Lost

There is a form of heartache that one experiences when they feel lost. It is a heaviness that attempts to consume your happiness and fill your light with dense darkness. You begin to doubt yourself, and you might just begin to doubt God.

I can relate to this feeling because I have been there. I am a planner and like to map out the trajectory of the different aspects of my life, work, family, church, ministry and so on and there have been times when I have been STUCK. Yeah, it's in capitals for a reason. I knew there was work to be done and goals to achieve but I could not seem to figure out what they were.

So today I want to delve into a few points that are essential in seasons such as this.

1. Ask

Let's start with a scripture shall we:

Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. Jeremiah 33:3 (NLT)

I think it is remarkable to know that whenever we experience a season of confusion, a season when we have more questions than answers about our lives, our plans, our hopes and dreams that all we have to do is ask our father. Isn't that amazing?

And so I am not being cryptic about what I mean when I say ask, I mean pray. Pray, pray and pray some more. This is another beautiful assurance that we can arm ourselves with when we pray

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 1 John 5:14 (NLT)

And maybe you don't even know the right questions to ask when you pray, well I have something wonderful to tell you, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we pray in the spirit.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Romans 8:26 (NLT)

2. Listen

There is usually a difficulty in reconciling with the fact that God speaks to us, to each and every one of us.

I will share something profound that I learned from the first chapter of the book "Leading seeks you" by Pastor Emmanuel Iren (Pastey). Pastey emphasised the fact that God wants to communicate with you, there is no doubt about that. There is no question of His desire to be involved in your life, to lead, to guide and to instruct.

God communicating with you is unimaginable to you, it's because you do not know who He is, Divine leading is first and foremost a privilege of grace. That grace has been extended towards you. Yes, You! Divine leading is for you! - Pastor Emmanuel Iren

It is imperative that you walk in the consciousness that God wants to speak to you and that He does. Believe that this is your reality and listen to His word.

It may come to you from the scriptures, maybe you do hear a still, small voice, or a nudge in your spirit, alas you might have a dream or vision. One thing is certain, God wants to communicate with you. Your prayer time is not merely a unidirectional channel for throwing your thoughts and questions at God. It is an opportunity to speak and be spoken to.

3. Trust

So what do you do after you have received a word from God, the answer you have laboured, fasted and prayed for? Hopefully, you do not dismiss it, especially if it is not what you were expecting.

You trust; you trust in the perfect will of God because we know from the scriptures that God's word is a light to our path and that His plans for us are

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

We trust! We trust Him and do not lean on our own understanding.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)

4. Obey

I believe that the evidence of your trust is obedience! If you have prayed and received an instruction from God, the only evidence of your faith in His word and will for your life is obedience.

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? Luke 6:46

In verses 48 and 49 we see Jesus using a parable to compare the man who hears and obeys and the man who hears and does nothing. The house built on the rock vs the house built without a foundation.

Which one are you? Will you hear from the Lord and choose not to act on His instructions, or will you leap into action to fulfil the will of God in your life? James refers to the former as someone that is fooling themselves. You need to determine in your heart that you are not fooling yourself.

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22 (NLT)

Now you might be thinking, I just don't have the boldness to take the next step but I want you to remember that the spirit of God resides within you and gives you the strength to do that very thing that God has instructed and even desire it.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

5. Resist

Finally, I say to you, you must resist the lies of the devil.

One of the ways I believe the devil attacks us as Christians is by attempting to destabilise our faith.

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. Romans 10:17

And because faith comes by hearing the word of the Lord, he will attempt to plant contrary ideas to the word of the Lord in your heart to convince you that all that which your faith is based upon is false.

So resist, resist the lies that he tells you about who you are and what you can do. Remind yourself daily of who you are in Christ and the authority that you have in Him.

Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

I encourage you to read Ephesians 6:10-20.

So what else can you do? The list above is not exhaustive and there is so much more to do to equip yourself in seasons like this.

• Speak to someone/people you can trust to advise you according to the will of God (This could be a mentor or even a friend).

• Pray with someone.

• Remove distractions, there is no better time to define your focus than now.

• Surround yourself with positive influences.

• Read and listen to materials that will build your faith.

• Set achievable goals and be accountable to someone as you work to achieve them.

• Learn from people who have achieved what you are hoping to achieve

• PRAY, STUDY THE WORD, AND REPEAT!!! Be consistent!

PRAY, STUDY THE WORD, AND REPEAT!!! Be consistent!

God loves you and He desires for you to trust in Him, to trust in His word and His instructions for your life. When you have questions, He is your answer, when you have lost your way, He is the way and when you feel overwhelmed and surrounded by darkness, He is your light!!

Place Him at the centre of it all, seek His counsel, listen to His word, believe in the perfectness of His will for your life and follow His directions.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

I pray that this week comes with a lot of clarity for you, that you receive answers to your questions and the boldness to walk according to the will of God. You have peace. Peace, not like the world gives it but, peace that surpasses all understanding.

Love

M.I