Sometimes I receive a few private messages and emails here and there from women asking me to give them an encouraging word for what they’re going through in their life. And maybe you’re looking for some encouragement too!
Maybe you feel like an emotional wreck or maybe you feel like you can’t handle whatever it is you’re going through, but I wanted a place to share my thoughts on how to overcome difficult seasons. Especially for my twenty-somethings! It can feel completely overwhelming to handle all the emotions and growing pains that come with transitioning into a young adult (This is actually relevant for any age and season), but I pray that you feel empowered and encouraged after reading these tips.
1. Confess the Word
It’s not enough to read the Word and pray. You have to declare God’s Word over your life as you fight your spiritual battles!
Confessing God’s Word helps you recognize your authority in Christ! God said He’s given you the power to demolish strongholds, and you have to make a decision in your heart that you will believe what He says. His Word must be the highest level of truth in your life, and once you believe that, you can use it to overcome anything: fear, doubt, depression. Doing this serves as a constant reminder that the enemy is under your feet (Luke 20:43).
I’m very passionate about this, so if you’re looking for other resources in this area, I suggest checking out:
- How Daily Confessions Changed My Life
- #1 Weapon to Fight the Enemy
- How to Fight for Joy
- Or sign up for #TheConfessionsProject below!
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2. Guard your Gates
When you’re in a vulnerable place and going through a really difficult season, you have to be mindful of your gates, meaning what you allow in and out of your mind, body, and spirit. In Proverbs 4, verses 20-27, King Solomon talks about the different types of gates that you have. He mentions that you must guard your ears, your heart, your eyes, your mouth, and your feet.
Guarding your ears means being mindful of what you hear including the music or negative conversations you listen to. If this is your primary way of receiving information, you may want to consider going on a fast from secular music and listen only to praise and worship songs.
Guarding your eyes means being mindful of what you see such as what you see on social media or what you watch on television. If this is your weakness, you may want to consider going on a social media fast so that you don’t get tempted to be discontent whenever you see what everyone else is doing with their life.
Guarding your heart means being mindful of what you believe. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself what it is that you really believe about yourself and what God says about you! As Solomon says in verse 23, your heart is the production center of your life. What you create for your life all comes from what you believe and spending time with God (see tip 5) will help you dive deeper into this area.
Guarding your mouth means being mindful of what you say. Proverbs 18:21 says that life and death lie in the power of the tongue, which means we have to be careful of what we speak over our lives. Our speech reflects what’s in our heart (Luke 6:45), and as we just described guarding your heart, it produces what we want or don’t want to see in our lives.
Lastly, guarding your feet means being mindful of the places you go. Consider your environments! Are they adding value to your life and helping you become more like Jesus, or are they tempting you to make decisions that cause you to stumble? If it’s the latter, that’s why Solomon encourages us to guard or feet.
3. Worship
Worship is your greatest weapon. It will protect you from having a defeated perspective, and it will keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Most importantly, it keeps your heart soft to the things of God. Sometimes, difficult seasons can harden our hearts to the point where we’re either angry with God or we feel so confused that we cannot hear Him.
But choosing to worship is an act of faith. It’s a heart posture of surrender where we make room for God to move on our behalf. It says, “I will still remain thankful for everything You have done and I will continue to believe in Your promise even though my circumstance doesn’t look like what I thought.” If you’re looking for a couple of playlists, then I’d recommend listening to some I’ve created:
4. Work out and Eat a Healthy Diet
These two tips are very practical, but they do help! Studies have shown that working out can help improve your mood and manage your emotions. Not just physiologically, but psychologically too! If anything, it will make you feel better about yourself knowing that you went to the gym and ate right.
Check out this in-depth, comprehensive guide on getting active if you’re looking for ideas!
And while we’re talking about the body, ladies, be mindful of your time of the month! We cannot underestimate the power of hormonal changes. More than likely, some weeks will seem harder than others every 3-4 weeks based on the changes that your body goes through. As you battle and endure challenging seasons, give yourself grace and know that it’s only a matter of time before the symptoms of PMS pass.
5. Spend Consistent Time with God
Lastly, when you feel like an emotional wreck, one of the most important things you will have to do is spend consistent time with God. Even in the moments when you don’t want to spend time with Him are the moments that you must do it the most! God’s presence is the only place where you’ll be able to find peace, joy, healing, your identity, and your purpose!
It helps you become more aware of what your root issue is. It helps you understand the areas that need healing, and it helps you figure out what you need to pray for. That’s why the enemy does whatever He can to distract us from our time with God – even with feelings of “I don’t want to,” or “I feel like my quiet time is dry.”
But specific outcomes require specific prayers. The Bible says, “Ask and you shall receive (Matthew 7:7),” and if you’re looking for a specific type of breakthrough in your life, ask God to have an encounter with Him.
[bctt tweet=”Specific outcomes require specific prayers. ” username=”heyhanha”]
One encounter with Jesus can change your whole entire life, and the thing about the gospel is that it is always relevant. No matter what you’re going through, the fact that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and set you free will always be applicable to your situation. Becuase of His death, He set you free from free, shame, rejection, and disappointment and everything else in the book.
If you’re struggling with spending time with God, I encourage you to find an accountability partner! Or get plugged in into a church so that you can regularly attend a small group. Or check out these resources below:
Either way, I hope these tips were helpful! Do you have any others? Let me know what you do whenever you’re going through a difficult season. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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