HOW TO GET OUT OF A RUT

I came across this question in Doug Addison's book 'Flipping Your Financial Future'. How do people get a breakthrough when they have been stuck in a rut for a really long time? Doug replied that usually someone who is stuck almost always have a negative atmosphere around them. And a negative spirit which is always complaining. All that you say bounces off them, such as there is no use, nothing I do will help.

They should come into agreement with someone. Get someone to agree with them in prayer. They need to get around positive faith-filled people who are like spiritual explosives in order to get this thing unstuck. Also to take a step. Start taking holy communion every single day. Doug did this when he was sick and he suffered for two years. But he didn't fall into the sickness and gotten healed eventually. Begin to ask God to show you what the enemy does not want you to see and then take steps forward.

This topic struck a chord in my spirit because there was a time when I was stuck. I knew I was circling the same mountain year after year but I couldn't help it. I totally hated the long wait and got frustrated each time my hopes were raised then dashed. The disappointments were beginning to lodge into my spirit and I started to become bitter. Upset with God. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired yet I was helpless. I didn't know what to do. It seemed like nothing helped. No amount of praying, binding, loosing, decreeing and confessing worked. It was a downward spiral.

Things became worse as time passed. The longer the time elapsed, the deeper the stronghold. It was true that someone stuck in a rut almost always have a negative spirit or atmosphere around them. At one point I was so disillusioned about this issue that I would have heartaches and pain just thinking about this promise.  I even asked myself numerous times if it was worth the wait, worth the heartaches. I really wanted to give up waiting for the promise.

When my thoughts were so negative you can imagine my speech. It was all negative confessions of why we had to wait so long for this promise. Even Joshua corrected me saying if I kept saying wait so long then the longer I would have to wait. It was a self-defeating cycle. Deep down in my heart I really didn't want to wait but my heart was too calloused to have a positive confession of faith. I just could not believe that anything could work, not even faith.

So where was my turning point? I guess it was in 2014 when I pressed the reset button. I told God I was willing to go back to square one regarding this issue and start all over again. To put the past disappointments and heartaches behind me and to have a new beginning. Because the stronghold was deeply entrenched I had to renew my mind with His word. Going back to the word of God regarding this promise was a must.

The other thing which helped a lot was a change of environment. When God said He is coming to change the season, do something new in our lives, we have to align ourselves with His word. That means finding ways to do things differently. Be it a change of environment or making new friends. Even a change of hairstyle will help, just anything to get out of the routine. It also involves deliberately letting go of things from the past. This part is going to be tough because the past will always try to entangle you. Stop you from moving forward, being unstuck.

God also showed me who are the people in my life I should associate less with and who are the positive ones I should surround myself with. For the past two years He has been trying to get me to cut the ties with a friend but I was reluctant to let go of my comfort zone of sharing my life with her. I was afraid that I had no one else to share my life with. Eventually I had to let this friendship go last Dec. It wasn't as bad as I thought because of the new things God has been doing in my life.

I also tried to get out of the house more often and keep myself occupied. And I kept an open mind to try out new things this year. I knew I had come out of winter and spring was arriving so I decided to try new things. Like parent volunteer work and getting plugged into Joshua's school, his friends etc. I also got to make new friends with his classmates' mothers.

As I did so, I realised that strength was coming back to me. I felt less and less lethargic as spring kicked in. Little by little my season began shifting and things of my past slowly became a faint memory. Since last Christmas, I started taking note of how things were different for New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, CNY and even our wedding anniversary. God was beginning to restore things in my life. Things really didn't look the same anymore.

As God shifted my season, I felt like my hope was also restored and I could dream again. Things that felt impossible to change in the past had began to change one by one. My thinking also got renewed. Slowly I no longer felt hopeless or heart pain when I think about this promise or the long wait. God began to fan into flames the dream by restoring hope in my heart. I slowly regained a faith picture of holding my promise in my hands.

Besides God convinced me that the long wait was finally over and I made it to my destination. I passed the test and I would be promoted. My appointed time has come so I wouldn't have to wait anymore. Time is now on my side. Guess what happened to my speech. It was no longer negative but I was aligning my words with the word of God, decreeing what He said about my situation. Barrenness was slowly being changed into fertility.

Another thing that God told me to do was to start taking communion on a daily basis like what Doug suggested. When He told me to do so in Aug 2016, I did it because I was sick and tired of seeing relentless attacks on my body. I wasn't thinking of getting unstuck or moving forward. I just wanted relief from those attacks. But I recalled Pastor said holy communion is a door of hope in the valley of trouble. It is God's ordained solution to provide a way out for us when we were tempted.

Coming into agreement with someone to contend for my breakthrough was also important. Other than Heng, I had another sister to stand in faith with me over this promise. At times she would have visions of God giving me this promise. This confirmation from a third party encouraged me greatly for I know I am not alone and I am not hearing God wrongly.

Praying in tongues helped us to go on the offensive instead of reacting when things happened. Doug advised us to ask God to show us what the enemy does not want us to see and then take steps forward. I found that when I prayed in tongues, my spirit was sensitised to what God was trying to say. It kind of opened up the heavens. Many times I averted the enemy's attacks when I prayed in tongues that I didn't know of. And there were times when the Lord showed me in advance the enemy's devices so I could pray against it.

I also think that having a thanksgiving heart also helps to get me out of a rut. Worship and thanksgiving always puts our focus back on Jesus, creating an atmosphere of faith that God can work in our lives. When our praise goes up, the answer comes down. Whenever God prompts me to praise Him, I would get excited because I know my breakthrough is very near.

Lastly God kept telling me to do good to myself, deny myself not the pleasures of life and to pamper myself. I experienced the power of a longing fulfilled instead of hopes deferred all the time. God put new desires in my heart and then fulfilled them. Each time my longing was fulfilled I felt like joy was being restored as well. My heart was so grateful because I felt the Father's love. I saw how it brought much joy to Him when He saw me happy. Joy is a powerful spirit. Like faith, it creates an atmosphere where we can easily receive from God.

Another thing I did to be good to myself was to stop forcing myself to do things I don't like. I learnt not to put myself under demands and obligations especially from others. I only do things when I am led by the Spirit or when I have the desire to do so. There is so much life when I obey the Spirit's prompting. And I stopped feeling guilty or condemned when I say no to such demands. It was a much more freeing way to live. In doing so I also became less affected by man's opinions.

Not only that the Lord taught me to speak up and stand for what is right even when it was very tough. Learning to do so was not easy but it really liberated me in so many ways. I used to be intimidated by fierce people and scared of confrontations. Now I am no longer the same. Giving vent to my standpoint allows me to be the person God made me. I don't feel lousy all the time because I constantly suppress my feelings and words. I am set free to speak my mind. This is a great liberation! I am not a victim but a victor. No pushover or doormat.