Don’t throw in the towel

There is something that wants to take you out. Okay, I don’t mean for that to sound scary, but there is something that does not want you to win. There is a force, an enemy or whatever you want to call it and It’s playing for the “other” team. Its greatest desire is that you would give up. Sometimes he doesn’t even need to do much work if he can convince you to throw in the towel and land in ordinary with sneaky tactics. Hear me, this enemy is not bigger or louder than the voice of the Lord, but his tactics involve making those thoughts of giving up feel like your own and twisting them to somehow sound like good ideas. So, this isn’t to give the enemy attention and make him seem like he has any authority in our lives, but rather to make you aware of something that is trying to convince you of settling for less than what you were created for.

Fatigue, illness, closed doors, unmet expectations, not getting into that program, and loss. These setbacks can tend to take us out longer than we expected. Sometimes those doors close because we are being protected and guided into something different, but sometimes when those doors close we aren’t to give up. I think this is a practice in life. This is what it means to be led by the Lord, and to learn to trust your gut. Should you knock on that door again or walk away from it? The more you believe you make good decisions and you practice leaning into His voice, drowning out all of the others, you will know when you’re forcing it or when you are to fight for it.

There have been times I have believed if what I am going after is taking too much effort, then it wasn’t meant to be. However, that has not always proved to be true. Some of the greatest relationships, positions and goals I have set in my life have taken much effort, intentionality and work. They didn’t come easy, but they have all proven to be worth the fight. You will know the difference in the feeling. When it feels like you have to keep pushing and pulling to make something happen and your motive is that it must succeed or you fail, you are more than likely forcing it. When it feels tough but there is life, vision and hope flowing from it, keep fighting for it. Eventually you begin to trust yourself so much that you know when your character is being refined through a vigorous fight or when you are being protected with the closing of a door.

Either way, you are resilient, you are a fighter and you know yourself.

So, what are you fighting for?