Prayer Call: Dealing with Detours
Good Morning, BFB!
This is a day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Today’s scripture focus: “Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.” -Ezra 4:4-5 NIV
If you've been driving or traveling long enough, we are sure that you've run into a detour. It wasn't a part of the travel plan when you set out but now it's necessary to get to your destination. A detour doesn't mean that we're lost, it just means that the route has changed. We run into detours in life. These detours may cause delays, worry, or frustration. Just like when traveling or living this life, we may also run into detours in our spiritual lives. When we are making progress on the task that God has given, here comes a detour that we weren't expecting. A detour that wasn't a part of the plan but detours are often a part of the journey. Detours don't mean that God has changed His mind, but they are a sign for us to persevere and keep going. Here in Ezra there are 3 detours we see that we should not allow to discourage us:
Don't allow the detour of fear to discourage you. Fear can paralyze your purpose. People came to impede the Israelites progress and they began to fear completing the temple. You cannot let fear dictate your steps. Identify the sources of your fear - failure, doubt, unworthiness - and take them to God. Turn them over to Him so that He can guide you to overcoming the source of your fear. God reminds us that He did not give us the spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind, so that we can continue forward in the face of fear.
Second, don't allow the detour of frustration to get in the way. Frustration can come in when progress doesn't match our expectations. When everything comes against us and things are not moving as fast as we think they should. We cannot let temporary frustration turn into permanent resignation. Frustration is not failure, but an opportunity to deepen our trust in God. Frustration provides an opportunity for us to pause and center ourselves on God and His timing. An opportunity to ask God to teach us how to navigate through the frustration. An opportunity to trust God and His wisdom and His discernment.
Third, we cannot allow the detour of fatigue to stop our progress. Fatigue can wear down your will. The attack faced by the Israelites was not a quick attack - it took place over years. Fatigue doesn't always come from doing too much sometimes it comes from waiting too long. Waiting too long for opposition to pass. The enemy is counting on you to get tired of waiting, but we must that sometimes what feels like a long delay, may simply be a sign to rest. Rest in the promises of God. Rest knowing that God will finish what He started. Rest in Him so that He can restore your strength and your resolve to finish the assignment at hand.
As we go through this week, you are encouraged to stay the course. If you're in a season where you feel like the call that God has placed on your life is being blocked, take a moment to pause and recenter yourselves on God. Don't allow the detours of fear, frustration, and fatigue to stop your progress. Remember that even detours can lead to your destiny.
#DealingwithDetours #Fear #Frustration #Fatigue #DetoursCanStillLeadtoYourDestiny #BacktotheBasics #BrickbyBrick #PrayerCallThought #Center #Connect #Contribute #WithOneAnother25 #BFB #CORE
This is a day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Today’s scripture focus: “Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.” -Ezra 4:4-5 NIV
If you've been driving or traveling long enough, we are sure that you've run into a detour. It wasn't a part of the travel plan when you set out but now it's necessary to get to your destination. A detour doesn't mean that we're lost, it just means that the route has changed. We run into detours in life. These detours may cause delays, worry, or frustration. Just like when traveling or living this life, we may also run into detours in our spiritual lives. When we are making progress on the task that God has given, here comes a detour that we weren't expecting. A detour that wasn't a part of the plan but detours are often a part of the journey. Detours don't mean that God has changed His mind, but they are a sign for us to persevere and keep going. Here in Ezra there are 3 detours we see that we should not allow to discourage us:
Don't allow the detour of fear to discourage you. Fear can paralyze your purpose. People came to impede the Israelites progress and they began to fear completing the temple. You cannot let fear dictate your steps. Identify the sources of your fear - failure, doubt, unworthiness - and take them to God. Turn them over to Him so that He can guide you to overcoming the source of your fear. God reminds us that He did not give us the spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind, so that we can continue forward in the face of fear.
Second, don't allow the detour of frustration to get in the way. Frustration can come in when progress doesn't match our expectations. When everything comes against us and things are not moving as fast as we think they should. We cannot let temporary frustration turn into permanent resignation. Frustration is not failure, but an opportunity to deepen our trust in God. Frustration provides an opportunity for us to pause and center ourselves on God and His timing. An opportunity to ask God to teach us how to navigate through the frustration. An opportunity to trust God and His wisdom and His discernment.
Third, we cannot allow the detour of fatigue to stop our progress. Fatigue can wear down your will. The attack faced by the Israelites was not a quick attack - it took place over years. Fatigue doesn't always come from doing too much sometimes it comes from waiting too long. Waiting too long for opposition to pass. The enemy is counting on you to get tired of waiting, but we must that sometimes what feels like a long delay, may simply be a sign to rest. Rest in the promises of God. Rest knowing that God will finish what He started. Rest in Him so that He can restore your strength and your resolve to finish the assignment at hand.
As we go through this week, you are encouraged to stay the course. If you're in a season where you feel like the call that God has placed on your life is being blocked, take a moment to pause and recenter yourselves on God. Don't allow the detours of fear, frustration, and fatigue to stop your progress. Remember that even detours can lead to your destiny.
#DealingwithDetours #Fear #Frustration #Fatigue #DetoursCanStillLeadtoYourDestiny #BacktotheBasics #BrickbyBrick #PrayerCallThought #Center #Connect #Contribute #WithOneAnother25 #BFB #CORE
Posted in Prayer Call Devotional
Posted in Prayer Call, Prayer Call Devotional, Monday Morning Prayer, Dealing with Detours, Ezra 4:4-5
Posted in Prayer Call, Prayer Call Devotional, Monday Morning Prayer, Dealing with Detours, Ezra 4:4-5
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