“Get to the end of yourself where you can do nothing, but where He does everything.” – Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest

Are you facing a difficult battle in your life right now? Do you feel like you have hit a dead end? Have you tried everything under the sun without the results you have hoped for? The fiery darts of the enemy are being thrown at you. You are wounded and may feel defeated. You’re exhausted emotionally, physically and spiritually. You feel drained as though your life blood has been sucked out of you. You are tormented and plead for this trial to end right here and now. You’ve been touched to the very core of your being. You don’t even want to get up and put one foot in front of the other. It takes too much of an effort to do anything. To go out and face the world another day is becoming too much of a challenge. Everything ends in frustration and disappointment. You’ve cried enough tears to fill a bottle, and you just want to give up. You’re ready to soothe your pain by any means. You’ve thrown your hands up in the air and said, “Okay, I’m done! There is nothing more I can possibly do to improve my situation.”

Here’s your problem: YOU cannot fix your situation in your own strength. YOU have been doing all of the work. YOU have been putting in 110 percent of the effort. YOU are trying to take control. YOU are trying to solve things your way in your own time frame. This is how the unsaved respond because they don’t know where else to turn to for help. The world teaches that we have the power within ourselves to overcome and achieve. We are our greatest enemy or our greatest strength. This is a lie from Satan! As Christians we are completely dependent upon the Lord for our every breath. Trials often have a way of helping us remember this fact. We simply need to get out of the way and let God have His way, so that Christ’s power may rest upon us.

Now is the time to fully give over your circumstances to the Lord. The author of Hebrews said, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” Hebrews 4:14-16. What a privilege we have as Christians today to directly enter into the throne room and bring our requests before God! Who better to understand our weaknesses than the Son of God who left the awesome grandeur of heaven to become a man who suffered and died at the hands of His own creation? My friend, Jesus Christ has overcome the world! He can help you overcome your situation too.

We should delight in our struggles and afflictions; wear them like a badge and be proud that they are pinned upon us. This is much easier said than done! God has made it clear that in this life there will be tribulation. Becoming a Christian doesn’t bring with it a promise of endless ease and comfort. Jesus Christ suffered and, when we suffer for His namesake, we are being formed more and more into His image. He will separate the wheat from the chaff in our lives through our hardships and leave only what is good and pleasing to Him. Our spiritual roots will grow deeper and stronger and more readily overcome the winds of adversity. We will be able to encourage our brothers and sisters when they too go through hard times. We can demonstrate compassion and empathy and reach out as the hands and feet of Jesus. Our knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ will be extended. Our faith will be that much stronger and the hope we have before us will be all the more anticipated and real. We will have kingdom impact here on earth and someday reap the eternal rewards for suffering and faith in heaven.

The Lord never intended us to use our own power and might to overcome. We would all be puffed up with pride and arrogance if this were true. We would be vain and conceited and boast all of the time about how great we are. We would point to this, that, and the other earthly, created thing as a resource that helped us. It is laughable to think about what we can achieve in our own strength compared to what the omnipotent Creator of the Universe can do in us through the power of the Holy Spirit and through our lives if we would only let Him. This test from the Lord today will be part of your testimony tomorrow. In the end, all honor, glory and praise belongs to Jesus Christ alone. Our circumstances should point others towards Jesus–not ourselves or something He created.

It is time to let the Lord fight this battle for you. Step aside. Tell the Lord you surrender everything to Him. Your weakest point is when God can come in and do His greatest work in you and through you so that the whole world will see and hearts will be changed and surrendered to Him. Our God is omnipotent. Think about it–our God is more powerful than any medical technology, any doctor, any procedure, any process, any person, and any organized institution under heaven. Our God is the Creator of the Universe and all life rests in His hands. Our God can move mountains, walk on water, heal the lame and blind–and even overcome the most violent and horrible of deaths. There is NOTHING impossible with God. Everything is made possible for him who believes. Place your faith and trust in the Lord today and let Him do an amazing work in you!

As long as you live and breathe, the Lord is not through with your life. You may end up with a lifelong thorn in your flesh. You may have a thorn in your flesh that lasts for a period of time, but may one day be removed when God has accomplished His purpose in you because of it. My husband and I have struggled for a few years to have a child. I don’t know what my future holds, but I know God is working in my life right now. He is teaching me to rely on Him through these circumstances that are out of my control. I know it is up to God to put the miracle of life in my womb, if it is in accordance with His will. What is your thorn in the flesh? It probably seems insurmountable at times. Nothing is ever hopeless in Christ! Everything is HIMpossible. There is nothing too great for our God!

Don’t give up! God is not through with you yet. “…being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:6 You are simply a work in progress! When the going gets tough just remember that the Lord loves you with an everlasting love. GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU!

He Who Began a Good Work in You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNjZlHARnEk