How To PRAISE Your Way Through Your Biggest Obstacles
The path to pursuing our crazy big dreams is never clear cut. Often the route twists and turns at unexpected places and is riddled with unforeseen obstacles that make us question whether we will ever achieve our goals.
Recently, a member in a group I belong asked this question…
how can we know whether the obstacles that threaten our dreams are from God or not?
On the one hand, we know we will face obstacles. We have a real enemy who does not want to see our plans succeed, who comes to steal our dreams, kill our passion, and destroy our future. Jesus even warned – “in this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).
But on the other hand we know God also uses our challenges to develop perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5:3-4) and to nudge us along His chosen path to our God sized dreams.
So in the middle of these seemingly conflicting truths, how can we know if the obstacles we face are the devil’s distraction or God’s direction?
It Depends on whose plan you are pursuing
I believe the answer is rooted in whether we are in pursuit of our plan or God’s plan.
When we know that we know that we KNOW the desires placed in our hearts are from the Lord, we can go forth and pursue our dream in full assurance that the Lord is directing our steps.
In my own journey, I have wrestled with the Lord to truly KNOW. I would love to say I’ve responded like Mary every time I have sensed God speak – “May it be to me as you’ve said” (Luke 1:38b).
But for me, and perhaps you also, when God calls you out from your place of comfort… to follow Him… to do the good works He planned for you to do before the foundations of the earth were laid (Eph 2:10), there is some wrestling. But that’s ok, God can handle it. When our heart’s desire is to seek Jesus and live out His best plan for our life we’re gonna have some questions.
Just don’t languish there.
That’s why, before my questions morph into full blown doubt, I pull out my journal and P.R.A.I.S.E.
I developed this method to draw close to the Lord, to hear Him speak, to guide my steps and accomplish His plans and purposes in my life. It is a daily process. And when I use the spiritual habits of the acronym P.R.A.I.S.E, I can know if the obstacles I face are the devil’s distraction or God’s divine direction.
So let’s break it down. What is P.R.A.I.S.E?
1. Prayer
It begins with prayer. Setting aside time to spend with God. Positioning your heart in expectation to hear from Him. Speaking face to face. Sharing your thoughts, questions, doubts, hopes, and dreams. Knowing that when you call out to Jesus, He “…will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
Remember when the Apostle Paul and his companions faced numerous obstacles trying to enter the province of Asia to preach the good news? Try and try as they might, they could not push through the resistance. They were kept from preaching the word in that region by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6-7). And during the night, Paul had a dream of a man beckoning him to come over to Macedonia to help them (Acts 16:9).
In this instance, the obstacle was not a distraction but rather direction from God.
Paul knew God had given him the dream to redirect their steps. Without delay, they changed their course from Asia and headed to Macedonia.
It is possible to know the difference. Paul was a man of prayer and when God spoke to him, he knew what he should do next. We too can know when we position ourselves in prayer to hear from God.
2. Read
Next, read your Bible.
You may feel a prompt by the Holy Spirit to read a certain verse or scripture passage. Or you may continue reading where you left off from the last time. Wherever you begin, the Lord will bring His word alive in your spirit. There may be a word or sentence that you find yourself returning to. A holy nudge to dig a little deeper. Don’t rush pass it but instead linger for awhile. Circle it, underline it, colour it – whatever your preference, and ask the Holy Spirit’s help to understand the significance.
Also spend some time reading your prayer journal. If you don’t have one, you should consider starting one. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. I’ve got several dollar store journals and some fancier journals that I’ve used over the years.
The important thing is to jot down your thoughts, questions, and prayers while noting the significance of the words, verses, and passages illuminated during your time spent with God. It is amazing how the puzzle pieces of your life begin to come together when you read your journal and see the themes woven throughout your notes. When it seems like God has been silent, you realize He has been there guiding you all along.
3. Activate Awareness
This is where things get interesting.
Once you have spent time in prayer, reading God’s word and your journals, activate your awareness of His presence and attune yourself to the ways He is at work in your circumstances.
It can be through the words or actions of a friend or stranger that affirm the ‘thing’ (whatever your thing is). The impeccable timing of that ‘thing’ which seems completely random (but isn’t because there are no coincidences). Or in my case, when God speaks through a procession of geese crossing the street.
God can use anything and anyone within His creation to speak into your situation. The key is to acknowledge Him in all your ways. Look out for His fingerprint. God will guide you, this way or that way, along the path He has prepared especially for you (Proverbs 3:6).
4. Identify & Journal
It is so important not to ignore the things you become aware of as you attune yourself to God’s activity. Do not dismiss it. Identify it and write it down. Sometimes it will not make sense in the moment but you’ll marvel at the way God weaves the seemingly disconnected ‘things’ together to bring clarity to your situation.
When I read my past journal entries, I can see how God had been revealing His call to pursue nursing. Back then I sensed His nudge, so I went through the motions and applied to a couple local colleges. I abandoned the idea however, when my applications were declined. I was missing a prerequisite which seemed a big enough obstacle that told me this was not meant to be.
But I was wrong. The obstacle was a distraction and when I resolved in my heart that becoming a Registered Nurse was part of God’s bigger plan, I enrolled in night school to fulfill the requirement.
It was tough. It took some grit. But fast forward to today, I’ve completed my first year of nursing school and I’m on my way – yay!
5. Start doing
As you begin to get some clarity, start doing. Take that next step and do it. But hear me on this, you will not have perfect clarity. There rarely is a detailed 100 step plan that spans the next 10 years because… well… that wouldn’t be faith.
But whatever you have discerned from your time in prayer, reading, attuning your awareness, identifying and journaling, you are now ready to act.
Start doing the thing you know you are to do because action precedes clarity.
Although I was deterred from nursing school when my application was rejected, I continued to take action. Eventually I launched a home care agency and it was during this time that I felt the nudge again to pursue my nursing degree. But this time, I resolved to take action.
And lastly,
6. Enjoy
Yes. Enjoy the Lord and enjoy the journey.
It is so easy to get caught up in the trial, the obstacle, or even our calling and forget all of this is about Jesus. The One to whom every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord (Romans 14:11).
Pause. Breathe. Believe. Enjoy.
God’s got this!
Now it’s your turn. When you are faced with any resistance or obstacle that threatens your dreams, how do you overcome it? How do you know when it is a distraction or God’s direction? Share your thoughts, I’d love to her them.