Friday Fight 34 - Experiencing or Expecting

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF34.

How many of us find ourselves in a place where we suddenly feel alone? We are functioning, our routines continue, yet our happiness has come and gone suddenly. This season brings a sense of sadness as we mourn the loss of our loved ones. But have you ever sat in a room filled with people yet still felt discontent?

Experiencing or Expecting:

How often have we traveled, purchased a home, joined a gym, or even begun a new relationship, filling our hearts with happiness? It’s incredible! These things add so much value to our lives, build our confidence, and create lasting memories. But what happens when we can’t travel or get injured or a relationship ends? Do we allow people or things to dictate our happiness? There is a difference between experiencing the joy that only comes from God and expecting other things to bring us happiness.

Perhaps this season is an excellent time to reflect on what we expect versus what we experience. Relying on others to fill voids, restore hurts and instill happiness is unfair. People and things are not Christ, and they all fail us at some point. Our joy then becomes temporary. Having a relationship with God and allowing Him to be our strength and confidence brings eternal joy. When we rely on people or things, we miss out on experiencing the only way to be continuously filled.

How does darkness work? Satan will place a heavy emphasis on worldly things to instill happiness. If we aren’t careful, we become entirely dependent on so many things that the slightest variation brings sadness.

How do we fight? Discerning how much of our happiness depends on people and things is a great place to begin. People change, lives change, finances change, jobs change, but God does NOT change.

When life fluctuates in ways we are not expecting, it can feel empty. Nothing will truly change loneliness or fill a void like the peace and joy of God. Let’s open our hearts to experience Him move and stop expecting the world to serve our needs.

James 1:17

Pastor Shannon

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