Break Out!: 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life (23 page)

The military was facing the same question we often face as individuals: what do you do when the battle has lasted longer than you thought it would? You’ve prayed. You’ve believed. You’ve done what you’re supposed to, but you’re still waiting to meet the right person. Or you’re still looking for the right job. Or you’re still praying that a child you care about will get back on track.

The word
weary
means, “to lose the sense of pleasure, to not feel the enjoyment that you once felt.” When soldiers are first shipped off overseas they’re excited. They can’t wait to make a difference. Then when the battle goes on and on, fatigue can set in. The same can happen to any of us who’ve been fighting for something over a long period.

The problem is when you allow yourself to become weary you’ll be
tempted to quit: to quit growing, to quit standing for that wayward child, to quit believing that you’ll become healthy and whole, or to quit pursuing your goals and dreams.

A woman visiting our church told me that she was in town for a checkup at the big cancer center in Houston, and she hadn’t received the news she’d hoped for. She’d gone through six months of chemotherapy. She was hoping she was done, of course. She found out that the chemo did do some good, but they told her she needed another six months of treatments. She was so disappointed. She said, “Joel, I’m tired. I don’t think I can do this for six more months.”

On the way to our victories we will always face the weariness test. We will be tempted to become discouraged and give up. The test never comes when we’re fresh. It never comes when we first start out. It always comes when we’re tired. That’s when we’re the most vulnerable.

The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:9, “Don’t grow weary in doing what’s right, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not.” Two words are the key to this whole passage; “faint not.” In other words, if you don’t give up, if you shake off the weariness, if you put on a new attitude knowing that God is still in control, if you dig your heels in and say, “I’ve come too far to stop now,” if you “faint not,” you will see the promise come to pass.

Instead of complaining about how long the battle is taking, we should say, “This too shall pass. I know it’s not permanent. It’s only temporary. I’m not camping here. I’m moving forward.”

Weariness kept the people of Israel out of the Promised Land. They were close to their victory, next door to the Promised Land. God had already said He would give them the land. All they had to do was go in and fight for it. But they allowed weariness to set in. They had gone through the wilderness, overcoming obstacles, defeating all kinds of enemies. Then they grew tired. Moses tried to get them to go in, but weariness leads to discouragement.

When you’re discouraged you see the problem instead of the possibility. You talk about the way it is instead of the way it can become. The people of Israel started complaining: “Moses, our enemy is too big. We don’t have a chance. We’ll never defeat them.”

They made a permanent decision based on a temporary feeling. If you
allow yourself to become weary and you lose your passion, you, too, will be tempted to make decisions based on how you feel rather than based on what you know.

When you feel that weariness come on, you need to pray to build strength. “God, You said You have armed me with strength for every battle. You said I can do all things through Christ who infuses inner strength into me. You said I am more than a conqueror, a victor and not a victim.” If you talk to yourself the right way, you will feel the second wind kick in.

But too often we do as the people of Israel did and think, “I can’t take this anymore. I’m so tired. I’m so rundown. It’s just too hard.” Yet, the more you talk about how tired you are the more tired you become. You’re just adding fuel to the fire. Don’t talk about the way you are. Talk about the way you want to be.

You need to have words of faith and victory coming out of your mouth. In other words, “This may be hard, but I know I’m well able. I’m equipped. I’m empowered. I am strong in the Lord.”

We all grow tired. We all become weary. In fact, if you never feel like giving up, then your dreams are too small. If you never feel like quitting, then you need to set some larger goals. When that pressure comes to be discouraged and to think you can’t take it anymore, that is completely normal. Every person feels that way at times.

Isaiah gives us the solution. He said, “Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

God knew there would be times when we would feel battle fatigue. That’s why He said, “There is a way to get your second wind. There is a way to have your strength renewed. What is it? Wait on the Lord.”

One translation says, “Hope in the Lord.” That doesn’t mean to sit around and be passive, complacent. It means to wait with expectancy, not complaining, not discouraged, not talking about all the reasons why it won’t work out.

If you want your strength renewed, the right way to wait is by saying, “Father, thank You that You are fighting my battles. Thank You that the answer is on the way. Thank You that You are bigger than these obstacles. Thank You that You are bringing my dreams to pass.”

When you give God praise, you talk about His greatness; you go through the day expecting Him to turn it around. God promises He will renew your strength. The Scripture says, “You will run and not get weary.” This is a reference to catching your second wind. That’s God breathing strength, energy, passion, vision, and vitality back into your spirit. You won’t just come out the way you were. You will come out on wings like eagles. You will come out stronger, higher, better off than you were before.

You may be up against major obstacles. When you look out into your future it can be very overwhelming. You can’t see how you will make it. I know a woman who was in the same situation. She raised her children and got them off to college. She was looking forward to this new season in her life in which she would have some free time. But because of unusual circumstances she has had to raise her grandson, who is just a toddler. Of course she loves her grandbaby, but she said, “Joel, I don’t think I can do this again. Another fifteen years? I don’t think I have the strength to make it.”

I told her she can’t focus fifteen years down the road. If she looks that far out she will be overwhelmed. You have to take it one day at a time. You don’t have the strength you need for tomorrow. When you get to tomorrow you’ll have the strength for that day.

But you can’t think about struggling for years and years. Instead, focus on one day at a time. God asks only: “Will you do it today? Will you take hold of my strength today?”

Will you wait on the Lord today? Will you not give up and faint today? If you will pass the test and do it today, then when you get to tomorrow the strength you need for that day will be there. As long as you worry—“How am I going to make it next week, or next month, or twenty years from now?”—that worry will drain your strength, drain your energy, drain your passion, and drain your victory.

All worry does is weigh us down and keep us from enjoying life. Instead of worrying about your future, get up every morning and say to yourself, “I can do this one more day. I may not know how I can do it the next twenty years, but I do know this; I can do it for twenty-four more hours. I can stay in faith one more day. I can keep a good attitude one more day. I can have a smile on my face twenty-four more hours.”

Take it a day at a time.

I like to exercise to stay fit. Sometimes when I am out running, especially when it’s hot and humid, I get tired. Those thoughts start coming, saying, “You need to stop. You’re uncomfortable. It’s hard, and look at how far you’ve got to go.”

The real battle takes place in our minds. If I dwell on those thoughts and start thinking about how I feel and how many hills there are and how far I’ve got to go, I’ll talk myself out of it and stop. Instead, I quit looking at the next two miles and just start telling myself, “I can do this one more step. One more step. One more step.”

When I focus not on how far I have to go but instead on the next step, before long I look up and I’m almost there. I’ve pressed past the pain of being uncomfortable. I’ve found a rhythm, and all of a sudden my second wind kicks in, and instead of barely making it I’m mounting up on those wings like eagles. I’m finishing strong.

Thoughts will come to you: “It’s never changing. You’re never getting well. You’re never reaching your goals.” But don’t listen to them. God said in Job that He has set an end to the difficulty. God has already established an end date for the trouble. He has set an end to the struggle, an end to the sickness, an end to the addiction, an end to the loneliness.

Remind yourself of that when you’re in a difficult season and you feel the weariness creeping in, telling you, “It’s not worth it. You’re too uncomfortable. You’ve got too far to go.” Instead, remember, “I’m not always going to be lonely. God has set an end to this loneliness. He is bringing somebody great into my life.

“I won’t always struggle in my finances. God has set an end to this lack. He has promotion and increase coming my way. I won’t always be fighting these addictions. These bad habits won’t dog me my whole life. God has set an end to it. He has freedom and victory in my future.

“I won’t always have to deal with these medical issues. There will not always be this pain. Jehovah Rapha, the Lord my healer, has set an end to this sickness.”

Remember, the end has already been set. I’m asking you to stand strong. Don’t grow weary. Keep believing. Keep expecting. Keep being your best. If you stay on track and do what’s right, you will see the end
come to pass. That’s what the Scripture means: “If you faint not you will receive the reward.”

I know you are not a fainter. You are strong! You are a warrior, a victor and not a victim. When life gets tough, remind yourself that God said you have been armed with strength for every battle. Think about that: God calls strength a weapon. In the natural you could be armed with a pistol, a hand grenade, or even a bazooka. Those are powerful weapons, but they are nothing compared to the arms God has given you.

You are full of can-do power. Don’t go around feeling weak and defeated and like you can’t take it anymore. If it was too much for you God wouldn’t have allowed it.

Instead of complaining, tell yourself, “I can handle this. This child may be difficult but I can handle it. Business may be slow but I can handle it. The medical report wasn’t good but I can handle it. The boss is getting on my nerves but I can handle it. It’s hot outside but I can handle it!”

Put your shoulders back, look those obstacles in the eye, and say: “You’re no match for me.”

“Cancer, you’re no match for me.”

“Cranky coworker, you’re no match for me.”

“Depression, you’re no match for me.”

“Addictions, you’re no match for me.”

“Struggle and lack, you’re no match for me.”

“I know your end has already been set, and it’s just a matter of time before God turns it around. It’s just a matter of time before He brings that dream to pass.”

A friend of mine is in the military, and he had just found out he would be deployed overseas for one year. He and his wife had never been apart for an extended time. They had two small children. His wife was very worried and wondered how she was going to make it.

I told her what I’m telling you: Your challenge may be difficult, but you can handle it. God has given you the grace for this season. If you weren’t up to this, God wouldn’t have brought it across your path. In tough times remind yourself there is always a reward for doing right. God never fails to compensate you. He pays very well. The season may be difficult right now, but if you keep doing the right thing, get ready, the reward is coming.

When you stand strong and have a good attitude, even though you really feel like complaining…

When you serve and give and treat people right, even when they’re not saying “thank you”…

When nobody gives you credit…

When you pass these weariness tests, the Scripture says a payday is coming your way.

You may be camped next to the Promised Land like the people of Israel, on the verge of stepping to a new level of God’s favor, but the problem is you’re tired. The battle has taken longer than you expected. You stand at a crossroads. You can either let that weariness weigh you down, causing you to give up and settle where you are, or you can dig your heels in and say, “I’ve come too far to stop now. I’ll keep pressing forward. I’ll keep pursuing my goals. I’ll keep being good to people. I’ll keep hoping, praying, stretching, growing.”

When you have that kind of attitude, you will feel your second wind kick in. I’ve learned this: you face the greatest pressure when you are close to your victory. When the intensity has been turned up, that’s a sign you’re about to step to a new level of God’s favor.

It’s like a lady having a baby. When she faces the greatest pain, she is close to giving birth. It’s the same principle in life. When it’s the most uncomfortable, when it seems the most unfair, when you’re most tempted to give up, that’s a sure sign you’re about to give birth to the new thing God wants to do.

I can sense in my spirit the season is changing. The depression is coming to an end and joy is about to break forth. Your lack and struggle is coming to an end and a new season of increase, promotion, and more than enough is coming your way. If you’ve had constant medical problems and not felt up to par, that is coming to an end. A season of health, wholeness, and vitality is coming your way.

Now don’t act like the people of Israel who became discouraged, too weary, and just wanted to settle where they were. Instead, press past the pain and discomfort. Press past the feelings telling you to settle. Press past the weariness. Get your fire back.

You have not seen your best days. Your greatest victories are still out in
front of you. Those adversities and struggles will not go to waste; God is using them to prepare you for the amazing future He has in store.