God’s Challenge
And Jesus said, “And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where…
And Jesus said,
“And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””
Mark 4:4–9 ESV
Be consistent, persistent, patient, and don’t give up. There will be times of false hope, and times where things seem to stagnate. These are moments of practice, times of testing, your chance to trust in God. There are many challenges we choose to put on ourselves, things to accomplish, whether it’s health things, or creating new habits, or breaking bad habits. These challenges take work. They will never come easy, nor should they. Having the discipline to keep going, even when things don’t work out, forcing us to lean on God is exactly what is supposed to happen. Those that don’t trust in God in their challenges will just continue to struggle and likely give up. Or, worst case, they find another crutch or bad thing to help them get through the challenge, only making things worse than they were to begin with, and putting them back in the same position they were in — it becomes an evil cycle, and Satan loves that. He loves to see us fail, get destroyed, hurt, and take out our frustrations on other by blaming them or even adopting verbal and physical abusive behavior.
God wants us to trust in Him.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5 ESV
Pray often, read the Word of God, spend time in devotional study, journal to reflect, and fellowship with other believers. Use these things as your tassel to remember that God is with you always.
“And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.”
Numbers 15:39 ESV
Jesus Christ died for our sins. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23). We are not perfect, we are human. We will be weak sometimes. But Jesus is always there.
So, trust in God, pray to our Lord Jesus Christ, and let the Holy Spirit guide our hearts.
Dear Heavenly Father, I trust and know that You are with me always. Help me to not be discouraged, and to keep my discipline to go after the challenges set before me. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). Be my strength, my guide, my motivation, and my encouragement. I love you Lord for all that you do for me. In Jesus Christ’s holy, precious, and powerful name, Amen.