feel weak, I want to seek God and talk to Him. I have prayers for peace, wisdom, over my Husband and children, for work, finding a job and even pulling down strongholds. Google is your friend! People have put out prayers for every situation you could ever face.

I formulated scriptural confessions and spoke them aloud everyday about my situation. One thing I learned I can do is take scriptures and turn them into personal confessions. I believe this was always God’s intention anyway for the word. But I also follow a very popular pastor on YouTube who does morning confessions everyday. I have been doing them every morning for 2 years straight and it has changed my life. My daughter does them now also. Confessions forces you to line your words and thought life up with the word of God. Instead of saying what you don’t have based on your circumstances, you speak what the Word says about your situation.

I became more thankful and grateful. It is easy to complain and be negative when everything is going wrong. But your faith is exercised when you are able praise God for what he has already done when even if you don’t see it. Why? Because we don’t live by what we see or feel, we live every word out of the mouth of God and his word says He will gives us the desires of our heart if we ask according to His will. There is nothing he won’t do for us. He just ask that we seek him first.

I made more available in my day for God. God desires and takes pleasure in spending time with us. He loves it when we depend 100% on him, just like his word tell us to. I made spending time with God a priority so I talk to Him in the morning before work and at night before I prepare for bed. I can’t go through the day without my reliance on Him, I need him for everything to deal with the pressures of life. I also listen to YouTube videos about God when I am at work so I can continue to feed my spirit. This is my worship to Him.

I started fasting. I felt like I got into a place and became stuck in my emotions. Although I was doing all the right things, some days I struggled with mood swings because I felt my situation was not changing fast enough. I knew it wasn’t God, it was me. My prayers were answered because his word says they are but why wasn’t I emotionally stable in the waiting process? Because there were mental stronghold still attached to my thinking. YouTube began showing me videos on fasting, one person in particular was Joy Blair, I then began my fasting journey. Because God supernaturally anointed me for this time, fasting has not been a miserable experience for me at all. I am looking forward to may fasting journey as God gets the glory in my life’s success and progress.

Don’t give up! Don’t quit! When you are weak, He is strong. It is not your fight, your ONLY job is to seek God and tell Him about and let him fight for you! The Barren place is not for you, you are productive, motivated and your destiny has already be predetermined just keep going, don’t get stuck. Everything you are going through is a set up. You got this!