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In my time with the Lord this morning, I fell apart. I cried for a good portion of the time, lamenting and asking the Lord, once again, for help with a challenging situation.

This situation started with difficulty and has grown to be more trying over time.

I have been long-suffering and patient, truly relying on the Lord to be my strength and help. But I had no idea how to improve this situation or make it better.

Then, while crying out to God with great frustration coupled with sorrow with not knowing what to do, He spoke clear and gentle to my heart. He told me to research my situation on the internet and to gain the insight of others who were educated on this very issue.

While I was doing my research the Lord used it to speak to my heart with what He wanted me to do.

He answered me. He provided me a solution that I had never thought of before and mostly because I was lacking in knowledge in this area.

And as God gave me the solution, as my mind grew clear and my tears dried up, I was baffled to why I had never thought of this before. It seemed such a simple idea; a solution that was not so out of reach as I had thought.

I felt comforted by the Lord. I began to smile and I truly felt delivered out of a hopeless situation.

How many times do we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances, when just allowing ourselves to be educated more about the situation would actually be a helpful solution than to remain in our frustration and misery.

This has not been the first time that the Lord directed me to do my own research about an issue. He has led me multiple times to do so, and each time I am amazed that all I was lacking was a little more understanding than I had.

I have yet to implement the new things I learned, but I plan to do so. And having a plan to pull myself out of a stuck and miserable situation has lightened my heart. I am fully confident that the Lord provided this solution for me, and even more confident that He will help me follow through with what He has told me to do.

If this solution had come to me only a month prior, I would not have agreed with it to be honest with you. My heart was working out of a place of fear within this situation, and moving forward with the answer God had for me would have been met with a negative response because of that fear.

But God was patient with me. He first had me deal with the fear. Once that was dealt with in my heart, then providing me steps of obedience would be received much more warmly and gratefully.

How many of us are crying out for help in our different situations, not receiving a solution or a deliverance out of it, because the Lord wants us to respond His way rather than our way?

In my multiple laments before the Lord about this situation, I was asking Him to intervene and just change it. But He would not intervene in the way that I was thinking or hoping. In fact, I wanted Him to intervene because it was the easiest way out and most comfortable for me.

Yet, because He knows what is best, He answered me with His plan to help deliver me.

His plan requires more faith and trust out of me, and it requires courage. I have to have a hard conversation with someone I love dearly, a conversation that I have been avoiding because I just wanted God to fix it. But He gently showed me that the conversation needs to be had and my research on the situation gave me confidence and understanding of not only what to do, but how to communicate in a loving way to this individual.

While crying out to God for our situations to be resolved or changed, let us be open minded and open hearted towards Him for His response.

We might want something our way so much, that when He does tell us what He wants us to do, or tells us how He wants us to respond, we could miss out on what He told us because it was not what we were wanting to hear.

Let us choose to not have selective hearing with God, only listening for what we want to hear and what we feel is the solution to our problems. Let us sit still before the Lord and hear Him for what He is truly saying to our hearts.

Often times the Lord is trying to get our attention, but we have allowed distractions, which dangerously have the potential to become idols to us, if not already, to keep us from hearing His voice.

For us to hear the voice of God, we must learn it and be able to recognize it. Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

Listening to His voice every single day is an activity, that over time, years even, will sharpen your discernment to recognize Him when He speaks to you. If you, however, are not familiar with His voice, then when other voices come at you it will be difficult for you to quickly shut them off and you can be easily deceived.

Knowing His voice in this season is so extremely important, because the enemy is working hard tickling the ears of men. Many are waking up to this tickling and growing a healthy distaste for it, but be wise and practice hearing God’s voice so other things out there parading themselves as truth does not get the attention it craves from you.

Knowing God’s voice will be your protection, and practicing daily listening to His voice will build a confidence in you to trust when He is speaking to you. God is calling us to know His voice.

A huge lesson that the Lord continues to have me learn is being aware that I always have a choice in every situation I find myself in.

I struggled to take ownership of my own free will in specific areas of my life where I felt I had no control, while others or something else did. 

I would find myself, for example, in a job feeling disillusioned and stuck. I would be miserable and downright depressed because of my situation and still I would not take ownership of the choice I was making to stay in that job. 

It took me a long time, longer than I liked to admit, to learn that I always had control to stay in such life challenging situations or make decisions that resulted in their change.

And when I did find myself feeling “stuck” it was often motivated by a deep rooted fear within me.

I feared the consequences of my decision to try and get “unstuck”. I feared the opinions of others and the possible rebuke from a non understanding friend or acquaintance. 

And recently, I have learned how feeling stuck within a relationship can be resolved with setting healthy boundaries. 

To get out of a job you dislike and that is tormenting you can involve a few steps. Work on your resume, seek out another job that hires you, and put in your two weeks notice with the current horrible job.  

Now if the job you feel stuck in involved a ton of investment and years of faithfulness on your part, the choosing to seek another job is a much more difficult and gut wrenching choice, but a choice that is still yours to freely make.

Relationships are a bit trickier and I am sure you will agree with me on this one.

Some relationships we can put an end to if the situation has become unhealthy and toxic, while other relationships, such as a marital one or a family member, we have to find our way out of the “stuck” situation in a more wiser way.

And as I mentioned above, using healthy boundaries within those challenging relationships will be your best solution to begin feeling “unstuck” again. 

If the other party is being disrespectful or hurtful to you, you have the choice to not receive their behavior. You can walk away until they respect you within a conversation. You can inform them that you will not be treated the way they are treating you and, thus, you are setting a boundary line. If they cross that line, the relationship cannot be as they would like. 

A lie that likes to find its way into my head is believing that I do not have a choice in a situation. 

When I recognize that I am holding onto this lie, I know it is time to rethink what is running through my mind. 

We always have a choice. God has given us the gift of free will. When we use our free will to pull ourselves out of unwanted and harmful situations, we are honoring what God has given us. 

There are plenty of well written books on this subject of setting healthy boundaries within relationships. I encourage you to research one for yourself to read and then to apply boundary setting in your life if needed. 

Do not allow yourself to believe the lie that you are “stuck” and you cannot get out. This is not true. It most likely will take great courage to set boundaries in a difficult or even abusive relationship, but find that courage and strength in the Lord and use your right to choose. 

The winds are blowing, the season is changing, hope will be renewed and joy will spring forth in the hearts of man once again. Freedom is coming, great freedom like never experienced before. The future is bright, incredibly bright. Burdens will no longer be so heavy and God’s rest will envelope His people.

He promises it is all coming. Let the winds blow till they have completed their part. Let life shift and shift some more until everything is put in the right place, as they should be.

Doom and gloom is not the next season, it is quite the opposite. Those that have called the next season and current season wrong will repent and will be amazed at what God is really doing and has been doing. If they had just trusted His voice, not been easily swayed, they would now have room to rejoice, instead being in sorrow of their own making.

But God is full of love and compassion and He will lift their heads again, and they will be changed. Then all will be ready for things to come, things planned before time, things that are great and wonderful. Praise the Lord!

One powerful thing that I am learning in my life right now, is that in order for us to move forward with our lives, with our relationships and with our relationship with the Lord even, we must revisit the moments of pain and brokenness that have not had the chance to heal.

Asking the Lord to reveal to you where those wounds are within you will not only give Him permission to continually bring you the healing you need, but it will give Him permission to show you a wound you thought was nonexistent.

This happens to me a lot , and yet, each time I am terribly surprised when God does reveal to me a wound He wants to heal.

Healing from wounds and trauma is a journey for each of us that will take on their own paths. 

It is not uncommon for people to live their lives with unattended wounds that perhaps they are completely unaware of. 

Remaining in a place of humility before the Lord helps when wounds are revealed to us. Our pride, however, works against what God is wanting to do in us. It says there is nothing wrong with us and we are fine. Pride puts up an invisible barrier that keeps the hand of the Lord from working in areas of woundedness.

There are behaviors that people have when they have unattended wounds in their souls. These behaviors vary from person to person, but always the behavior is definitely not a reflection of a whole and healed soul. A wound reveals itself in wrong behaviors, and for some even alarming behaviors.

Be observant of yourself. In stressful situations see how you respond. Are you being triggered in anyway? Are you perhaps overreacting to something because you are experiencing it through a wound that is already within you? Are you easily irritable and take things out on those closest to you?

These are just a few signs of unattended wounds that need to be cared for and healed. 

Since life hands each of us a lot of hurt and pain, it is never a waste to have a time of self-reflection, asking the Lord to show you any area of your life and heart that He wants from you. Holding anything  back from Him is a sign of mistrust and fear. But you can trust the Lord with your soul wounds and you can trust that He will be gentle and kind.

Praying the Lord will bring you full healing in the right timing and when you are ready to yield to Him your wounds. 

The world you live in can become a place you do not recognize anymore, but I never change. I remain a God of great love, of peace, and of joy. I am constant, I do not change with the wind, and I remain as I’ve always been.

I am faithful, dependable, and consistent day after day. Life brings about change and seasons of change come and go. Some changes are good and some bring grief and pain. But I invite you to put your hope in One who never changes and remains the same.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 6:19-20

Allow me to be your Anchor.

Allow me to be your Strength and your Stability.

And when the winds blow and the sea grows bold with its waves, know it will be I that holds you in place within me. Remain focused on me and remember who I am and my character. For remembering me within the seasons of change, will be your comfort and strength.

I do not change. I remain the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Depend and rely on me and when others fail you and nations are in an uproar, you will not falter and you will not lose hope. Keep your eyes on me.

Just like with Moses, we also have been given a staff. Our staff is our authority in Christ to stand against the enemy. There are different ways to wage war against him. And the Holy Spirit will not only lead us into battle, but He will lead us how to fight. 

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” 

Exodus 14:13-16

Taking authority over the enemy is one way to fight. 

The enemy works desperately hard to put us in a state of confusion and despair. He aims to rob us of our confidence in knowing who we are in Christ, that we are loved by God and received by Him fully. His plan is always to separate us from God. A plan that has been his only pursuit for the human race beginning all the way back in Genesis with Adam and Eve.

Having already committed our lives to the Lord does not protect us from the enemy taking pleasure in trying to harm our relationship with our Creator today. In fact, he seems relentless in his efforts in doing this. If he can get us on shaky ground, leading us to doubt the faithfulness, goodness and love of God in our lives, then he can easily hold us back from our pursuit of God and walking in our identity in Christ.

Our confidence in our relationship with the Lord and who He truly is is our faith in action.

We are confident that God will move on our behalf, we are confident that His plans are for our good, and we are confident that the promises He provides us in His Word stand strong in our lives as well.

Losing confidence in the Lord equates to us not having faith in what He has told us and what He has already done for us. And we do not take our authority that we rightfully have in Christ if we are easily tossed back and forth in waves of doubt.

We must be determined and resolute in our thinking. We must not shrink back from the authority we have in Christ and from our positions on His wall. We must take up arms in spiritual warfare on a consistent and daily basis. 

And we must be mindful of how the enemy works, but not afraid of him. 

For in Christ Jesus, we have authority over all the attacks of the enemy against us and against those we intercede for. We have more power and authority than we probably realize and, yet, we live our lives unaware of the threat we really are to the enemy.

Think about it. In order for the enemy to prevent us from coming at him, he would have to do his best to convince us that we have nothing on him? That we are actually unable to fight against him? He taunts us with lies, hoping we would believe them and never come at him.

This is what the enemy does to us. He works against us through deception and intimidation, but in reality he has nothing on us. We take blow after blow and cry out to God for help. But we overlook the help God has already provided us. He has given us a weapon. And we need to stand up and use it and fight. 

Our weapon is His Word and our faith in the fact that our victory has been sealed. We just need to stand up and declare this over every area of our lives that does not align with His Word. And we need to take our stand against the enemy and his attacks. 

A new month is upon us; a season is changing. We are coming out of a dark winter of intense spiritual warfare and stepping into a season where the winds are blowing and the rain is falling.

The winds will divinely blow everything into place and the rains will wash away the struggles and despair of the previous warfare season. All this will take place in order for Spring to show up with the flowers ready for blooming and the sun receiving its orders to shine brightly.

Let the Lord move His hands, move things in position in order for the Spring season we have all been hoping and looking towards shows up in a correct and righteous manner. Movement can be painful, however, for those who are and have been unwilling to move in the past. These movements have a purpose to align us with the heart and plans of God.

This “Winds of Movement” is unique. Everything will be impacted with this movement, whether you participate willingly or not.

For others, they have been prepared, already having experienced being uprooted and replanted in previous seasons, and they have remained open to the movements of God about to continue in their lives. It will not be as painful because they have allowed themselves to be prepared.

Again, this movement month of March is necessary and of the hand of God. Do not mistaken it as the work of the enemy in your life. Have discernment, lean into the voice of the Lord, and continue to put your hope in the promise that God is at work and His will is being accomplished.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

Romans 8:28