Have you ever been in a situation that left you feeling hopeless and anxious, wondering if things would ever change? Has there ever been a time when you felt so stuck in your life that you couldn’t find a way out no matter what you tried? Sometimes, with every step you take, matters can seem to only get worse.

The enemy wants you to mess up, and give up, especially when you are in the middle of your breakthrough. The path to anything, be it a path of healing, a path of restoration, or a path of personal growth, is never a straight line. It is often curvy, messy, chaotic, discouraging, overwhelming, and exhausting. My discovery journey was a painful process, and many times, I wanted to give up. It was hard work, and many of the things God wanted me to face felt as though it hurt just as much as trying to avoid it. However, I knew that my prayer for a spiritual awakening was upon me, and there was no way that I was going to back out of it. There were days that seemed to go on for eternity, and not in a very good way. I often felt like I wasn’t making any real progress in my life.

I can recall days when all I could do was listen to the chirping of the crickets. As my previous way of life came to a screeching halt, I imagined they were mocking me in the silence of my vacant life. For me, there wasn’t an easy way out of the messy middle. Although my life wasn’t where it used to be, it still wasn’t anywhere near where I thought I wanted it to be. On most days, where it seemed like I was not making progress, it turned out that I was. Just because I wasn’t seeing any progress on the outside didn’t mean there weren’t any spiritual changes happening inside of me.

The troubles in your life will not just magically disappear. It will take faith, prayer, study of the Word of God and professing it, along with courage, perseverance, and patience, working all together for your best outcome. Persevering in the ups, and especially in the downs of your struggles, is the key to your success. You must never give up in the face of adversity. More than likely, the pain you may be feeling is the very thing leading you to go beyond the obstacles. It is important to trust God, because along the way there will be many things that are not going to be understood by your own insight or understanding. It is important to learn to adapt to this new path that God is leading you on emotionally and mentally. Not only does this help to keep a positive mindset but helps you to not give up hope. God knows what He is doing, even if you do not yet know the plans for your life. When you view this season of your life as an opportunity for growth, rather than some scary experience, you will be better equipped to meet your challenges and move through them to the other side.

There will be times when you feel that you are having setbacks. Don’t let this discourage you. I had what I thought were many setbacks, but afterwards, I always managed to pull ahead much farther than before. Setbacks are not failures; they should be viewed as an opportunity to see the pattern of mistakes in your life, and to finally learn how to do things differently than before. Knowing what you can control and what you can’t is crucial to this journey with God. You can only do your part and leave the rest to God. He wants you to put your efforts towards situations where you can make an impact, and that will lead to feelings of empowerment and confidence for the next challenge. 

Are you committed to this process and following through with whatever God has asked you to do? Or are you only willing to go so far, until it gets too uncomfortable, and then want to bail out? Most people quit right about when the pressure to change their most challenging problem seems too hard. However, faithful people are dedicated, and take action to reach the final goal, regardless of the obstacles they face. They can face whatever stress comes their way with their faith in God, as they trust His wisdom for the lack of their own understanding in where their life is headed. Breakthroughs typically happen when you are right about at your wits end and breaking point. While some signs may seem to be negative and uncertain on the surface, they may mean that you are on the right path and that your breakthrough is right around the corner. Sometimes it takes being sick and tired of being sick and tired to make the much-needed changes.

Resistance to going in a new direction in your life is always strongest right before you get to that breakthrough. Do not let the obstacles deter you from going on the path God is taking you. Whatever you are working on with God is worth doing to finally conquer the problems. When you are more uncomfortable than you’re not, God is purposely putting pressure on you to face whatever problem you’ve been avoiding. The more uncomfortable and defensive you are, the more likely you have denied your problem for a very long time. It has probably been so long that you wouldn’t even notice it unless God led you to question yourself as to why you are feeling so uncomfortable. Afterall, who wants to face all their major fears, self-doubt, shame, and uncertainty about their future, every day? However, once you begin questioning why your life has not turned out as you dreamed it would have, you’ve already made a courageous move towards progress!

I believe it is only when we are willing to have those truthful moments with God to discover who we truly are in order to change.

How to Practically Apply Scripture to Your Everyday Life:

• Write out a verse that speaks to your situation.
• Write in your own words what that verse means to you.
• Honestly assess your own life in relation to the scripture.
• Write out specifics about the changes in your life you need to make.
• Memorize the scripture verse and profess it.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you with His grace.

Here are some skillful life strategies to overcome obstacles and begin to have victory.

Biblical Strategies to Go Beyond the Obstacles:

• Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3).
• Set a plan for self-disciplined study of the Bible and pray regularly (1 Joshua 1:8.
• Discover the blind spots and opportunities for transforming your life (Romans 12:2).
• Discover how to serve others (Roman 12:10).
• Address ongoing areas of struggle and ungodly thinking and behavior (2 Corinthians 10:5).
• Develop fulfillment and joy (Psalm 20:4-5).
• Discover your roles, gifts, and talents (James 1:17).
• Discover specific topics of the Bible that are relevant to your personal journey and applying them practically to your life and relationships (Psalm 119:15).
• Be held accountable for actively taking steps of faith and increasingly living in the power of the Holy Spirit thereby making lasting life changes (James 2:22-25).
• Expect to feel discomfort while facing the truth about yourself (John 17:17).

Obstacles are inevitable, but I believe we can go beyond the obstacles and change when we actively seek God to discover who we truly are. Let me encourage you. No matter what you are dealing with today, God will always be there to guide and comfort you. He will use your difficulties to grow your faith and to learn to depend on Him in your everyday life. There is simply no other way to go beyond the obstacles!

Jeannie Remy,

Heart of a Wife