Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
—Hebrews 11:6 ESV
I dream big, I pray big, and I don’t settle for anything. If I pray for someone to be healed, I pray in faith for a miracle. If someone needs encouragement, I’m their biggest cheerleader. When Lucy wanted to be president, I bought her a hat that had “Future President” on it because why shouldn’t she go big or go home? She recently decided she wanted to be a Supreme Court justice instead because, in her words, “They can’t fire you.”
Because of my propensity to challenge myself, it came as a surprise to me when I realized I had become comfortable in some circumstances that were clearly not God’s best plans for me. It felt as though the enemy had been at work, but maybe it was only partially the enemy, because I had decided in my heart that this was where God wanted me and it wasn’t so bad. Have you ever found yourself saying things like, “I could handle this. It’s not so awful. At least it’s not as bad as ________”?
It’s easy to fall into this trap because this world is full of struggles, and sometimes we just want to take a break from all the warfare. There’s nothing wrong with that.
But we need to ask ourselves, what are we getting a little too complacent about in our lives? Are we settling just a little? If so, how do we change? I knew I needed to make a move, but I wasn’t sure where to begin because I’d been settled with what I had and I was tired. The enemy uses physical and spiritual fatigue to get us off our game and to tempt us to stop pressing into the promises of God. But if we realize that all that negative thinking and lethargy isn’t coming from the Lord, we can trace it back to Satan’s ever-so-subtle attacks.
Satan doesn’t show up with a pitchfork and fire shooting out of his hands. Sometimes Satan shows up as fleeting thoughts in our mind: I will never do better than this. God can’t really use me because…(fill in the blank). I’m not as worthy as those other people who did great things for God because (fill in with excuse number two). These sentiments cannot be coming from God because He is your biggest advocate. Do you know that? He is wild about you, and there are more verses about His love for you than you can even imagine. Just look at Zephaniah 3:17: “He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (esv).
Can you believe that? Yes, the Maker of heaven and earth is singing about you. Yes, you, reading this right now. Stop and take that in. Now get up and do something about it. God is on your side!
I think fatigue can be a weapon from the enemy’s camp to get us to just lie down wherever we are and decide to pitch a tent. But Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” God said we are to walk through the fire of whatever trials we face, not that we are to stop and get a manicure. But when we’re battle weary and our faith has been tested time and time again, the enemy might offer us a little respite as a counterfeit for what God really has for us.
Take the Israelites, for example. The Old Testament says it took them 40 years to take a 40-day journey. They murmured and wandered through the wilderness because they didn’t have the courage to go in and take the land God had said was theirs. God had made them a promise about going to a wonderful new land. But when they heard there were giants there, suddenly hanging out in the woods with free manna didn’t seem so bad. They literally lived in tents and ate the same food for 40 years! They were scared of the unknown—and who could blame them?
They were fed and sheltered, but what awaited them was freedom and all the glory they had been promised by God Himself. Maybe the older Israelites were just happy to be out of Egypt and were too tired to fight any more giants after all those years of slavery.
When our past is quite traumatizing, sometimes it’s hard to believe the future could be brighter. I’m sure we’ve all thought, This is the best I can do, and then we stop believing God has something better for us. Maybe it’s your job that you don’t really love, or a relationship that isn’t healthy for you, or you’re not pursuing your dreams because you don’t want to get your hopes dashed again.
I have dreams God has placed in my heart, and I’m not giving up on them. What are your dreams? Maybe you want to go into ministry someday, but it seems too farfetched. What if you are single and you want to get married? Or if you’re in a troubled marriage and want God to save it? You don’t have to tell what you long for, but most certainly share your dreams with God. He might be the one who gave you those desires in the first place.
God doesn’t get glory when we are miserable. We won’t win people over to Christ by living that way. And if God’s given you something to do for His kingdom, then why not embrace that challenge? He is a big God!
We are no longer slaves, and God wants us walking in freedom and blessing. We just have to believe His Word is true. In fact, He sent His Son to die for our freedom. Now let’s go slay some giants!
Taken from: SHE RISES LATE AND HER KIDS MAKE HER BREAKFAST
Copyright © 2019 by Kerri Pomarolli
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97408
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Kerri Pomarolli is a writer, comedian, speaker, and the ultimate Proverbs 32 Woman. She tours nationwide with clean comedy at top Christian and secular venues, with film and TV appearances. Known as “Hollywood’s Favorite God Girl,” she lives with her daughters in LA by the sea. She is the author of two books, Confessions of a Proverbs 32 Woman and She Rises Late and Her Kids Make Her Breakfast, available now from Harvest House Publishers. kerripom.com