When God's Path Seems Crooked

"Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure"

Isaiah 46:10 

Have you ever been seeking after God, but it seems like the path He is taking you on is in the opposite direction of where you are supposed to be heading? Well, welcome to my life! As Christians, we hear all the time that God is Sovereign and to trust Him. To be honest, in my own life, sometimes that seems like the hardest thing to do. I want to trust Him, really I do, but some days it seems like God just might have forgotten about me. As test after test and trial after trial comes my way, I want to throw up my arms in frustration and just quit. Can you relate to those feelings? Maybe you have been there before or could possibly be there right now. I've heard so many Christian sayings about trust and faith and let's face it sometimes they make matters seem worse. As people try to preach to you, it only makes you feel miserable because you know better and are just having a hard time trying to comprehend God's truth right now. You don't necessarily want a pity party but need some encouragement to help you see the bigger picture. It's as if you know that you should believe and trust in The Lord, but based on your current situation that seems almost impossible to do. You may be thinking, God this cannot be Your will because everything is contradicting what I believe you said. Did I miss you?

A few weeks ago, I was at a girlfriends' house for prayer and heard The Lord whisper, "It's a new season." I got so excited because I was going through what I already considered to be a pretty rough season and I was ready for a break. Well the next morning while I was praying at church, I remember saying "Help us to trust you Lord to make our paths straight, even when it seems crooked to us." You may already know what happened next; I started getting tested to see if I really meant what I said. I can't even fully describe all the taunting and lies the enemy tried to tell me for the next week. Things like "God lied to you," "You are worthless," and "Your obedience is a waste of time." I was so drained spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically from trying to FIGHT back with God's Word. I literally wanted to cry because it seemed like my prayers and the prayers of those around me weren't working. I knew what the enemy was saying were all lies, but they cut deeper and deeper every time he spoke them. Nothing seemed to work and it began to seem like the path that God had laid before me was filled with potholes, detours, road blocks, and stop signs. I thought to myself I'm supposed to be in a new season so why am I feeling that I'm moving backwards instead of forward. I began to question EVERYTHING! Do I have some unconfessed sin in my life? Did I step outside Your Will, Lord? What in the world is going on? I felt like Job, although I know He had it 1,000,000 times worse (I encourage you to read through Job if you have never done so). Finally, I was preparing to tell the members of the prayer ministry at my church, and The Lord whispered to me "I want you to worship me through this day." He began to show me just how much the enemy cannot stand it when we worship, especially in the midst of attacks. That's because when we open our mouths to worship our Heavenly Father, we usher in His presence, which causes the enemy and his demons to flee. The Lord began to lead me to songs about holding onto His promises and walking by faith that ministered to me in such a way that I began to be able to see God's perspective of my situation. I also realized that God, although He wasn't the author of these, was allowing me to be tested and put to use everything that I had learned in the previous season. By the end of the day, my joy was restored and I once again had peace. Since then worship has become my "weapon of choice" against the enemy. I cannot even explain how worshiping my way through these tests and trials has helped. It's easier for me to become distracted when I'm praying, but when I'm worshiping my thoughts are immediately taken higher; above all the distractions, noise, and chaos of this world. There's something amazing and supernatural about worshiping God and proclaiming His goodness through a storm.

We have to remember is that God uses all of our life experiences to get us to our destiny. Yes, even the "bad" seasons when it seems like everything is going wrong. So what do you do when that happens? You keep chasing after God and endure! Sounds simple enough, right? I know that it's not the answer any of us want to hear, but it's the truth. There are just some elements of this Christian walk that can't be taught, you just have to live it out. It's uncomfortable and it makes no sense, but faith doesn't make sense. Most people just resort back to human wisdom and understanding, but we have to grow past that and seek God first. We can't go higher if we are still clinging to this world's perspective, instead of asking God for His perspective. As we keep our eyes on Him we learn to stand strong, no matter how hard life gets.

"You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You."

Isaiah 26:3

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

As humans our understanding is so finite compared to God's infinite knowledge. We can't try to bring Him down to our level, but must rise up to His level. That's why it's so super important to cling tightly to Him and His Word. We have to constantly renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2) because we naturally want to lean on our own understanding. I saw a t-shirt on Instagram that said "No struggle, no growth; know struggle, know growth." Without the tests and trials that come our way, we wouldn't grow nor have a testimony to share with others. We would never get a chance to put into action the faith we say we claim to have. These temporary road blocks and detours will not last forever. He may have told you to go China but you make a pit stop in Africa first. Or maybe He said that you were supposed to be a TV host but you are working a job as a secretary right now. You might even be in school and you have a strong desire to be a stay-at-home mom and raise your offspring. It may seem like God might have forgotten what He said your purpose was, but He hasn't. Sometimes God will prepare you for a season of your life that may not be for a few more years. Why? Because He is God and knows the beginning from the end. In August of 2014, He led me to quit all of my dance jobs to nanny and work as the administrator for my church. I went from being in the dance studio 6 days a week to zero in the blink of an eye. This was after in 2012, He had told me that dance would always be a part of my life and that I would one day open a center to teach children about dance and Him. I was super confused and had many days of doubt along the way, but here it is a year later and I can clearly see why He took me that route. The Lord built my character and taught me even more what it means to depend on Him, instead of on man. I learned skills that will help me run an organization, what it takes to be in ministry full-time, how to raise a family God's way, how to lead others, my faith grew by leaps and bounds, and much more. Along the way He was indirectly preparing me for my destiny. Although the path seemed crooked to me, to The Lord it truly has been straight this whole time. 

This is not by any means an extensive list, but a few things that have helped me to get back on track when I'm down and having trouble trusting God's plan.

1. Pray and Be Still (Psalm 46:10)

2. Renew your mind with God's Word (Romans 12:1-2)

3. Surround yourself with believers for edification (Hebrews 10:24) and accountability (James 5:16)

4. Fast (Matthew 6:16-18)

5. Worship (Psalm 100:4)

I want to leave you with this song called "Already Done" by Israel & New Breed ft. Jonathan McReynolds. May it encourage and bless you in your time of worship!!! Keep pressing, keep believing, keep hoping, and keep trusting. Know that God is for you and He, along with all of heaven, is cheering for you!!!

 Until Next Time,

Cierra 

xoxo

Me dancing last Friday night at an event!

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Email: cierracotton@gmail.com