Honest question! Have you ever found yourself in a situation and you have no idea how you got there and you certainly do not know how to get out? (I like to call this a spiritual ditch, and I have had my fair share of them!)
In this podcast, Andrea and Bethany talk about the reality of a spiritual ditch and the action steps we can take to get out of the ditch and back on the path God has for us!
Proverbs 2:1-5 provides five steps to get out of the spiritual ditch!
1. Accept God's Wisdom- Find out what God says about the situation by going to the Bible and seeking out every verse that speaks to your situation. Then cling to God's truth and begin to live it out!
2. Turn Your Ear to Wisdom- This step is all about valuing God's will and ways over the temporary desires of the flesh. If you do not want wisdom more than the current sin or situation going in your life, pray, "Lord, help me to want You more than I want ___." This cry of faith is a powerful commodity and provides the path out of the ditch! (Also, don't beat yourself up if this is where you are at in the process. God's mercy and grace are more than enough to cover you! At the same time, don't minimize the fact that sin has become a stronghold. Be honest with God and yourself!)
3. Apply God's Wisdom to your heart- Sometimes a spiritual ditch can cause us to be afraid to go back to a former way of life, afraid to stay in the present situation, and afraid to move forward to a new reality. The outcome is that we are paralyzed by sin. As a result, we sight tight in the situation and the sin becomes more and more embedded in our lives. We can admit our fear and stop normalizing our sin. This step helps us to get real and to begin to fight for freedom.
4. Call out for Insight and Cry Aloud for Understanding- This step is all about surrender! We can say, "I don't want this place." "Help me to see the truth in the midst of this situation." God in His grace shows us our motives as well as the reality of our situation. The Spirit draws us to the Lord and helps us break the chains that currently bind our hearts and mind. This leads to freedom!
5. Look for Wisdom like you Look for Silver- When we are in a spiritual ditch, we have to be committed to God and His ways no matter what. We have to recognize that God's way of life is like a treasure and it requires intensity and focus in order for us to find and accept it.
When we take these five steps, we have peace because God holds victory for us. He offers His protection! He gives us His perspective! He provides the path to victory as we put on a God-Size filter for the situation we currently face which helps us to understand what is right, just, and fair!
The outcome of the spiritual ditch can be:
Discretion that protects us!
Knowledge that is pleasant to our souls!
Wisdom that enters our hearts!
If you are in a spiritual ditch... Cry out and call aloud for understanding. Seek God and His way like a hidden treasure. You will find the hidden treasure because you will find HIM! Don't give up sweet friend.
Don't. Give. Up.
