Survive or Thrive?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve just been walking along in my life when I’ve felt as if someone was turning up a GAS BURNER underneath me for NO apparent reason!
Circumstances start to BOIL around me, and I’m not sure how to SURVIVE the FRYING PAN without jumping directly into the FIRE!
I think I’m trying to just survive whatever is being thrown my way, when a God-breathed thought comes…”I don’t want you just to survive the situation, I want you to thrive in it.”
WHAT?
On Mission
Jesus didn’t settle on just SURVIVING the 40 days of hardship and temptation in the wilderness talked about in Luke 4.
He came out with POWER and THRIVING on earth.
“Then Jesus went back full of and under the POWER of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the FAME of Him spread through the whole region round about.” Luke 4:14 AMP
Jesus was ON MISSION in all that God called him to do. He let the world be at war but kept His heart at PEACE.
War and Peace
It can happen in our everyday lives.
•Right before the perfect job starts.
•Right before the new relationship gels.
•Right before the money is set to come in.
Things don’t click the way we think they should and we buckle under PRESSURE and allow our FLESH to be at war.
Our circumstances may be at WAR, but our hearts must remain at PEACE to make all the right decisions.
The Bible says, “PEACE is to be our UMPIRE” and we’re to “be led forth with peace”.
When we follow the PEACE we go from SURVIVING a setback or an unexpected mountain in our path to THRIVING in it. But we have to be able to find the peace in our hearts when it seems like everything in the world is at war with us.
When the noise and confusion start, if we follow what is written like Jesus did – we will emerge thriving as Jesus did!!! Just follow the peace!!!!
Are you like me and could use a little more encouragement right now? Need to hear a talk about thriving (not just surviving) in this tough world? Click here and get just that!
Print Me!
I’m going through the midst of my first real break up and its HORRIBLE. I thank God for giving you that message,Pastor Nicole. I really needed to hear it ystdy. My spirit was in turmoil but now I’m focusing on inner peace with the situation. I don’t want to survive it,I want to THRIVE from it!
Ashley – continue to be led forth with peace and before you know it, you’ll be thriving more than you ever thought possible!
Thank you need this one. Great job as always.
I love how in the nick of time God sends me a hopeful Word through you or Pastor David! Thank you
Dawn – So happy to hear that this encouraged you!!
I’ve been “just surviving” for so long. I want to thrive. Not sure how Jesus survived that desert fast thingy. It seems so hard now. Thanks for the encouraging message.
It is time to not only survive but to thrive in every situation I am in knowing that God knew I would be in this place and he will see me through it if I trust in him and am obedient to his calls. Great blog!