Real life is not only a series of highlight reels.
In reality life goes through seasons and some seasons are easier and more pleasant than others.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV) -
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
We must have a plan for every season of life, not just the highlights.
Psalm 84: 4;6-7 -
Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
Baca: Tears or weeping
How to remain blessed even as we have to walk through life’s valleys:
- We dwell in the house of God (where his presence is) and we sing praise!
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• God’s presence isn’t just a feeling or a moment. It’s a place to remain.
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Romans 8:6-7 -
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
Am I leaning on what God’s Word tells me is true? Or, am I leaning on the emotion of the moment?
Seasons of fasting build our ability to rely on the Holy Spirit for comfort and support more than we rely on our flesh or our physical comforts.
Can I train myself to submit to God’s ways, more than I submit to my carnal nature’s craving for unhealthy outlets?
- Am I willing to praise even when I can’t see when the valley is going to end?
Praise: ”Halal” - Boast like mad and to celebrate. (Give God a crazy praise.)
3. It’s not likely we prevail without a willingness to travail.
James 1:4 (NIV) -
*Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
*lacking anything.*
The gain of the life in the Spirit we receive will far outweigh the momentary pains of abandoning our flesh.
Questions for Discussion:
Even with God, we will go through both pleasant and unpleasant seasons. Does knowing this in advance give you comfort or does it cause you to dread? Why or why not?
Read Psalm 84:4-7. What was David’s strategy for walking through the valleys, or hard seasons of life?
What does remaining in God’s house, or his presence, look like for you on a daily basis?
How easy or hard is it for you to praise God, or celebrate who he is in the hard seasons of
life?
What are some ways you could strengthen this habit in your life, if it has been a struggle for
you?