when we're stuck in a mess
When We're Stuck In a Mess |
"Then the LORD said to me, 'You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.'" Deuteronomy 2:2-3 (NIV)
We all have messes in our lives. Financial messes. Relationship messes. Health messes. Home messes. Business messes.
Messes that leave us feeling stuck. Like we may be stranded in this place of upheaval and unrest forever.
I'm sure that's how the people of Israel felt as they were wandering through the desert. Stuck in a mess with no end in sight. You've probably read or heard this story found in the book of Exodus. God had miraculously set the Israelites free from the oppression and bondage of slavery in Egypt. But their unwillingness to fully trust Him and their blatant refusal to take possession of the Promised Land landed them in quite a mess. A 40-year, desert-wandering mess.
Thankfully, we discover in the book of Deuteronomy that their story isn't over. Change is coming. The children of the Israelites, originally released from Pharaoh's tyranny, are finally about to take possession of the land God said was theirs all along. But before they move forward, Moses has everyone pause to look back. He knows he won't be going with them, so he wants to be sure to cement in their minds the faithfulness of God along their journey.
Moses reminds them of a time when they had been stuck circling the same mountain for too long. God spoke into their wandering and let them know it was time to head in a new direction.
"Then the LORD said to me, 'You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north'" (Deuteronomy 2:2-3).
It was a pivotal moment for them to remember. One where they had faced a life-changing choice. They could stay stuck, endlessly circling the same old place, or they could choose hope and head in a new direction with the Lord.
They could turn north.
I think this is the perfect time to pause and ask God if there's anywhere we need to "turn north" in our own lives. Have we been circling the same messes for years and years with no end in sight? Are there areas we know we need to change but feel like it will require too much sacrifice?
Here's a question we can ask ourselves right in the midst of our messes …
Am I letting this mess define me or refine me?
The answer to this question is crucial.
If I am letting a mess define me, I will feel hopeless.
If I am letting a mess refine me, I will be hopeful.
If the Israelites had looked at their 40-year track record of aimless wandering and defined themselves as rebellious failures, they would have lost all hope and kept right on circling. But because they embraced the correction and redirection of the Lord, they were able to turn around and move toward His promises with hope firmly planted in their hearts.
It's time for our messes to stop defining us.
It's time to embrace the refining process and turn north.
So how do we begin to turn north? We replace our old thoughts with empowering truths from God's Word.
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**KINDLE BOOKS:
authorpage: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00AZEDP4E
Articles dictated by Jesus Christ. Book Two. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AYR3F9C
Articles dictated by Jesus Christ. Book One. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AYR6TJU
by Jesus Christ: How social darwinism ruin America and the World. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZDJJQI
by Jesus Christ: Evangelism for Difficult People. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZDJCLA
by Jesus Christ: How you can do Evangelism with Social Media. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZDXZLI
by Jesus Christ: The Nicene Creed. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZDYMJ2
by Jesus Christ: Logos, Memra, and other letter for Economists. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZDY7JW
by Jesus Christ: our Father in Heaven prayer. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZKZUNM
Some problems of Nuclear Energy development in Asia: A literature survey. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B4LW5ZW
Some papers at www.vixra.org:
www.vixra.org/abs/0912.0036
www.vixra.org/abs/0912.0037
www.vixra.org/abs/1001.0005
www.vixra.org/abs/1001.0003
www.vixra.org/abs/0912.0053
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