Have you ever felt stuck? Like there’s no way out of a habit or a painful recurring situation? Today I felt a familiar feeling of shame, disappointment and fear as I battled through traffic and reached my first stop well after starting time. I had tried really hard but after a few curve balls and bad choices, I had done it again – late! I started reflecting on what had gone wrong and quarreling with myself for not doing better. Deep in my heart, I felt this horrible sense of failure. I felt that no matter how hard I tried, I would still be defeated. Kind of, if you fix the buttons, the buttonhole is gonna go next – do you know that syndrome?
Right there, as I started off on the familiar spiral of guilt and self-recrimination, the Lord began to speak to my heart. He showed me that feeling bad and worrying about what people thought of me had never fixed the problem. He spoke to my heart to STOP BEING AFRAID and using all that energy on feeling hopeless. Instead, I should accept that what I had done had gone wrong and get up and make practical steps to doing it differently next time. Amen. A breath of fresh air to someone starting on a guilt trip but that brings us to the topic of this article – can I change? Yes.
There have been times in my life where I have felt so stuck in different ways that I never believed that I could change. Satan has consistently tried to make me feel hopeless and unable to think and act differently. Have you felt like that sometimes? I want to encourage you. Come with me in your thoughts and imagine the open hands of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:4 tells us: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…” We have come to a God who genuinely cares about the things that make us feel weak, trapped and hopeless. Are people frustrated with you because you have failed? Are you frustrated with yourself and terrified of your own propensity for failure? Look at His hands. They are open and helpful.
I want to encourage you today – not to stay stuck but to believe that you can change. I want you to believe that the power of change – personal transformation and complete, demonstrable difference – is in the loving hands of Christ. Turn your face away from what people think and your own circular attempts to be different. Embrace the kindness of a loving Saviour who can and will help you to overcome your worst habits and most persistent weaknesses. He will show you how to get to where you need to be. You may say ‘C’mon, Winnie be practical. There are some things you just have to do’. Yes, I believe that. Know though, that the very reason we haven’t been able to ‘just do’ certain things often is the inner thoughts and attitudes that we find hard to overcome. That’s why we need Jesus. His eyes see beyond the surface of our recurrent behaviours to the thoughts that limit us to those behaviours. He does a full job in helping us to overcome. Yes, lean on Him and experience the power and love of His Spirit in the places where you feel stuck and inadequate. He doesn’t mind helping us with our weaknesses. In fact, He offers us His hands to pull us from the mud and to help us to walk steadily as victorious children of God. Even before you start a new strategy, put your flaws, thoughts, mindsets and attitudes in Jesus’ hands. That’s where lasting change begins.
Voyce - Truth Live 