What season are you in, and can you discern the season that you are in, at the present moment? Life is made of times, levels, and seasons. We understand this in the natural. There is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to be an infant child, adolescent, adult, and mature adult. Each age carries with it the expectations of appropriate behavior. Knowing your season will eliminate so much frustration in your life. There are three discernable seasons in growth. This is true in the natural and the spiritual worlds. Likewise, it true in business, and any other kind of relationship. You will either be in the season of learning, earning, or returning. The first season is learning. It is all about discovery. Discovering what you want to become. Is a large part of this moment in time. What makes you better as a person? Conversely, what diminishes you? In whose presence do I find yourself excelling? What you want can be more easily discovered by determining what you do not want. This is called the process of elimination.  An overabundance of choices can cause anxiety. First, try making a list of what you do not want. Learning is a season to be mastered. Solomon says in the book of Proverbs that in all we seek to acquire, we should seek understanding above all else! Self-awareness is critical to living a successful life. Ask questions of yourself. What do you want?  Learn everything that you can in the learning season. You are much less likely to feel behind or lacking when it is time to move into the next season. This is will set you up for success. God wants that for you. Jesus came so that you would have a life that is abundant.

We can receive a blessing from people who were sent to oppose us personally, or those who are in opposition to our progress. David knew this. He told us in Psalms 23, that The Lord had prepared a table before him, in the presence of his enemies. We will rise or fall at the level of our associations.  We are not against people. We love them. True Christians are a forgiving people who extend grace and mercy, because they have been the recipients of so much from God. While this is true, we should not equate grace extended in forgiveness, with grace for relationship. It is good to recognize the need to extend forgiveness as beneficial to ourselves. Simultaneously, we must discern whether the relationship is beneficial for us going forward. Pay attention if any those in your circle are fine when they hear that you are failing in any way. If they are comfortable around others who speak negatively about you, it should be a red flag. We do not need to give everyone equal access. An adversary will resent your desire to be better. Your champions will want you to become the best version of yourself. They will not be threatened by your growth. Make sure that your inner circle is comfortable with your future and not perpetually reminding you of your past.

It is a false belief that once you have a relationship with Christ, there will be smooth sailing all the way. Jesus Himself said,” In this word you will have trouble.” It is the intention of the devil to devour. Wisdom is the ability to recognize among others the differences in people, situations, conversations, inflections, expressions, outcomes, and particularly relationships. We need to stop being gullible. Loving everyone does not mean we give them equal access to every area of our lives. An adversary is anyone or anything that will attack our assignment. Anyone that distracts me has the potential to destroy me. We cannot afford to live in a state of delusion, to play with the false. Anything that attacks our assignment must be confronted and dealt with. Each of us have been uniquely created with a particular purpose in mind. If we are not diligent to guard that purpose, the distractions will keep us from reaching our God given potential. We are to have no contact with anything or anyone that trivializes our faith or convictions. If someone in my life has the capability of getting me off course, I must distance myself from that person. I must choose the people and situations that will enable me to be the best version of myself and refuse those that continually pull me away from God’s perfect will. Choose carefully who you let close to you. Why? Because you are worthy!

Can we learn from adversaries? Can we receive a reward for adversaries? The answer is, “Yes!” God will throw a party for us in the presence of our enemies. Their very presence indicates a clue that reward is on the way. They are indications that you have outgrown where you are. Sometimes it takes a giant to press us out of our comfort zone. It is not enough to hear truth; you have got to be able to put it into practice. That may require resistance. According to Matthew chapter 7, there were two men who were both builders of houses. The difference is that the “fool” built his house upon the sand and the “wise” built his house upon the rock. Jesus warned his disciples. He instructed them to beware of men. They will turn on you. He didn’t just warn them about the devil, he warned about certain people. You can build your relationships on solid people or people with no substance. Some will work with you as you strive to reach your destiny and others will actively work against you. Everyone will not be eager to see you succeed. We must learn to recognize those who are for or against us. You don’t have to be fearful, because you can choose to believe that God will cause everything to ultimately work for your good. That being the case, it doesn’t benefit you when you refuse to acknowledge the reality of an adversary in your life. People who were sent to destroy me, can be used to develop me. Adversaries don’t have to be a sign of destruction; they can indicate that promotion is on the way. Paul tells us to fight the good fight the faith. Sometimes you must put on the full armor of God and fight with wisdom, revelation, and confidence. Don’t let who or what was meant for your destruction have the last word!

Most adversarial situations do not self-correct. It is up to us to take a stand. Casting down thoughts that are in opposition to what God thinks or says about us will always be our responsibility. We get to choose which thoughts we will endorse and upon which ones we will meditate. Likewise, it will be our responsibility to determine everyone’s specific entry point for intimacy in our lives. For example, close family members should have different access than acquaintances. We must be careful to recognize adversarial relationships and be discerning about the access we give them. We are always to be Christlike in our attitude, however, we must use wisdom. Pretending that someone is not our adversary when it has become evident that they are, is both delusional and dangerous. Teachers or mentors are for instruction. They are coaches. They celebrate and correct. Friends are for comfort. Good friends may resist giving you advice. We need all these relationships to serve their purpose.  An enemy is for reward. David tells us in Psalm 23, that The Lord prepared a table for him in the presence of his enemies. Even our enemies have an ultimate purpose. If you always avoid the enemy, you will also miss the table. If it weren’t for Goliath, David would have remained a shepherd boy. Avoiding an enemy is not the same as dealing with one. Jesus recognized an enemy. He knew that there were adversaries to His life and to His ministry. When an adversary presents, it could mean that God knows that you have what it takes to ascend to the next level. Enemies are for promotion. By the grace of God, you have got what it takes to go to the next level!

It is not wise to live your life pretending that you will never be faced with adversaries. There is a very real strategy in the heavenlies for your success, as well as a very real strategy that is meant for your failure. The good news is that because of Christ, we have overcome. There is nothing that can come against us that will not ultimately work for us, because as scripture teaches us in Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to them that love God and walk according to His purpose. We must still be sober and vigilant. 2nd Corinthians 10:4, says,” The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty through God, for the pulling down of strongholds.” The next verse explains what the strongholds are. It says,” Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And bringing  into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. The first stronghold or adversary to our progress are the imaginations of our minds. Any thought that contradicts God’s thoughts toward us must be rejected. God says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you says The Lord, not plans to harm you but to prosper you, to give you hope and a future.” Have you let internal thoughts override the thoughts of God toward you? Today, go to war with stinkin’ thinkin’! Don’t let the adversary win! The enemy’s objective is destruction. His strategy is distraction, and his tactic is delusion! We cannot afford to be ignorant of his devices. In the original Latin, the word delusion means, “to play around with the false.” We must quit playing around with thoughts that are inconsistent with the thoughts of God! We were created in His image and as Proverbs tells us, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

This is a difficult subject. We try so hard to avoid hardship and resistance. They aren’t pleasant. If we are not careful, though resistance can be sent to fortify us. 1st Peter 5:8 it says,” Be sober and vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” God has no adversary because God has no equal. He has no worthy opponent. The writer indicates that we indeed do have an adversary, and this requires that we be both sober and vigilant. This is an important truth to recognize, so that we are not ignorant and therefore vulnerable. There is an old saying, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. What you don’t know can hurt or destroy you. In the Old Testament God says, “My people perish for their lack of knowledge.” You can die because of what you don’t know! Ignorance is not bliss. Scripture encourages us to walk with full awareness of what is happening around us. The encouraging truth is that the roaring lion is not the one to be afraid of. He roars only to frighten and intimidate. The lion to be afraid of is the one who is quiet and ready to pounce. Satan may roar, but our God is The Lion of Judah. When He fights for us, it is game over for the devil!

It is the heart of God for each believer that we enter into the fullness of all the blessings that Jesus died for us to have. We lose the victim mentality when our thoughts, emotions and choices stem from an internal compass based on the Word of God and relationship with Him. We can have a healthy soul. We can live an abundant life. True prosperity will only be obtained with a soul that is healthy. Every circumstance doesn't qualify as a crisis. We can discern the world around us with an appropriate perspective. 

Full prosperity or health happens first in your mind. Our decisions and choices should originate with our destiny in consideration. Practical indicators of a healthy mind include an internal compass, appropriate responses to situations and circumstances and the ability to relate to a variety of people and personalities. If you can only get along with people just like you, how will you ever be able to minister to those that are different? Jesus didn't just hang around religious people. The Bible says that He was a friend of sinners. If you have an internal compass that defines who you are, then you will not gain your identity from external places or other people. Be careful that you don't isolate yourself and thereby limit your sphere of influence.

God wants us to be content to live in peace. That is what Jesus died to give us. Some are unfortunately addicted to chaos. They don't seem to be happy unless there is a crisis of sorts. Every situation or circumstance isn't catastrophic. God desires that we be redeemed in our spirit man and restored in our emotions. He wants us to be whole. One of the indications of health and wholeness is the ability to discern the difference between a heart attack and a hangnail. While that may be humorous, it bears consideration. Next time your reactions seem out of bounds, you may need to adjust your perspective. The peace of God is yours for the asking and the receiving! Be at rest!