 Have you ever battled with whether you were ready to move in God? Many women believe they must feel confident, healed, or certain before moving forward. I was there at one point in my life. I needed to stop waiting to feel ready because God wanted to do a great work through me, and I was causing a delay.
It’s important that we stop waiting to feel ready because it is stifling our growth. God wants to use all of us as He used Joseph in scripture, so the excuse of not feeling ready won’t continue to work. Lives are waiting on our obedience, stepping out of fear and handing over our self-sabotage to Him. In Genesis chapter 37-50, we are introduced to the testimony of Joseph. Many of us are familiar with his story. Let’s walk through why he wasn’t given a choice of “Feeling Ready” to be used by God. His story begins with seventeen year old Joseph being despised by his brothers. Then, he had a dream about ruling over them one day, and they hated him even more. They even plotted to take his life. He had many reasons to self-sabotage his destiny and feel sorry for himself but he didn't. We are familiar with the story. His own brothers threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, and he was taken into Egypt. While there, he experienced many struggles (being accused of rape, he was thrown into prison, and forgotten by those God had used him to help). Still, he continued to trust God and didn’t realize where God was taking him. However, God was preparing him in the background for his great call. Then came the moment that changed his life. He interpreted the pharaoh’s dream. Actually, he only repeated what God revealed to him. The wisdom of God had brought him to the place of purpose. What is God Showing us About Joseph? He was just an ordinary man. He wasn’t “prepared” to move into the second in command position over Egypt. This was another reason he could have used to sabotage his situation. He could have told the pharaoh that he wasn’t prepared for such a big responsibility, but he trusted God instead. What Keeps us Stuck? Fear and the pain of our past. The fear of the unknown can keep us standing in place and not moving in our purpose. The pain of our past can keep us making excuses. That is why we need Christ's healing, from the inside out. Once we begin to walk in our healed place, He invites us to shift to a place of obedience. This is key because it can hinder us and the individuals we are called to help. One of my former principal’s used to say, “Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready.” Spiritually, that means being ready to allow the Lord to have control and equip you in the moment. Stay ready to obey what you might not even understand. We must embrace that God is the one who equips us, not ourselves. Yes, we can do some workshops and trainings, but we must remain close to Christ, so we can hear his instructions, step by step. Practical Application: Here are a few practical steps to help us shift from self-sabotage to moving in God’s purpose.
Encouragement & HOPE: Remember, the following:
Closing Prayer: Father, I pray for your daughter reading this. Help her to trust you to help her take the shift from self-sabotage or stagnation to moving forward in purpose. Help her to understand that you have the power to and will equip her with courage, peace, and the ability to fulfill your purpose. Let her know that you can use her as you used Joseph, but she must seek you and allow you to guide her as Joseph did. You saved many lives through Joseph, and you desire to do the same in her life as well. In Jesus’ name, amen. *Please take a moment to leave a comment below with the first step you took to shift into moving in God. If you enjoyed this blog post, please checkout my "Wholeness blog by clicking the link below: https://www.denisemwalker.com/ Thanks for stopping by and keep living "That HOPE Life!" Denise M. Walker
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 “Healing doesn’t automatically mean we know how to live healed. Sometimes, after God restores us, we might unknowingly sabotage the very freedom we prayed for.”
Why because...
No matter what, when God brings us out of barren (empty, devastating) places, we still have to learn how to remain there. We can't return. I have 5 practical tips to keep us from self-sabotage. Tip 1: Start journaling. You don't need anything fancy, just a notebook. Once you have a journal, answer the following questions:
Tip 2: Next, write down your triggers. Examples:
Tip 3: Write a prayer to God asking him to heal you from those triggers. Tip 4: Practice Obedience in Small Ways. Self-Sabotage starts small, then grows.
Tip 5: Guard your environment and your thoughts. When engaging with people and things, ask yourself, "Does this support my healing journey or drain it?" Think about the content you consume, your connections, and even conversations you may have on and offline. Then, seek God in prayer for continued direction. In closing, remember that self-sabotage is not a lack of faith. It’s often a lack of practice. Healing is real, but staying healed is a daily choice. Choose wisely everyday. I'm a living witness that it works. Thanks for stopping by and keep living "That HOPE Life!" Denise M. Walker |
About this Blog:That HOPE Life is a faith lifestyle blog for women who want to live an authentic life of hope—sharing practical, Christ-centered tips, books, and other guidance for walking out faith in real, everyday moments. That Hope Life's Book Corner:
Below are a few books that I enjoyed. The last one is my latest Christian fiction novel. Christian fiction is my favorite genre. I believe they can lead someone to the Lord who may not have picked up a Bible. Minister
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