How do you see challenges? Do you see them as enemies to wear you out? Or do you see them as stepping stones to level up?

As believers, we are encouraged to walk in the Spirit, for when we do, we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16) which keeps us anchored into this realm of limitations filled with impossibilities.

We are NEW CREATIONS in Christ with the mind of Christ and filled with the Spirit of God.

“As you yield freely and fully to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life. For your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit and hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your old self-life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:16-17 TPT

The Spirit of God lives inside of us. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Another translation says, where the Spirit IS LORD, there is freedom.  Freedom is not doing whatever we want to do.  But freedom is defined as liberating the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to move in our midst and us having the freedom to obey and yield to the One Who is the Lord of Righteousness enabling us to do the right things that when we do we get freed from guilt, shame and condemnation that steals our confidence before the Lord, kills our joy that is our strength and destroys our heavenly identity.

Our awareness of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in us empowers us to live and walk in ways and means that are way beyond our wildest thoughts. He can show up anytime and anywhere, even in times when we least expect it. He knows what we are going through and He deeply cares to see us through.

There may be times when He takes away the obstacles that hinder us from moving forward, but more often than not He equips and empowers us to climb the mountain before us, infusing us with His strength, power and ability that is resident with us. It is our intimate connectedness with Him that holds the key to overcome.

“In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might.” (Ephesians 6:10 Amp)

Constantly reminding ourselves of our INDENTITY as His beloveds, our position as being seated in Christ in the heavenly realms, gives us hope over our situations. It is seeing a mountain from a higher perspective that gives us the confidence to subdue it.

Think with me on this. If we imagine looking at a mountain from where we are standing, we will definitely see it unconquerable. But if we are in a flight at 32,000 feet, we’ll see it as a molehill and insignificant.  How much more if we posture ourselves seated in Christ FAR ABOVE principality, power, dominion and might?  And the same power Who raised Jesus from the dead is resident within us, what then can a mountain do to us?

“So big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel, you are nothing but a molehill.” (Zechariah 4:7)

If next to Zerubbabel a mountain is nothing but a molehill, how much more when we see and perceive the same mountain from the viewpoint of being seated IN CHRIST in the heavenly realms? It surely will be level ground!

A challenge is an objection or an opposition to the truth of God’s promises towards us.  It may appear as something that goes contrary to what we expect to see.  Focusing on the challenge is what tires and drains us. This is one of the expressions of walking in the flesh that limits us within the boundaries of what we see and hear.  It is taking matters into our hands most especially when it seems minute before us, yet it unknowingly inflicts fear that paralyzes us and renders us helpless.

But when our eyes are set on the bigness, greatness, power and ability of our God Who is with us, in us, upon us and for us, who can come against us? It is NOT by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of God. It is by the grace of God that we overcome.

“‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “GRACE!  GRACE TO IT!” (Zechariah 4:7 NKJV)

The challenge I have been facing for a number of times now is my schedule.  When I am up to do something, it gets cancelled.  “Many indeed is the plan in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).

My response?  Hmmmmm … I just yield.  In truth, I am learning to yield.  Is it easy?  No! … especially when it entails careful preparations with much needed provision.   Indeed, it is one thing to get what we want, but it takes character to joyfully yield to His plans and let go of ours.  Trusting into His mysteriously good plans is what is needed and putting our faith into the truth of His word that He always means it for our good is of vital necessity.

His Word assures us that “ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  Banking on the spoken truth of His word always puts our hearts to rest.

Without the seed of God’s Word that establishes our steps and us acknowledging His Lordship with His Word having the final authority in our lives, our feet will never be founded on the solid rock of Who He is and His great plans for us.  Without us knowing that He is the ALL-KNOWING God, the Omniscient One by the power of His Word, questions may be raised here, there and everywhere that may birth doubts in our minds and hearts. But FAITH comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

I asked Him lately how come faith with just a tiny measure of it, with a size of a mustard seed could move mountains.  We may have different answers to this question according to how He reveals it to us, but for me, He simply said, “The power of the incorruptible seed of God’s word knows no bounds.  It is limitless in its ability to perform itself.  It created the world into existence and sustains it by the word of His power.  But it takes a child-like faith or a mustard-seed-like faith to partner with the power of His Spirit-breathed Word that takes you to the heights of the unlimited realm.”  Simply put, we are in partnership with HIM, our little faith tapped into His greatness results to conquering impossibilities.”

As for my erratic schedule, I may not know what the future holds, but my heart is set on the incorruptible seed of His Word that He holds my future.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I KNOW the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”, with much emphasis on the first three words of this verse … “FOR I KNOW”!  If He knows, then it puts my heart to rest.

If we are not armed with the sword of our spirits which is the Word of God, don’t you think it will agitate and frustrate us when things do not go our way?  But because His Word says that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR OUR GOOD, then so be it.  With His Word, He releases His blessed assurance that nothing just happens by chance though it may take faith and patience to see His plans and purposes manifest.   But we are rest assured that it will greater than what we could think, dream or imagine.

Truly, as our corruptible plans crumble before our very eyes, the incorruptible seed of the word of God that we believe and act on allows our roots to go deeper that makes us strong in Him and in the power of His might. The process is Grace where Victory is a certainty.  Grace is knowing that He is only after our good and is fully committed to fulfill His goodness because He is a GOOD GOOD FATHER and we are so loved by Him Who favors and blesses us even if we are not worthy of it.  But ALL because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, He sees us creditable.

Our challenges no matter how big or insignificant they are bring change … but the change comes first and foremost within ourselves.  It is His living and powerful word believed and obeyed that takes us from strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory.

“With a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us.” (James 1:21 TPT)