Hey, my lovelies how has your week been? I hope you are enjoying the journey to purpose so far, and the series has been beneficial to you! I believe you have gained a different perspective on your ploughing and growth seasons and you are able to apply the knowledge you are learning. For those that are just reading this post welcome to the family and please do make yourself at home. We have been on the journey to purpose and this is part 4 which means you have some catching up to do! So, before you proceed ensure you read parts one, two and three. I have been tremendously blessed doing this with you guys and I thank God for the opportunity! Meanwhile, can you guys see what I have done on the home page? Nice right? I have added more categories to help you navigate topics that are most relevant to you.
The growth season recap
In part three we spoke about growth, what it is? What it looks like? How to measure it and how to respond to it? We said that growth is the process of uncomfortable change! Growth can be tiring, exhausting, challenging and so on. Bearing in mind we are not talking about biological growth here. In this part of the series, we will be looking at opposition. Yes! Where there is purpose there is opposition, see the enemy (Satan) doesn’t want you to fully enter into your God-given purpose and be all that God has called you to be. That is why he is always after your identity! The journey to purpose is actually a journey to unveiling your true identity in God. Hopefully, we will have an article on identity soon so you can catch it. We will be looking at what opposition looks like and how to conquer it.
My story
When I became aware that I was gradually moving from my ploughing/silent season into my growth season, I started experiencing the different stages of growth. I began to experience the stretch which I am still experiencing by the way, and it is getting real! I literally feel like God has thrown me right in the deep end where I am swimming against the tide! And beloved it is not comfortable at all! God started taking me out of my comfort zone and He still is! However, because I understood what was happening it was easier to obey and just step out of faith and do whatever He was asking me to do at the time. Growth doesn’t just happen; it is an intentional act of obedience. My capacity has been increasing and I have noticed that I tarry longer (I have staying power), opportunities to serve were opening to me even though out of my comfort zone I knew that God was behind them all. This was because during my ploughing season I started hearing God more and understood how He spoke to me! So, it is now becoming easier to hear His voice. I saw the patterns and repetitions and I picked what he was trying to do! Meanwhile, while this was happening, I faced opposition at every stage of opportunities that were being opened up.
When God starts to speak to you about the things He would like you to do and you say yes, it’s almost as if all hell breaks loose. The devil starts to fire his darts at you! he tries his best to sway you away from the path of purpose and this is what I want to share with you all. Why does this happen? Gods purpose is always in line with establishing His Kingdom Agenda which in turn brings havoc to the kingdom of darkness. The moment a person says yes to God, the devil knows he is in trouble! so he begins firing his darts at you just so that you lose focus and give up all together! understanding how he works will help you resist him. The bible says in James 4:7 if you resist the devil, he will flee praise God because he is already a defeated foe.
How opposition looks like and how to conquer it
- Discouragement
The enemy (Satan) will always try to discourage you. what does discourage mean – to make someone feel less confident, enthusiastic, and positive about something, or less willing to do something! he will try and make you lose confidence in what God has said towards you so that you do not go ahead with it. Beloved don’t allow this to happen, once you start feeling discouraged go back to the word spoken to you from God, keep meditating on that word until it becomes one with you! Search the scriptures and speak Gods truth over your life. I love the scripture in:
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
So always remember that you are never alone God is with you always, don’t let the devil rob you of what is yours! Resist him and he will flee from you.
- Disqualify
If Satan can’t discourage you, he will try to disqualify you! he will try and make you feel like you are not good enough and not the person for the job! he will try and remind you of all your past sins and mistakes, he will make you feel like God cannot use you! he will compare you to others and literally make you feel worthless. Beloved this is a lie from the pit of hell! Don’t fall for it, you were bought with an expensive price- the precious blood of Jesus and There is, therefore, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1). You are now a new creation in Christ Jesus! And sin has no power over you. Remember you didn’t choose yourself; God chose you:
John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
It is actually not humility to think God made a wrong choice by choosing you or by feeling like you can’t be used. Are you then saying God doesn’t know what He is doing by choosing you? embrace the gift of righteousness that was given to you. So next time the devil brings up the past card to play on you, just remind him of his future! And remind him that you were bought with a price!
- Distraction
This is a very big tool of the devil! If he can’t discourage you or make you feel disqualified, then he will try and distract you. Now, this is one to look out for because sometimes it is actually hard to see. Distraction is not always obvious because he uses deception (to deliberately cause someone to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain). He will try and make you fall for something that is not in line with what the father has said or planned for you, he will try and take your focus from what is important to what is not! he might even bring opportunities that look good but actually take you into the opposite direction of where you are headed with God. The devil will bring about things that will take your time and take you away from your purpose in God. My beloved focus is your fight!
You need to be able to tell when you are getting distracted that is why the Bible admonishes us to test all spirits (1 John 4:1) we need to be discerning (Philippians 1:9), we need to pray without ceasing!
A shout of victory
One thing we are sure of is that we have the victory! Christ already won the battle that is why the devil can only try to mess with your mind. That is why we need to be armoured to be able to resist him. Let us look at what our armoury looks like:
Ephesians 6:11-18
Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the [a]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [b]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
Wow we are armed, and we have weapons, the devil hasn’t got a chance! immerse yourself in God’s word for it is a weapon:
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Renew your mind always by meditating on Gods truths about you! you don’t need to look elsewhere to know who you are! Look in the word, we behold it as a mirror, praise God. Rejoice in the victory that Christ won for us, He has already overcome!
Wow, it has really been a journey and I really enjoyed doing this with you all! I have something nice coming up for you next week so brace yourselves it is not over yet lol, I want to believe you have been blessed and have learnt a lot from this series. See you next week it’s going to be special.
Writers Essence 