It’s Monday.
Which means a new week is pressing in. Last week’s victories and failures and slipping into our past. And there’s opportunities that await each of us today.
Some opportunities of hope, life and goodness. And some opportunities that seem to be filled with opposition.
But I’ve discovered something about the days seemingly filled with opposition. And it can be a good thing.
Click here to head over to Proverbs 31 Ministries to read about what a trying postal worker made me realize about myself when it comes to facing opposition.
After you read the devotion, come back here and share what the “one thing” you want to stop letting opposition discourage you from completing.
Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win a copy of 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn’t Quit. And if you already have the book, you can enter to win for a friend, I’ll mail it to them!
I’ll announce the winner here on the blog on Friday the 8th!
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I want to stop letting opposition in the form of thinking my home isn’t good enough continue to discourage me from opening my home to friends and neighbors.
Oh I so need this in my marriage. My husband withholds sex and is very distant physically. It is so hurtful and sad to me. I want to quit my marriage so much and have been tempted many times. I’m not sure what God wants me to learn from this but I pray He reveals it to me.
I having anxiety disorder and very low confidence. I’m going through a season of my life where I can’t handle much; this is quite the change from how I used to be. My husband has asked that I get a job to help out for a while. The fear and stress of the unknown seems insurmountable to me I want to be strong in Christ and not surcome to the fear that the enemy places on me. I need help that can only come from God
Writing and giving my talents to Jesus. I want it to be quick and happy. It’s mot. Its a process but discouragement stops me!
I don’t quit on purpose with many things, but lack the focus to truly put all of my effort there. There are so many GOOD THINGS worthy of time and attention, but the clock runs out and I don’t finish. i pray for the discernment and dedication to know what really matters and put my focus there.
I feel opposition when I begin the process of looking for a job. I hear God telling me it’s time, but I still struggle with self-confidence. Even though I know I am trained and prepared, I fell very insecure .
Feel very insecure! I don’t know how to go in and edit my post, I hope that doesn’t mean I’m giving up! 🙂
I am exhausted from the last nine years of a life filled with a son who battled addiction,a husband who is still battling cancer,financial stress,living in the land of LDS…being responsible for it all and feeling alone. There is no break in my head or my heart. I feel like a loser who can’t provide for my family,mychusbad has to travel every month for his treatment to Seattle from Utah and I want to quit life nearly every day. I’m so discouraged bit my mustard seed of faith is all that’s left and the life of my 19 year old daughter who amazingly is thriving that saves me. Did you see the movie unconditional? That is me hanging on by a thread but still having a lot of responsibility that I must not give up on. Where is the Lord in all this?
Ph, Stay encouraged. Trust and believe that God IS in it. Because He is. When we battle for a long time, as you have, in our weariness we can lose sight of His hand in our situation but the fact that you are still here after nine years of warrioring, staying connected with a Jesus loving community, and sharing from the heart your struggle..God is proof and present in that! Believe it! For nine long hard years..and you have the strength and faith (despite how tired you feel or doubt it’s true)) to get up and come here and seek encouragement and truth….Ph after nine years you shouldn’t have any strength or faith left..not human strength, not faith that you conjured up……but God in His faithfulness and goodness continues to give you just enough of His strength and He’s given you faith to keep on keeping on and bringing you to safe communities like this one to receive encouragement, Truth, life, power, and hope. Oh how He loves you! He is in it with you…with all of us! My circumstances are different than yours but hard is hard and I have battled hard for nine years too in my own trial..and it’s been the most difficult and exhausting thing I’ve ever done. But God , even when I wasn’t sure what He was doing and doubted my ability to do it another day, God has never left me and He has never left you. Stay strong in Him! He is Greater than any storm and He will hold you up with His mighty arm! When you are weak He is strong. Just Keep falling into His loving arms..it’s the very best place to be..and it’s actually where He wants us to be. Wholly surrendered and relying Completely in him. Ph you are strong and brave and powerful in Him!
I need to not give in to the opposition when it comes to developing friendships. I have been hurt deeply by Christian women friends that I want to never risk it again. But I’m not giving the enemy that satisfaction so I go to the ladies bible study, volunteer when I can, and know that no matter what the Lord is a faithful friend and He’s got this.
The fear of failure. In everything I do or want to do. Going back to school for nursing. Becoming strong and healthy. Being a good mom who stands firm but offers grace. Feeling worthy of leading a small group of women in Bible Study. Allowing others to get to know me…the real me…flaws and all…so I can make strong, Jesus following friends who are local to me.
The last few years have been hard as a wife and mom and this has damaged my self-esteem and ripped my confidence to shreds. Literally how I feel…torn in pieces.
Tired of being a Quitzilla because of my circumstances or fear of what people think! Looking forward to this study. Enjoying the book so far and can’t wait to hear the teaching that goes along with it.
I want to stop letting my fear of people’s criticism keep me from doing God’s work. I was part of a skit done for a women’s event. It was so well received by those who attended, we were asked to do it for our church during worship services. The lady who was the speaker declined because she said she didn’t feel moved by God. She stated she was moved originally, but not now. She stated she could get someone good to do the speaking portion. I immediately spoke up and said – I can do it, along with the fashion show portion. The fashion show was another part of the program, which I had been in charge. I got a death stair – I’m sure you know the look. Our Pastor said wonderful. She left immediately and said a disgruntled goodbye. I was so excited about doing the program for our church. In telling my husband, I was anticipating his praise, support and confidence in me. What I got was “well you won’t just stand there and read something – will you?” Needless to say, his words cut deep. Even if I did just stand there and read something, who cares. This wasn’t my plan, because My mind was just whirling with ideas. I let his doubt over take my confidence. I began to doubt myself. I struggled for a few days and then made the decision to not participate in the program. I emailed my Pastor and made an excuse. The program never was presented to our church, a regret I feel everyday. I let an opportunity to spread God’s word get away. I not only feel guilt, I feel I don’t have what is needed to speak God’s word. I don’t feel worthy. I don’t feel good enough. I was criticized as a child and always feared not doing something good enough to please my father. This was just another reminder of a pain I have always dealt with. This is something I’m working to get past.
I avoid confrontation too. Aggressive people, aggressive, intrusive questioning, I want to be able to stand firm, speak up, speak out, take positive forward action, be a force for good not retreat and turn away when I’m faced with things that make me uncomfortable.. I’m “nice” and want other people to be nice too but when they are not I freeze up. In the end I don’t want to be known as only a nice person who never made an enemy, I want to be known as a kind and loving person who also was strong, loyal, and dependable in action, capable and willing to stand up against opposition with conviction and confidence and grace. I don’t want to be an avoider, a pushover.. I want to be a trailblazer and an example of grace under fire and an example for others of how to live confidently in Christ in all ways, big and small, no matter the opposition.
I don’t want opposition in my life to keep me from living or believing something is wrong with me.
What a sweet friend you are, Nicki!!!!!
My discouragement right now is my weight and finding time to get the too small clothes from my closet!!!!
I needed this today, Nicki thank you! I’m fighting food issues and negative thoughts and had taken a detour but I can keep going. Jesus is walking with me. Because he is victorious I can be free. I can feel a feeling but I can choose not to dwell.
I hate opposition! I will avoid it all costs. Thanks for sharing this today.
I wan to be able to go out with friends with out going home
and crying sure every word I spoke was stupid and I should have just stayed home …
I was told I am a recluse …
And I need to socialize more …
Still my fear of hurting someones feelings want let me do much …
I avoid confrontations with my 24 year old son who still lives at home but does not pay rent, seeks only summer employment and battles an addiction. I try to show unconditional love and support but fail at the “tough love” approach. I strive for peace in our home instead of strife and discord at the expense of tolerating behavior that is unacceptable. Thanks for the words of encouragement and wisdom!
I’m a pastor wife who deals with opposition all of the time. I often feel isolated as I try to stand in this role supporting my husband. There isn’t much support for pastor wives in our area.
I have extreme low self esteem about my looks and my body. I speak life taking words over myself often because I do not like what I see when I look on the mirror. I will do really well for a while and then discouragement will creep in and I will slide back. This also takes a turn on my marriage and my physical relationship with my husband. It’s hard for me to feel good enough for him.
I just started reading your book last week. So good and seriously convicting. 🙂 I want to quit seeing the mundane tasks of being a stay at home mom and homemaker as mundane and find joy in them 🙂
I need to quit allowing others to discourage me from ministry. I need to follow God’s command.
I need this reminder that God is working through the opposition that I face, that there is a higher purpose to it and that I must persevere through reliance on God’s power in my life, not my own power
Thank you for this today. I am about to give the eulogy to my hubby’s funeral in 3 hrs. I was going back thru my emails and found your blog.
Thank you again
This may sound strange, but, I want to stop “quitting” before I ever start. You see I have this tendency to analyze opportunities and their possible outcomes before ever attempting them. I syke myself out and decide that I could never succeed or at least never easily succeed, and therefore I never begin. I exhaust myself mentally and thus miss out on what God may be trying to accomplish. I guess I fear most the possibility that it is just my idea and not really from God, so if I try I will likely fail or add more stress to my family. I simply want to know God’s direction, and trust Him to carry me through!
I want to get over the opposition I have to lose weight and exercise. I don’t want to be model slim, and have “fab abs.” I want to be healthy and able to run/walk/stretch.
My body and metabolism changed after I turned 50 last year, and I let the changes happen without opposing them, so maybe that’s the opposition I need to change? Mine to my new/older body?!
I really want to downsize. I realize now at 59 that having all ‘this stuff’ doesn’t matter and keeps me from doing other things that do matter.
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