“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.“
Matthew 5:4 MSG
Here we are, already four weeks into 2018!
For many, this is that time of the New Year when the shine and sparkle of “new beginnings” starts to fade—when the excitement of new possibilities begins to wane.
It can be easy to feel discouraged when so soon after the starting line it seems you’re already falling behind.
You are not alone.
By the end of January, 80% of those who’ve set new goals for the year ahead have already given up on them!
They have already lost hope that change is possible…because they don’t know how to live on the boundary of breakthrough.
“Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4 NIV
In last week’s 4 Points Broadcast, we talked about what to do when you don’t know what to do.
You learned how to find your footing when you fall—how to get your legs back underneath you when it seems you’ve lost it all.
Listen now on demand to learn how to navigate in times of transition or frustration.
If you’re feeling stuck, now is the time to make your declaration of dependence—now is the time to declare your trust is exclusively in God!
In our 4 Points Bible study, we’ve been studying some incredible truths Jesus unlocked in the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes represent a declaration of dependence on God.
“God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.”
Philippians 4:19
God knows what you need. He sees you right where you are.
When the rug is pulled out from under you, God will help you find your footing.
You are never, ever alone. God will not leave you comfortless: He will always come when you call. (See John 14:18.)
“The Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
The Beatitudes are an acknowledgment of everything we go through in life; they are given to encourage you and let you know you’re going to defy all the odds.
They are promises outlining all that is possible with God…all so you’ll be able to testify that God turned you around and firmly planted your feet on the ground!
This is God’s Word. His Word secures your breakthrough just when you feel you’re suffering a break down!
What you’re going through has to do with where God is taking you!
The American Heritage Dictionary defines breakthrough as “a sudden, dramatic, and important development that leads to the achievement of success in spite of previous challenges, opposition, barriers, setbacks, or failures.”
In this Beatitude, where Jesus states “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4), He is talking about breakthrough—that breaking point where you’re going to break through.
Yes, you may go through the mourning process, but you will awake comforted; because even while you are sleeping, God is working on your behalf.
“Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.”
Psalm 30:5
You are no less a person of faith because you have an emotional moment. God made you a spiritual being, but He also made you an emotional being.
Just because you have those emotional moments doesn’t mean God has left you!
Here is something I’ve come to discover:
We are all perfectly imperfect.
And I’ve learned that it’s in our imperfect moments that the perfect power of God is made available.
This Beatitude affirms that in such a moment you’ll be able to call on the Comforter…and the Comforter will most certainly come.
God is always there in the midst of your pain.
He is always right there with you. Hard times don’t have to harden you, but they can strengthen you. You can learn to say “try me” rather than asking “why me?”
Come to understand that the issue is never you, rather the issue is with your problem-solving strategy.
Problem-solving strategies are necessary when you’re in the midst of transition…because when you’re in that in-between place of defeat and victory, that process defines your transition.
Grief is nothing but transition.
We often make a mess of our life in the midst of transition.
We all have those moments when we ask “What is wrong with me?” We question our identity, sanity, relevance, significance, strength, intelligence, faith, and conviction.
But God is not afraid of the question…
“Ask, and it will be given to you.”
Matthew 7:7
The problem is not whether you’ll get an answer; the problem is with the kinds of questions you are asking.
Don’t curse the answer, change the question!
Rather than asking, “Why did this happen to me?”…ask, “How can I get through this?”
God is a God of strategy.
And He is the God of all comfort. When you’re in the midst of mourning, that’s where God is going to comfort you with strategies.
If you ask Him, He will give you the solutions you need.
Right there in the midst of your loss, that’s where you’ll find you are living within the boundaries of your greatest breakthrough.
Listen now on demand to discover how you can know when you’re in the midst of transition, the five promises that will see you through it, and the five things you can do when you don’t know what to do.
Click here to learn how to live on the boundary of breakthrough!