How can I be still? How can I be quiet? How can I not react? I’ve always been a fighter; I’ve always had to take care of myself!! How do I learn to sit by and just let thing’s just “happen?” How can I sit by and not “take up” for myself? These are all questions that a strong-willed person has asked themselves when others tell us to be quiet or just wait.
It’s hard to sit still and be quiet when your nature is to fight! When you’re naturally strong willed it seems impossible not to throw out your opinion or push for what you want! But when we refer to the word of God we are told to simply, be still! Psalms 37:7 says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.” It doesn’t say for us to react and then let God show up and fix our mess. I confess that this is how I have found myself reacting. In a moment of disagreement or miscommunication, I just couldn’t seem to be quiet and not voice my opinion. Then the mess is created and He has to come in and clean up the shambles.
Many of you have had to learn to be fighters! You’ve had to learn to defend or fight for yourself at all cost. You’ve been placed in situations through no fault of your own, that have forced you to be strong! You’ve always been the one who has had to make it happen. The one every one depends on because they know that you will do whatever needs to be done. The bills, the kids, the job, etc.
Then there are others who just naturally have a strong-willed nature! You want to fix things and handle them on your own! You were those “strong-willed” kids they write the books about. You are determined, focused and strong in almost every situation.
Please know that there is nothing wrong with being strong willed! It can take us many places! It can help us advance in our careers, help us learn endurance, make us great leaders, display our passion or even help others around us who aren’t strong in their nature. But, we must learn to balance that strong spirit that seems to rise up in us at all of the wrong times! See it’s in those moments that we say things we don’t mean, we make decisions we wouldn’t normally make and we walk into situations we were never meant to be in!
That is NOT what God intended for any of us. All throughout scripture it talks about God fighting for us! So, why don’t we let Him? Maybe we think He isn’t concerned with what is happening in our lives. I’ve even heard people say that they don’t want to bother God with their problems! If God did not intend to fight for you, His word would not have said it!
So, what do we do? How do we suppress those feelings that we need to take care of the situations that seem to be out of control? If we must fight, and some of us must, then maybe we should! But what if we fight in a different way? What if we take our fight to our knees? See it’s on our knees that we relinquish control to God. When we do that, then we experience His peace. A peace that only He can provide. He is the one who created us and who is in control of all things and only He can truly provide the joy and understanding we need in difficult situations. I can tell you from experience that when I try to fight on my own, I only make them more challenging than they were initially.
Matthew 7:7-8 says “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. I challenge you to take that strong willed nature and use it the way the scripture says. Keep asking, keep knocking, keep seeking until God sends the answer. He will send the answer because His word promises it. He always keeps His promises and He will not stop now.
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