Moving Past a Difficult Season

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Moving Past a Difficult Season by Joel Osteen

When I first started ministering after my Dad went to be with the Lord, it took everything I had to write a message for the coming weekend—all my focus, my creativity, my energy. I was pressured and stressed. When I finally finished, I felt like that was the last one I could ever do! If I wasn't careful with my thoughts, I would be tempted to dread it every week and think, "This is too hard. I'm not going to know what to say. I can't do this anymore." I had to turn my thoughts around and say, "Father, thank You that Your yoke is easy. Thank You that I'm well able. Thank You that You've equipped me and empowered me." I had to set my mind in the right direction. Sure, I went through seasons of struggle, strain and difficulty, but I didn't let defeated thoughts become permanent in my thinking. One day, I came into an anointing of ease. What once was a struggle was not a struggle anymore.

If you are going through difficulty, quit telling yourself, "This is so hard. I'll never accomplish my dreams. I'll never get out of debt." No, this is a new day! You are going to have a strength that you did not have before. God did not create you to struggle your whole life. His yoke is easy. You may have had an addiction for a long time, but keep pressing because it's going to be easier than you think to break it. You're going to have a supernatural power. Maybe you're struggling in your finances, pressured to pay the bills, pressured to get ahead. I believe that pressure is coming to an end. God is going to cause good breaks to find you, new doors are going to open, your gifts and talents are going to come out in a new way. It's going to be easier than you think!

The way you move past a difficult season is to set your mind in the right direction. Set your thoughts above. Declare what God says about you in His word. See yourself on the other side. Don't let those defeated thoughts take root. Keep believing, keep declaring, keep hoping because He will crown your efforts with success and lead you to the place of victory!

"In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success." (Proverbs 3:6, TLB)