So many of our battles go on in our heads. In a space that is completely private and kept mostly isolated because of our guilt or shame or maybe just embarrassment. The question is ‘Who do we go to when these battles become overwhelming?’ For most, it’s not very easy to confide in someone else because this means that we are bringing our secret out in the open, and once it is in the open it can’t easily be hidden again.
For others there is always Facebook and Twitter where they can air their stuff. It sometimes seems easier to reach the masses and go for the compassion vote rather than have a heart to heart with someone who may very well want to team with you and hold you accountable for the choices that you make in the future.
Obviously the best option, would be to go to someone that you can really trust and talk about your issues rather than broadcast it on social media.
The psychology of it is that once something is spoken out or even written out, it can no longer hold you hostage. You are free to move away from that ‘thing’, into a place of forgiveness or healing. By holding on to a secret, you cause yourself to suffer in silence. No one is able to offer you support and comfort if you are keeping your distress all to yourself. You are also your own harshest critic and by talking to someone, your issues may be put into perspective. But it is vitally important that you speak to the right someone.
There is of course a much safer and utterly reliable place that you can go where you can open up your heart and speak with honesty and complete confidence.
God, our father in heaven, longs for us to call out to him in times of distress. God, who’s very nature is love, is the ultimate comforter. He is also omnipotent (has power over all things), omnipresent (is everywhere and ever-present) and omniscient ( is wise all knowing and all seeing) so ‘If God is for you, then who can be against you?’
And you can have this conversation with God anytime, anywhere and in any state of mind. Nothing can shock him and nothing will ever make him turn his ear away. All it takes is a heart turned towards Him.
He will guide you towards the truest, wisest absolute best course of action that you should take in order to live a life filled with joy and peace and rich in blessing. There is no-one on earth that can give better advice than God. People, even with the best intentions, will give advice according to their opinions or their knowledge or their life experiences but God gives advice according to his character – the very creator of the universe and author of your destiny. Even Christians can give lopsided advice, which is why you should always take the words or prophecies that you have been given and check them with God. He will confirm it or refute it and then you will absolutely ‘know’ what you need to do.
If you go to God, the things that appear to be mountains, like trouble in your business or family or marriage or even your own weaknesses or addictions, these troubles become victories as you allow the Lord to give you a visual from his perspective.
Romans 8:28 – New Living Translation (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
When we are lifted above the situation, leaving the emotional drain of it behind, we can claim the hope that we have in Christ and allow our hearts to sing praises to God for the victory that is to come.
While I was preparing for this blog post, I asked the Lord to give me a small nugget of truth that we could all hold on to. This is the picture that he gave me and it is a wonderful confirmation of the passage above.
‘He showed me a picture of a mountain, a very tall mountain capped with ice. This symbolized the magnitude of the problem being faced. I saw a person standing at the bottom of the mountain looking up and then I saw the hand of God gently come and lift the person up so that they could see over to the other side … And now they could see love and joy and victory. They could see Gods hand in it and His plan in it’
“His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on. Raised in His power the weak become strong. His strength is perfect” Jerry Salley & Steven Curtis Chapman, Song Writers
“No one enjoys feeling weak, whether it is emotionally, spiritually or physically. There is something within the human spirit that wants to resist the thought of weakness. Many times this is nothing more than our human pride at work. Just as weakness carries a great potential for strength, pride carries an equally great potential for defeat.” Charles Stanley, Pastor