Recently, I took a good look at the life of Joseph. Joseph, in the book of Genesis 37, has a dream. This dream seems to cause him nothing but hardship in his life. Joseph experiences betrayal and abandonment by his brothers; he is sold into slavery, and then as he serves with integrity and hard work, he is lied about and imprisoned. Then, things get worse. While in prison, Joseph uses his gift to interpret dreams and hopes to catch a break maybe and get out of prison- but instead is forgotten about for four more years! Betrayed, abandoned, lied about, forgotten… all while doing nothing wrong.

Have you ever told yourself to get it together? What does that even mean? It refers to life in general, areas of frustration that seem to nag at your consciousness. The things that you think about lying in bed or first thing in the morning. Maybe it’s a messy house, the kids are out of order, or you just can’t find time for your devotional life. Whatever “it” is for you, God wants to help you bring order when life may feel chaotic.

There have been times in my life when I have had to choose and fight to position my heart in the place of faith that is available for every believer to abide in. Take note; I said available. To STAY in faith, there are some decisions and choices that you are going to have to make. Faith isn’t a prayer we walk in and out of, a feeling we have, and then it goes away; faith is an abiding. Yes, we pray, and God gives us supernatural peace and joy, but let’s talk about the word stay. Stay requires patience and endurance. Staying requires enduring faith when our situations seem adverse or when our flesh wants to give up. Hebrews 6:12 reads, “so that you will not be (spiritually) sluggish, but (will instead be) imitators of those who through faith (lean on God with absolute trust and confidence in Him and His power) and by patient endurance even when suffering are (now) inheriting the promises.” (AMP) Biblical patience and endurance isn’t just hunkering down until the storm passes. Biblical patience and endurance is continuing to do the right things to stay in faith! So, what are some things that will help you stay in faith? I’ve put together a few things that help me….

What do you do when you know what the Bible says but you don’t feel it? The moment when you know you are supposed to be full of joy, but you feel sad. You are supposed to be full of faith, but you feel anxious. Do these feelings make you a bad person? Do these feelings mean the Bible isn’t true? I want to assure you that the Bible is true, and you are not a bad person when these feelings rise up. I do want to encourage you and equip you though for how to respond when these feelings come up.

What’s your limit? Did you know that limits are learned? Have you ever had to tell a child not to touch a hot stove or not to run in the street? How about the confidence of a five-year-old? Maybe you’re like me and proclaimed in kindergarten orientation that you would be the president of the United States one day. Unknowingly, we pick up limits. Life, people, and our own voice slowly and quietly establish limits of what we believe God can and cannot do in our lives.

Have you ever had a really embarrassing moment? I remember one (of my many) from when I was around 13 years old. I was hanging out with some friends at a gym, and I thought I would be cool and run on a treadmill.... backward. I hit the bottom of the treadmill hard! I continued to bounce up and down as the treadmill continued to move forward. This moment is one that I will never forget. As an embarrassed and humiliated 13-year-old girl, the lesson learned was that you can’t move forward while facing backward!

But God. Two words that change everything. Have you been in a situation where you feel like your back is up against the wall? In the natural, it doesn’t appear that there is a solution or a way out. It is in those moments that the enemy tells you that your situation is hopeless, or even final. You have a decision to make. You can either give up or choose faith.

How many times have you heard someone say, “just give it to God?” What exactly does it mean to give something to God? In order to give something away, you have to be in possession of it. Many times, the things we need to hand over to God are the things we were never meant to carry in the first place, things that are out of our control, and things that make us worried or anxious. God himself knew that as long as man was on earth, we would try to hold onto things that we aren’t supposed to. Jesus Himself said, as long as we are on this earth, we would have troubles of many kinds…. But the verse doesn’t end there. He continues to say be of good cheer …good cheer because we will face trouble and adversity? No! Good cheer because He goes on to say, “for I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Right around the fourth of July every year, I feel myself start to already transition to that feeling that summer is almost over. How silly is that? Really summer is thriving at that point. Instead of unreservedly enjoying the season, I begin transitioning my thinking to what is next. This is true with life in general. If we’re not careful- in the middle of something good we’ll transition our mind and emotions to the “next”. God does want us to live in the next or even the past—He wants us to live in the now. His mercy for you in now- today. His joy for you is now.

Do you find yourself wanting to quit often? Let me encourage you that if you're going to move forward in any area of your life, you must learn to get sticky! What do I mean? You have to become a person who overrides the temptation to bail out when things get uncomfortable, boring, or even challenging. Getting sticky means that you adhere, or stick quickly, to what you believe God for. To fasten yourself to something so that you become one with it.

“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28

When was the last time you truly rested? Maybe you’ve been waiting all year for a vacation, the chance to lounge back in a chair and get some sun. Maybe your idea of rest is sleeping in on Saturday or heading to the gym. Most of us would define rest as disengaging from stress. I remember when my kids were babies and people would tell me to make sure I was getting enough rest. Their good intentions were sweet yet almost laughable. The responsibility I carried to take care of tiny humans didn’t afford me the opportunity to rest.

The other day my 15-year-old daughter was leaving to go somewhere, and I asked her, “where in the world are you headed?” She looked at me perplexed and responded, “mom—we had this conversation, and you gave me permission to leave for a friend’s house.” Suddenly, I remembered a slight interaction regarding plans. Had I once again agreed to something while I wasn’t paying attention?