Pushing Through Opposition…
Sunrise in SWLA
Have you started to make changes in your life and things just seem to hit you harder and harder to keep you where you have been?
I experienced this last week. I started waking up early again, reading the bible, and getting back into do some exercising. That was all great except, I started hurting physically again in my bad knee, I couldn’t sleep well, and I had more go wrong that right last week.
I truly believe in spiritual warfare, you may not and that’s fine, but I believe we are targeted when we take steps to be closer towards God. By taking care of myself physically and spiritually, I am pulling myself closer to God’s instructions for us in the bible. I have a long way to go to get there fully, but the important part is that I am trying to make it a priority. I have seen this just about every time I start doing something to make my life better, there seems to be tons of roadblocks put in my way.
Even when I didn’t think of it in a spiritual way, I would just see more challenges appear when I was really pushing to succeed in whatever I was pursuing at the time. I used to just chalk it up to bad luck or just accepting the constant struggle of life. Looking back, I see it was really the warfare in my spirit that was causing all the strife in my life in those times.
The week ended with Father’s Day.
I am writing this on Father’s Day (6-15-25). I honestly have dreaded this day every year for the past 26 years. Losing my father at a young age made me angry on this day. Losing my 15-year-old son last year made the day even worse. Not only do I get reminded of the father that I no longer have, but also, I feel the pain of losing a child with all the negative thoughts that come along with that. I have these intrusive thoughts, at times, that tell me that I am not a good father, that I fell short, that I should have done more, etc. I know it is just lies being put into my mind, but it is hard to ignore them all the time, especially on days like today.
The good news is I now know that God is our father and will always be with us no matter what. I can look at the promises he made to us and know that things will be good again. This past year has taught me a lot of different things, and getting fully into church has been a tremendous help. I have been in good spirits for most of the day. That is a big change from last year.
I am personally not big on religion. I am more excited about what is in the Bible vs which church you attend. I see most Christian religions and having the same fundamental beliefs, but have differences on how they worship, or have a different view of certain biblical principles. I am not an expert by any means and won’t tell anyone they are wrong for attending one church instead of another. I do recommend trying a few different churches until you feel which one is right for you. I 100% suggest giving it a shot though. I fully believe you will see things change for the good in your life, but you may have to pass through some uncomfortable times to get there.
“Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.” - 1 Timothy 4:16 NLT