It’s Time to Move on to the Next Chapter.
Have you ever stopped and wondered why we, as humans, experience pain in life? You seem to now be living on a good path, doing the right things, and trying your best to help those in need. Yet the storms of Life, via sickness, trouble, struggle, chaos or the weights and winds of daily challenges, seem to keep blowing in your direction.
Today, I want to encourage those who Spirits and Souls are dismayed, discouraged, or even confused. My brother-in-law, who is a nurse, told me several years ago that pain is evidence that something is wrong. As a veteran in his vocation that is surely true. In medicine, pain can be silent indicators that further investigation is needed to see what is out of whack in the natural system. In some cases you are one situation away from having a heart attack, having an organ failure, or being on borderline life support. Emotional pain can also work in the same way; it can be the silent nudging from God calling our Souls to attention. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, sometimes pain is used solely for the purpose of God regaining our focus. Pain is part of His plan towards spiritual elevation and spiritual regeneration, so that we can realign our focus to HIS glory and not on ourselves.
Pain can be a resourceful tool in life and in the Kingdom of God, but pain does not always occur because you are out of God’s will or are a bad person. Oftentimes, it is just a part of the cycle of life. How can flowers continue to grow without any rain? Pain occurs because its signal must be addressed, so that calamity and chaos is not the final result. God is encouraging you to attain the resolve you need to grow and prosper in life. Yes, pain is the consequence for our sins, but we serve a God that LOVES us abundantly and is faithful to us even when we are unfaithful to him. The word tells us in Romans 8:1 “therefore now there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus.” So stop replaying the same sad song of yesterdays’ mistakes, failures or regrets. Today is a new day and we rejoice in that gift. Remember that once you have proclaimed Christ and confessed your sins, you are given a new opportunity, new beginnings, and a new perspective on life to move forward to the next chapter.
Lastly, beloved, always know that condemnation comes from the devil, but conviction comes from the Lord. Condemnation will speak words to you such as: “You will never be good enough,” “You will never change from your wicked ways”; “You will never find love”,”Once a thief always a thief.” Condemnation allows you to carry enormous guilt (sin), and these negative voices can deeply hurt the Soul. But, when convicted by the word and Holy Spirit, the freedom to change your journey and patterns stirs within your soul. Conviction (usually gentle) from the word of God tells you that you do know better, you will get through this, and that God loves all of you. You are a child of the most High God and you can recover from your ways. You are destined to do great things and BE a champion in life. The best is yet to come. Hold fast to these truths, so that the next chapter becomes a fruit-bearing abundance for Life.
Affirmations: 
- My Life is becoming better with God daily.
- I will make a conscious decision to dwell on only good things and not the former things.
- I am confident that I will grow wiser, stronger, and more gracious with each step.
- My mouth is the pen of a ready writer. I am so grateful that the author (ABBA Father) has changed the Narrative for my Next.
Amen!