Pushing through Spiritual Discomfort

Notes from my quiet time...

Spiritual discomfort always precedes spiritual growth and manifestation. In my life, I've learned my greatest lessons after I've encountered a really tough challenge. 

Perhaps you're familiar with those divine challenges that are easy to overcome and master in no time. No? Neither am I. For some reason, God doesn't give me those. 

Go figure! 

Instead, He orchestrates and allows intense periods of discomfort that are designed to provoke the growth He desires to see in me.  

These uncomfortable places sometimes challenge my faith in Him as well as myself.  You see, He doesn't allow me to get just a little uncomfortable. No, not me. He allows me to get SO uncomfortable that I literally start to doubt everything and nothing makes sense.  

Even the things that made perfect sense before seem crazy and insane.  Things I was sure about start to look a little uncertain. Steps I was confident in taking become shaky and unstable. Decisions that were clear and definite become blurry and questionable.  And then my mind becomes a battlefield of  contrary thoughts and ideas: 

• Did I really hear from God? 
• Did I miss something? 
• Did I jump the gun? 
• Did I move too quickly? 
• Maybe it was my flesh all along. 
• Maybe I should have just let well enough alone.  
• I should have given it more thought before making that decision.  
• I should have waited a little longer. 
• God are you even paying attention because THIS IS NOT WHAT I ASKED FOR!

Then Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-25

I can so relate to this. In my heart, I believe the Lord and what He said to me. I believe His Word and His promises. I believe in His Character and His love for me. But there are days when I have to cry out WITH TEARS, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

In my spirit, I KNOW the truth and I believe God. It's my unbelieving flesh that is the problem.  My spirit knows that every divine process God sends my way will work out for my good. Time and time again, both in His Word and in my own life, God has proven this to me. But this flesh of mine!  It tends to panic at the very thought of discomfort.

I can honestly say that I love being blessed and experiencing the divine will of God, though my flesh absolutely detests being uncomfortable.  And if I think back over my process and relationship with God, I can also honestly say that I've experienced my greatest growth and blessings after I've been the most uncomfortable. 

Every single time I have been able to stand and push through discomfort without retreating to my comfort zones, God has delivered on His promise...BIG TIME.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

~1 Peter 1: 6-7 

Now, you may be wondering HOW in the world to push through the discomfort.  I've learned that you have to be intentional about it so I'll share a few of my methods of pushing through:

• Remember your past experiences with God - sometimes taking a moment to remember all of the times God has delivered you will motivate you to keep going. Remember where you've been, what you've overcome and how much you've grown. Don't minimize your victories of the past. They should serve as a reminder that God has kept His promise before and He will do so again.
• Renew your mind with The Word - there is a reason this leads to transformation.  You can only win the battles in your mind by flooding it with truth. If we continue to think the same fearful and negative thoughts, we will remain the same or get worse.  Uproot negative thoughts by sowing the promises from God's word daily.  Write them down. Speak them out loud if necessary. Every time you have a negative thought, search the Word for a truth that counteracts it.  
• Refresh your spirit with Praise & Worship - its the only thing that can defeat the flesh and the enemy's attempt to discredit God.  Don't hold God prisoner to the emotions of your discomfort. Discomfort can quickly lead to discouragement and resentment toward God.  But when we praise God's character and worship His holiness, our reverence for Him leads to humility and gratefulness.  Then we are better able to withstand the discomfort trusting in the fact that God does not lie, change or fail no matter how things look or feel.

So my encouragement to you today, if you're in an uncomfortable place, is to face the discomfort head on and push through it. Don't retreat or return to your comfort zone. There is nothing left for you there.  Don't give up and give in to the temptation to take matters into your own hands. You'll make a mess that will only lengthen the process and make matters worse.  Don't quit the process because its taking too long. You're closer than you think. Keep going!

Choose to trust and wait for Him. He will deliver! Stand on the promise because it won't fail. Push through your emotions and temptations because what's in store for you is worth the wait, worth the fight and worth every minute the discomfort.  Don't be convinced by your fears or your flesh to abandon the course.  What's on the other side is the answer to your prayers, and I'm telling you it's worth it!  Stay focused!

For still the vision awaits its appointed time;   it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3