“The believer should not shrink from situations, positions, or circumstances in which his faith may be tried, but he should cheerfully embrace them as opportunities to see the hand of God stretched out in help and deliverance.”
George Muller
Sin, our addiction to idols, and our cycles of pain often require God to break through on our behalf and deliver us from evil. King David, when up against the Philistines, asked God if he should go and attack the enemy and if God would deliver them into his hands. God’s reply was yes. “So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, ‘As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.’ So that place was called Baal Perazim” (2 Samuel 5:20).
Where in your life do you need God to break through and help you become unstuck? Instead of repeating the cycle of pain, what can you do to set up God’s deliverance? Here are five steps.
Embrace your pain and brokenness. It is in our discomfort where transformation and growth take place. Become more comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Face your fears. This is the doorway to intimacy with the Father. It is when we face our fears that freedom is found.
Choose opportunities of “forced dependence” upon the Lord, where He can flex His muscles on your behalf. As we voluntarily lean and rely on the Lord to come through for us, we will experience His presence and power as well as our faith will be strengthened.
Trust God for the outcomes, which is how we can do the first three steps. Placing trust in myself results in anxiety. Depending on the Lord to break through results in peace and rest.
Invite God to play the role of Protector. God wants to be with you in the hard and messy and to be the one who defends you.
Our self-protection through hiding, masks, and avoidance of pain only perpetuates the cycle of pain. Asking the Comforter to be with you as you face fear and uncomfortableness, allows God to do good work, transformation, and growth within your inner man. God’s sovereign outcomes are for our good and His glory, even when they may not be what we had hoped for. May you experience God as Baal Perazim as you apply these five steps.
“Deliverance can come to us only by the defeat of our old life. Safety and peace come only after we have been forced to our knees. God rescues us by breaking us, by shattering our strength, and wiping out our resistance.”
A. W. Tozer
Relevant Reflection:
What is your cycle of pain and which steps can you take to allow God to break through?
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