I’m not sleeping well at all so apologies for the inconsistency. It’s 3.20am and I just put down some prayer, in conjunction with the lovely people that are all praying for me during this irritating time. Feel like I need my inhaler! But this heaviness that has been dragging me down for weeks just took a dive off a cliff so let’s go bruh.
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:17-21 NIV)
The book of Ephesians is just filled with so much encouragement and spiritual advice. It’s foolproof, you can pick any chapter and you’ll feel better by the time you’ve got to the end. In those few verses significant themes to the Christian are brought up: wisdom, revelation, trust, relationship, hope. It’s just awesome. It reads like a prayer, I’d even recommend perhaps treating it as one.
The Christian walk is largely full of ups and downs. You have these great highs where you’re in the spirit and you’re filled with His perfect peace or joy, because at the end of the day communion and worship are what we were made for. On the other hand, when we fall out of the habit of praying or when we encounter discouragement God doesn’t promise to just magic everything better. We can feel frustrated, panicked or despondent when it feels like our walks are stagnating. When you find Christ or experience miracles you feel this euphoria, but even when we continue looking at His word we may not feel as “on fire” for The Lord. Things just don’t match the momentum and that’s hardly encouraging.
In those moments draw near to Him. Pray for contentment, peace, renewed hope in Him. In these times we can really learn what it means to just trust in God and relinquish our attempts at controlling situations. We can consciously choose to submit to His will or rebelliously draw away from Him into sin. And for all the glamour the world gives to sin: it is a lonely lonely place. You will not be the only person who is false with people, you’re not the only one feeling guilty for watching porn, but when we even consider bringing these things to God we can shy away from it. We present excuses instead of going to the Father who only wants to renew our hope in Him, to better our relationships with Him. It feels like it’s really easy to trip into sin, but once you’re there – how do you get back?
Frustration is generally defined as negatives emotions resulting from a lack of control. I couldn’t sleep. It drove absolutely nuts. As a consequence I couldn’t read, write, I wasn’t patient with people or that nice. The more helpless I got the more frustrated and so on, and I didn’t bring it to God. In fact, I compromised myself by putting myself in the way of temptation to doubt, to idolise other things, to concern myself with issues far less significant than growth in my Father. These verses are all about hope and spiritual growth.
We can’t do everything, and every now and then someone may give you scripture on that being ok. But if you’re not in the right mind frame those words are going to fall on deaf ears. So pray to The Lord He will “enlighten” the “eyes of your heart” (1:18). So much of our roles as Christians is dependent on willful reception. We have to choose to accept Jesus’ truth and salvation. We have to choose to overcome things like forgiveness by consciously appealing to God to help us to see and love His children as He does. Through such experiences we can really grow spiritually if we consent to it. If we ask God to intervene in the chaoses that we create for ourselves, we re-align ourselves with the promises and confidence of a life lived for Christ. We are called to lives of “glorious inheritance” (1:18), (by now I’m assuming you get the point of the gospel). But so often we allow the world, our flesh, to temporarily hinder us from that truth. We see no way out. The curtains fall and we feel helpless, as if we don’t know that all we have to do is choose to lift that drape.
God ain’t helpless. He isn’t going to struggle to manage not forgive your mistakes. “…his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand”. That’s the God who will see you through periods of stress, discomfort and frustration. As we appeal to Him more we learn to reside in simply assurance of His sovereignty. We don’t have to know everything, but the God we belong to possessed the power to revive Jesus Christ from death! Our God is omnipotent. Whatever demon, whatever size that you are battling – they are no obstacle to the Father. The only thing that the Enemy can do is to try and trick you into believing otherwise. This won’t always be clear to us, so I really pray for revelations in those who read this. That God will really point out those blunders to you so that you can recognise the lies for what they are and regain the upper footing.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Working Towards Calvary 