Have you ever experienced a dramatic deliverance in your circumstances; from sickness, from financial pressure or within a relationship?
Sometimes our struggles aren’t miraculously relieved by God. Sometimes we merely endure. Which isn’t such a bad thing because we are never nearer to God than when we are troubled.
Often, in times of comfort and ease we forget ‘our present help in time of need’. And when the worst of times come, we suddenly remember Him.
Sometimes the answer is the help we pray for. Sometimes the answer is to simply lean into Him to survive. God will use the difficulty to move us toward our destiny. That trial can transport you toward your goals and drive your dreams into existence.
The Almighty won’t allow what won’t work for your advantage. Average people will have average problems. The big obstacles are there to prepare you for a big reality. God is the one who determines your destiny. He knows what He’s doing. What the opposition uses to defeat you, God will use to position you.
One door closes so bigger doors can open. One relationship ends so you can begin a better connection. Challenges and conflict can strengthen your spiritual muscles for opposition on the horizon.
We grow in the tough times. The trials pour in deposits of experience and endurance that good times can’t give. That resistance is the weight you need to exercise your courage, faith and wisdom to persevere into the next level.
When you feel stuck, surrender to the rest. Take this time to set up stakes on solid ground for the battle up ahead. Plant yourself in the Word.
We may know all these things and yet still feel discouraged and defeated in the battle. Sometimes that comes from living isolated from a community of believers. We can’t do life on our own. We need a band of believing brothers and sisters to join forces with.
There’s another reason believers feel so depleted in the battle though. Too often we live life as defensive Christians. We walk out of the church and enter into a mindset of defeat. We are tempted to engage in the devil’s dialogue either in our head or with others. We find ourselves defending places Jesus has already given us victory in, like our worth and choices.
When you understand what Christ has done, then you are on the offensive side. You have the ball. Hell is on the defensive line, not the Church.
When you walk into this world, you are walking out into a place of victory. When you met Jesus, you met victory. He is building the Church (Matthew 16:18).
Next time the gates of hell come knocking on your door, use the victory of Christ to remind Satan that you owe him no other explanation. The enemy can’t steal what you aren’t willing to engage in. When we are about our Father’s business, whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven (Matthew 18:18). This is the authority we have to unlock access to the kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Take your position on the offensive line next time opposition presents itself.
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This post, The Offensive Advantage, by Trisha Keehn, appeared first on LiftUpYourDay.com