When I find myself in that chaotic space of confusion and pain, it can a difficult process to find peace. When my life seems to be falling apart or disaster looms, I find that I can easily get drawn toward adverse, negative emotions and, simultaneously allow this mindset to interrupt my wonderful relationship with God. When I am in pain the anger and frustration that I feel sometimes make it difficult to move closer to him as I know I need to do.
I know it is not a healthy situation to be a place where I am moving away from Him instead of toward Him. Satan would like nothing more than to encourage me to move in this direction and interrupt the wonderful relationship I have with God, my Father. This is why I have become more determined about the discipline and the process of moving toward God when I am in my darkest place.
It begins by embracing what I know is true. Much of what I experience in difficult times is based on the emotions of fear, doubt, and worry. Whatever has occurred is causing me to be unsettled, concerned, distrusting, or fearful. None of these emotions are linked to truth, they are only byproducts of my fears or concerns about doing the right thing, knowing how I am going to get through this, or doubting that whatever is occurring in my life could possibly have a positive outcome. I am responding to a difficult situation by embracing my fear, doubts, and worries about the unknown, rather than finding hope in the unknown. My faith is being tested and my fearful reactions to the situation are adversely impacting my faith. This is where I need to be stronger and more trusting of Him and less concerned about my abilities to cope with or manage the storm.
Instead of embracing my fears about the unknown, I have learned to focus on what I know is true, the known. These are simple, basic truths that have been demonstrated time and time again in our lives that I choose to focus on and move towards in those dark, painful periods in my life:
- God loves me more than I know (1 John 4:16)
- God has a marvelous and wonderful plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11)
- God will provide me a path through this chaos (1 Corinthians 10:13)
- God is by my side through it all and he will never leave me (Isaiah 41:10)
- God is teaching me, building me up and molding me through this situation (Romans 5:1-5)
When I focus on these truths, it moves me closer to my heavenly Father. It shifts my focus away from my adverse emotions. It reminds me of all the fulfilled and wonderful promises from He has made and honored. It feeds and rewards my faith, even in the most difficult of times.
Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to work these truths into my chaos. There have been times where I had to fight to embrace them. When I work at embracing these truths, it moves me closer to Him in a very powerful way. It is in Him where my true comfort lies.
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Are you trapped on the emotional rollercoaster of addiction? Has the addiction of a loved one disrupted and taken over your life. Dave Cooke can help. He’s an internationally recognized speaker who has made it his commitment to minister to parents struggling with addiction in their families. His powerfully insightful, faith based approach to the challenges of addiction have inspired and educated thousands across the country.
Contact Dave today to book him to speak at your church, parent’s group, business organization, or neighborhood association. Go to http://www.100pedals.com/speaker-dave-cooke/ for more information or email [email protected].
Dave is riding his bicycle across the country this summer? Cycling for Recovery is a 3600 mile, nine-week trip from LA to NY. He could be passing through your town. Dave welcomes the opportunity to speak at your organization, church,or bike shop while on this trip. To learn more about the schedule and route go to http://cyclingforrecovery.com.
