Day 20

12 Feb Day 20

Scripture: ‭‭Psalm 32:7 NLT- “For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.”

Observation: God cares about our wins, despite how small they might be. When we surrender & confess, our guilt is gone.

Application: Sometimes, while wrestling with a certain problem in life, we manipulate ourselves into believing that solving it would make everything in our lives alright. I don’t mean to discourage you, but when you’ve conquered that particular problem, God will indeed reveal something else that needs to be dealt with. Relax! All of us are always going to be working on something, which can lead us closer to God. After all, change doesn’t come from human efforts that are driven by resentment and guilt.

For years, I struggled with being quick to anger and frustration. If I didn’t understand something or found that I wasn’t capable of performing a certain task, I would easily feel defeated and lash out. Through it all, I was fully aware of what James 1:19 says:  “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” This was a verse that I desperately needed to get behind. After the fits of rage and confusion were over, I always became overwhelmed with a sense of guilt and shame, knowing that acting in such a way was not God’s best for me, and it surely was not my best for him. Like many things in my life, I tried to fix this complication on my own, consequently leading to more discouragement and animosity.

In an effort to remain patient through this season, I kept confessing and surrendering all of this anger to him. It wasn’t until I began reading that verse from James 1:19 daily and letting it speak to my heart that I began to see significant change in my life. It became evident to me that real change comes as a result of having your mind renewed daily by God’s Word. To put it simply, once you begin to really concur with what his Word says, change automatically begins and, eventually, once you permit the Holy Spirit to transform your mind, you’ll be walking in victory with Christ. Once I got this problem under control, God inevitably unfolded something else that needed to be adjusted in my life. However, we need to celebrate the victories, no matter how small, because at the end of the day, God truly cares about our wins.

Be patient with yourself, for it is a process that develops in stages. Would you think there was something wrong with a child who couldn’t walk perfectly the first try? No, you’re delighted each time they take the next step. When they fall down, you pick them up, clean up the scrapes, comfort them, and, most importantly, you continue to work with them. I’ve learned and firmly believe that God does the same for his children. God is not angry because you have not arrived at the top of the mountain. Rather, he is pleased that you keep pressing forward through the valley. If you could do it on your own, then you wouldn’t need him. So, continue to lean on him.

Prayer: God, I ask that you heal my broken heart and crushed spirit from the problems I face each and every day. Remove the heaviness within my heart and give me the strength to keep walking through the valley. Give me the power to look beyond my problems and remind me of the victory that I will find on the mountaintop. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Going Deeper:

• Practice what you learned and share it with others! Lead others spiritually in your J-Groups, J-Team, family, workplace, and more.
• Whatever problem you’re facing in life right now, read all of Psalm 32 daily and keep praying for God to lead you into victory.

Brandon Forgione/Creative Video Director

Brandon Forgione has been coming to The Journey for almost four years. He is grateful for the opportunity not only to work in the creative world, but to serve Jesus at the same time. In the winter of 2020, he led a J-Group called Faith & Film, where he and his group created a visual project for Christmas. Brandon wants to continue telling life-changing stories and creating projects in the world of video that can bring people closer to Jesus.