Leave striving in the past, where it belongs.

So now every righteous requirement of the law can be fulfilled through the Anointed One living his life in us. And we are free to live, not according to our flesh, but by the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit!
                                                                                 Romans 8:4 TPT


Last week I was trying to get into the mode of preparing for a presentation and for writing this blog and couldn’t think of what to say or where to start. I was frustrated and totally unmotivated to do ANYTHING. So I just began journaling to God about how I was feeling. As I was writing about my frustration with the situation, he showed me that I was trying to make everything up on my own. I had excluded God from the opportunity that he had given me! I had taken God’s blessing and made it scary and frustrating by leaving him out and trying to figure things out on my own. And by doing this, it revealed where my heart was in trusting God to give me everything I needed. I realized that trying to do it in my own strength is a sign of mistrust. I was not trusting God to give me the words I needed. In this moment of not trusting, I had removed God and I was trying to do work FOR him instead of WITH him. Which is a pretty quick way to get into striving and frustration. 

Striving begins with the mentality that we are doing anything FOR God. As if he’s just sitting on his throne, watching us work against all odds to get to the destiny that he’s planned for us. But it’s not like that at all. He wants to do it with us! He wants to be beside us, to give us strength, to give us the strategy and the ideas we need to grow and step into the destiny he has had planned for us since before the beginning of time (see Ephesians 2:10). We can work from rest when we are co-laboring WITH God and not FOR God. So, what does that look like?

It’s simply inviting Holy Spirit in through prayer, asking for help, and then trusting that he is giving you everything you need. I used to think that asking Holy Spirit into something meant that I had to “feel all the feels and the chills” and be in a sort of manic creating state where the Spirit takes over my being and creates for me. So I would get frustrated and overwhelmed, thinking I was missing God or I could not hear him. 

I’m not saying that Holy Spirit never works that way, but I have been learning that, usually, creating through the inspiration of Holy Spirit really feels pretty normal. It’s in a state of mind when I am relaxed and at rest mentally, and trusting God to speak–and then just beginning to do whatever it is that I am working on. This goes for anything, including, but not limited to, writing, creating or working on any kind of project, and succeeding in your job–whatever it may be. I have heard testimonies from people who invite God into their sales job, people who don’t consider themselves naturally talented in salesmanship, but they are in the top sales position in their company because God is providing the people, the strength, and the favor they need to make a sale. 

If I’m not intentional to invite Holy Spirit into my process, I get frustrated in the pressure to “come up” with something great and I get into striving. So for me, if I’m writing, it simply looks like taking a moment to invite Holy Spirit in prayer to help me, relaxing in trust, and letting my thoughts flow as I just start writing anything. Just start with anything. As soon as pen hits paper, even if I didn't really know where to start, I find that the ideas begin flowing.  If I sit and try to think too hard before I put pen to paper I have been discovering that for me, it means I am not trusting God in that moment to speak to me. At that moment I’m trying to think everything up on my own. But as soon as I let go and just begin, the words and ideas come and I find that I am having fun and that I am inspired and have many things to write. 

God wants to co-create with us. He has ideas and strategy that he is so excited to share with us. Things that we were created to flow in and manifest in our lives. But we have to open ourselves up and ask for them. God is a God of free will, we have a choice to co-create. He doesn't want to force us and will not force us to do anything. There may be ideas that he hasn’t shared with you yet, simply because you haven’t invited him into the process. Simply ask him to provide the ideas and begin whatever you are doing, he will provide what you need. 

When you have random ideas pop into your head, write them down! God is always speaking, and every idea is worth at least examining and praying about. He may give you ideas for the future that maybe you need to grow into to be able to bring into reality. God is known for showing the end from the beginning, but it’s up to us to steward well the ideas he gives and to grow into what he is calling us to do. And God knows how to get us from point A to point Z, he won't overwhelm us with every step all at once. He wants to lead us bit by bit, so that it’s a learning process that teaches us and prepares us for the next step as we go. You may need to cultivate some skills and discipline in some areas before you are able to follow through with the steps and ideas he has for you in the future. 

Don’t let fear stop you. Fear and ideas have something in common. They only have power in your life if you take hold of them, listen to and believe in them! God’s plan is always going to be for your good. He wants to grow you and shape you into the person you are created to be! Which, by the way, he already sees you according to your destiny, according to who he has created you to be (see Song of Songs 4:2 TPT). Choose to listen to and follow the ideas that God has given you. Give those power and push past the fear that tells you otherwise. 
 
For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control. 
​                                                                              2 Timothy 1:7 TPT

We have not been given a spirit of fear! We have been given power through Jesus, love that casts out all fear, and a sound mind to hear God! 

The ideas and steps he has given you now, no matter how small they feel, are going to lead you and grow you into your future destiny. So trust God for the ideas and then steward them! Write them down, use them, manifest them! See and step them into existence. God gave them to you to make them a reality.