When you don’t know what to do next. When you don’t know what should come first. When you don’t know what is worthy of you putting on your super hero cape to get ‘er done … no matter what…
What is it that is always trying to keep you from doing those things that you know you’re supposed to be doing?
The thing that you want to be doing.
Finally you come to a place in your life where you’ve worked through all the other obstacles that were holding you back and now other things keep coming up that you HAVE to take care of because they are your responsibility also… just as much as the other things you KNOW you are supposed to be doing.
What do I call that when these other circumstances outside of my control keep blocking the things I want to be doing for Jesus, for my family, or even for myself?
The things that I know I am supposed to be doing but they continue to get blocked… after I finally unblocked myself? I call that the enemy!! I call that spiritual warfare!! And when we know that we are supposed to be doing a thing and there continues to be roadblock after roadblock – THAT is when we have to put on our Super Hero capes and figure out what needs to happen in order to make the things happen… To get ‘er done!!
Merriam-Webster defines Warfare as: military operations between enemies : HOSTILITIES, WAR also : an activity undertaken by a political unit (such as a nation) to weaken or destroy another, : struggle between competing entities : CONFLICT
Wikipedia defines Spiritual warfare as: the Christian concept of fighting against the work of preternatural evil forces. It is based on the biblical belief in evil spirits, or demons, that are said to intervene in human affairs in various ways.
When we finally get over ourselves and the hangups that we had from our past experiences and make up our minds to put action to the things we‘ve wanted to do for such a long time, some of them for years and years… then everything under the sun happens to cause roadblocks in this way or in that way.
That my friend is the enemy trying his best to throw another arrow or curve ball at us anyway he can. Hostile.. YES!! Trying to weaken and destroy us.. YES!!
Just proclaim it… I AM NOT GOING TO HAVE IT!! … NOT TODAY… SATAN!! 👊
I am always telling my team at work… We don’t have to be super hero’s here… we work with integrity and bring our best game but we leave our super hero capes for other things.. for our own wellbeing whether it be spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical well-being, for our family, etc. Whatever those things are for each one of us.
I have been saying this to myself for a while now … “You save your cape for what is deserving of that super hero cape. You put in the extra work and do whatever it takes to get ‘er done for the things that are important and have the deepest meaning to you!!”
Jesus is DEFINITELY worth putting on the cape for!!
You and I are worth putting on the cape for!! Our family’s are worth putting on the cape for!!
If you are struggling with what to do next. If you are trying to determine what in life is worth doing whatever it takes to make sure you get ‘er done no matter what…
There are a few things that can help with making those decisions.
- Take some time to get quiet and do some self reflection, in prayer, with the Lord. This first step is extremely important. You want to ensure that your focus is on the right things. And, as we all know, sometimes that equates to what we think we want on the surface and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it means that we need to search our hearts a little deeper to seek out not only what our desires are but to ensure those are what is best for us and our family. If you aren’t certain of what that looks like from God’s perspective then spend some time in prayer with Him. Talk to Him like He is a real person right beside you. Like He is your best friend that actually will talk back to you. Because He is and He does. He will speak to us through His Word, He will speak to us through circumstances and experiences, He will speak to us through others, He will speak to us by giving us a soundness of knowing in the pit of our soul that something is the right thing for us. Hearing from the Lord isn’t always quick. Sometimes it takes patience and time, time spent praying, reading, listening to God in the quiet of getting still with Him. But, those actions themselves, that is what God wants from us… relationship with Him. Time spent interacting with Him. Us getting to know Him and seeking Him.
- Once you have a clear direction of your priorities or tasks to be completed then write them down. These may be ongoing activities that continue on a regular basis. ‘Complete’ does not necessarily mean ‘one and done’. Just write down the things you are committing to do. I like to write things down on paper but I am a bit old school. Whatever your preference of documenting, let’s get those down in a place where they are visible to you. Where you can see them often and where you can write out an action plan to go along with them.
- Write out an action plan to execute on the things you are committing to making priority in your life. Don’t over think this one and let it trip you up. An action plan is as simple as – what is one thing I can do each day to take the next step forward in accomplishing the thing I have written down. This step may need to be revisited and revised on the regular as you accomplish the steps or different parts of your goal. A couple of examples: If your goal is to spend more time with a grandparent then you can schedule each Sunday afternoon to spend time with grandma or grandpa and you can put a reminder on your calendar to call them twice a week in-between visits. That is an action plan that is ongoing and will most likely be consistent with no need to account for accomplishing different phases of the goal. In comparison, if your goal is to start a dog walking business then there will be different phases to accomplishing that goal. You will need to set some goals and timelines for yourself for each phase so that you take the next step to move yourself forward while not becoming overwhelmed. For example, your first step may be to research other dog walking businesses to see what their business model is, how they acquire customers, what they charge, things of that nature to help you prepare your own business plan. Once that step is completed then create an action plan for the next phase and then ultimately, the action plan of what you need to do each day to remain consistent.
- Make a plan to solve for how to accomplish the things when life throws you curve balls. Anticipate the “what-if’s” and plan for them. When you are on vacation, how can you still stay in contact with the grandparents. When you are sick unexpectedly and have committed to walking the neighbors dog, what is the contingency plan in your back pocket to ensure you are honoring your commitment and deliver excellent customer service?
- Hold yourself accountable. If there is one thing that I have learned over the last little while it is that we all have to hold our own selves accountable. No one is responsible for you but you!! No one is going to save us … except Jesus saving our souls if we have accepted Him as our Savior. So, you can sit there and wait on motivation all day long but if you don’t want to do something in the moment.. that motivation is not going to come so you can stop waiting on it. It is simply about being disciplined to hold ourselves accountable to do the things that we told ourselves we would do. Being an adult is parenting ourselves. Period.
- Do not let the enemy win by allowing the darts and curve balls to keep you from doing what you need to be accomplishing. When a curve ball comes your way, make another plan to solve for what has shifted. Make a plan and execute on that plan. Hold yourself accountable and be disciplined to what you know God has for you and your family. You have no idea how impactful those things that God has for you can be to others in your circle of influence and community. God has paths for us for reasons. He uses us to show His love and do His work here in the spaces where He has placed us. It matters. We matter. The things He has us to be doing matter.
And that… that is Good Stuff my friend!!
That is God Stuff.
I firmly believe that He’s got our hand and will help us accomplish the things that He lays on our hearts to accomplish. He will help us keep taking those next baby steps to execute on the action plan. He will help us put on those Super Hero capes when we don’t feel like we have much strength left and we need the extra boost!!
When you don’t know what to do next. Spend time with Him. When you don’t know what is worthy of putting on your Super Hero cape. Spend time with Him. He is worthy of the Cape… and He will show you the way!!
Much Love ♥️
Michelle
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- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Rediscovering Israel by Kristi McLelland
- Life After Life by Raymond Moody