Take the path less chosen

Take the narrow path.

I'll be the first to admit…I have issues.

We all have issues, we all have problems, but those problems do not define us unless we allow them to. When we allow the lies of the devil to overcome us, and we start to accept his words over us, then and only then do our issues begin to define us.

We become powerless and complacent. We accept this reality and lose the fight in us. We fail not because we don't have an option but because we refuse to do the hard thing.

What have you allowed to define you?

What 'hard thing' have you dismissed?

The hard thing

Recently God has been speaking to me about something, which I feel compelled to share it is 'to do the hard thing.'

I understand what it means to do the hard thing, and I also understand why sometimes we aren't willing to do it. Facing a challenging situation head-on can be overwhelming; it can feel too big. We as Christians can take solace in the fact that nothing is too big for our God (Jeremiah 32:27) and that when we submit to him, his yoke is easy, and his burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). The trouble is when we give in to the idea that the hard thing is too complicated, and we succumb to doing what comes easily; this is where so many of us lose the battle.

We have become a society that is quick to find an easy road when God has called us to take the narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14).

Several years ago, I worked in alternative medicine as a Homeopathic Practitioner, Natural Nutritionist, and Nationally Certified Massage Therapist. My specialty was in rehabilitation and recovery, but with terminal patients, you end up specializing in pain management and overall quality of life. While not all my patients dealt with a terminal diagnosis, there was a commonality between them. Many different types of people came in just wanting an answer, wanting a way out, wanting to have their life back, and one of the hardest things was when they came in expecting that I could give that to them. When in all reality, I can only illuminate the path, but it is theirs to follow. I can show them the way out of the darkens and into healing and wholeness, but they have to take the steps. The same is true for us in our walk out of the darkness.

Given the opportunity, most would rather take a pill… a quick fix.

They want somebody to fix them as if they were broken, but they were never really broken. You see, God says we are made whole (Luke 17:1-19, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28). The idea was all in their minds, and the only thing they needed to do was the hard thing. Because a pill, or a quick fix, or surgery, might make something better for a short period, it might take care of some symptoms; but it's not fixing the real problem.

It's so often that we as individuals seek a quick fix,

• the pill,

• the surgery,

• depression medication,

• give me a new heart,

• take off the weight through surgery,

• pray over me so I can receive my miracle.

What is it you know to do, but you are not doing? You've been putting it off; you've tried to pretend that there is another way. I get it…

I don't want to do the hard thing; I don't want to face what happened to me.

I don't want to give up my vices. I don't want to face my demons; I don't want to face myself.

It's easier to cover it up, to run from it. Which I will admit, I have done many times in my life.

But if I continued to do so, then I couldn't say that I am a spiritual arms dealer, which I like to confess that I am!

The problem with taking the easy way is that we don't do the one thing that would heal us. When we go for a quick fix, we go for the pill. We go for the surgery, go for the miracle, or give in to the sin; you know, do this it'll be fine take a drink, take a drug, but does that ever solve the problem?

When we're not willing to do the hard thing, we so often fall back and even further back than we would have before if we would have just faced it head-on.

When my patients would come back after treatment for a follow-up, many of them would say, "I felt better for a few days, but then I got worse again." I would ask every time if they did their homework. When a patient receives treatment, the specialist gives them an assignment to help the healing process, and they don't do it; they won't ever see the recovery they want.

We have to be willing to do what it takes to get better, to do the hard thing.

When asked if they had done the exercises, the stretches, eliminated something from their diet, began to speak over their situation differently, they would answer honestly, "no." Their no was often followed by "I didn't have the time" or "I forgot about it." I appreciate their honesty, but how can they expect to be healed, have less pain, feel better, or be free?

This is often the case in life; we take the easy road, which leads to destruction, the road many are on. Like Paul, we know to do better, yet we don't always do it (Romans 7:14-25). We know Paul was talking about the battle of the flesh and how sin can make us a slave to it, but did you know that in James 4:17, the scripture says that if we know to do better and don't, that it's a sin for us.

The saddest thing is that their problem is stealing their time; the excuse of not enough time would have been solved by taking steps to do the difficult things; the things we often don't do. This pain, this trauma, this sickness, this thing they couldn't get past, no matter what they did because they kept looking for a quick fix; it just kept getting worse and kept compiling.

Their lives kept going downhill and becoming more complex, and the situation became more complicated, which caused the need for more pills to solve more problems. Their body would come up with all these different problems, now these alternative symptoms and all because they weren't willing to do the hard thing.

Now God doesn't guarantee us an easy life as a Christian; in fact, he admits that we live in a fallen world and that we will experience trouble (John 16:33). There will be persecution, trial, and turmoil. Because we've been given free will, he's given us the option to take the easy way or take the hard way or ignore it altogether (which, my friend, is just another way to take the easy way).

I know facing things when there is pain is hard; it seems so heavy, it feels like you can't; but you can because I did. Jesus says that with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

God says that you are joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). God says that when Jesus was crucified on the cross, so were you (Galatians 2:20), so put on that new man (Ephesians 4:24) because you died on the cross when you accepted Jesus as your savior. That version of you is no longer alive; you've been transported and seated in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 2:6). But, yet we fret about this hard thing.

Maybe you want to get closer to God, but you just don't have the time to pray. You don't have the time to fast. You want victory but, you don't have the time to change how you're speaking. You don't have the time to change what you're thinking about. You don't want to stop watching that show. You don't want to stop eating those things, and you don't want to exercise. You don't want to quit smoking, and you don't want to give up drinking; you want a pill, a surgery.

You want a quick fix because facing the reality of what is out there and what you've allowed in your life is too much. Facing it means you'll see all those demons in the trauma, pain in the shame, and the guilt from your past. The unforgiveness that maybe you still harbor, or the pride that you can't let go of.

This, we realize, is the very thing that has been binding us, and if we could just do the hard thing, take that hard step, we might see the victory. I can tell you this, that you will never do it alone because God says he goes before you and he will never leave you (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Jesus said it is better for him to go because then you may have the comforter (John 16:7), the Holy Spirit. That his spirit will fill you and live on the inside of you and that you are in him and he is in you. So, to say that the hard thing isn't possible is to deny scripture; it is the only way towards true freedom.

The Bible says that where there's truth, there's freedom. It's that truth that sets you free. Jesus is the truth (John 14:16). When you're willing to face those hard things that you're dealing with and quite trying to numb them down or deny them altogether or run in an entirely different direction, realize that you face it not alone but with God and with all the tools you need.

I've taken the hard road, and you can too. I can illuminate the path through the darkness and into the light. I can help you breakthrough; you can be delivered, break off strongholds, and step into the position God has ordained you for. That is when that hard thing becomes the only thing that brought victory; the only thing that brought change, the only thing that made you whole again.

If you desire to be whole again if you're willing to take the steps and do the hard thing, join me.

Commit to not run to a false fix. To not surrender to something that will never help you, it will never save you, it will never take away the pain you'll remain in the situation, and unfortunately, it will worsen. There will be more symptoms; there will be more pain; there will be more profound depression. It'll get darker, you'll feel more alone even when you're not. You'll continue to remain on a path of destruction, this path you've put yourself on by running to all those quick fixes. The mind-numbing things that take you further from your victory, also from the truth, further from freedom. So are you willing to face the fire, face the pain, to face the truth; because if you are, that's the best place you can be.

Are you willing to believe in the slightest possible chance that your victory can be found in the hard thing? Jesus said if you could have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could speak to your mountain telling it to move and it will move (Matthew 17:20), the smallest faith can do big things. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of taking the easy road; the hard path is full of blessing.

I'd love to pray for you! If you have a specific prayer request shot me an email at info@aprilamrine.com. I will be praying for you. If you liked this post hit the heart!

If you're ready to take the hard road sign up for a complimentary Doyenne Strategy Session today at www.aprilamrine.com/free-offer!