Rising Out of the Pit. By Tracey Olson.
Life has many pits– the pit of divorce, the pit of abuse, the pit of loneliness, loss of a loved one, addiction, sickness or financial loss. The list of pits can go on and on and on. The Bible gives hope how to rise out of those horrible pits.
In Psalm 40:1-3 it says,
“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he put a new song in my mouth, even praises unto our God: many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord.”
A pit is an early grave that Satan digs for you in hopes that he can bury you alive. He wants you to stay there and ruin your future. But God can lift you out of the pit, heal your heart and use your story for his glory.
There are three ways to end up in a pit.
You can literally get THROWN IN without doing anything wrong yourself. Someone else’s choices or actions can push you into a deep pit. Take for example Joseph in the Bible. He was minding his own business, and his jealous brothers despised him with such a great hatred they actually threw him into a physical pit. This later multiplied into many more pits in his life. Joseph was sold into slavery, lied about and even put into prison because of the actions of others. Maybe someone’s actions pushed you into a pit. Someone cheated on you, abandoned you, lied about you or maybe even hit you in a car accident and it debilitated your health for life. Many of us have found ourselves in a pit at such a young age we don’t even remember life before the pit. Call out to him and cling to his mercy. Psalm 9:9 says,
“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”
The second way you may find yourself in a pit is you just FALL IN.
It wasn’t intentional, you didn’t plan it to go this way, you made some wrong choices, went to some wrong places, or started to hang with the wrong crowd. Haven’t we all ended up in a place in life we never meant to go? Did we start drinking and not realize where we could end up? Did we emotionally overeat and end up adding a lot of weight? Did we overspend and end up in massive debt? Did we flirt to just have some fun and end up being too promiscuous, or even pregnant? Did we allow our hearts to go cold and refuse to forgive and become bitter? Regardless of how you fell into this pit I think the enemy uses this one the most. He uses our shame, guilt, and embarrassment to force us to dig ourselves in deeper and believe we can never ever get out.
Don’t stay there my friend! Fight hard to get out and trust that God wants you freed. Jeremiah 29:11 says,
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
He will pick you up when you have fallen and welcome you back with open arms. Psalm 130:1-2
“Out of the depths have I cried unto thee oh Lord; O Lord hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.”
He is waiting like a loving father to pick you up out of the miry clay in your pit and surround you with his love.
The third, and most dangerous way to end up in a pit is to just fold our arms, not care about the consequences and JUMP IN. We’ve had it, life is too hard, and we are going to do things our way! We’ve been mistreated, dealt an unfair path, never get a break and our heart is hardened. Yes, sometimes in life we feel the need to rebel or are so broken we may even give up and think about taking our life. Most of the time we just don’t know how to deal with what or who has hurt us. Maybe through addiction, depression, or despair we get derailed and lose sight of all our dreams. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy and he’s got you right where he wants you.
When life gets unbearable, no matter how you get in that pit, you do not have to stay there! If you know Jesus Christ personally you have the power to stand up against the enemy. This means war! Put on your armor and get ready to fight for your life.
Ephesians 6:11
“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
When we are at our lowest point is when the devil beats us down the most. Our shield of faith is the piece of our armor that protects us from being hit and pushed deeper into the pit. When we stray from God, church, and his word our shield of faith shrinks. When we seek him, we shall find him when we search for him with all our heart. This is when our shield gets larger, covers and protects us. You have the ability to increase your shield size for safety and protection in battle. Psalm3:3 says,
“But thou O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter up of my head.”
Look up, trust him, He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.
We get to decide how big our shield is by spending time with him, reading, praying, memorizing verses and equipping ourselves with his protection. If you need help getting out of the pit or even just refreshed and encouraged. Come join us at the Nampa Hearts Being Healed conference September 14th at Crossroads Church 4170 E. Amity Ave. We will have multiple speakers for you to choose from that have experienced many different pits and valleys in life and later God used their story for his glory. Don’t allow your past to ruin your future. He will give you beauty for ashes and pull you out of the pit and put a new song in your mouth.
HEARTS BEING HEALED CONFERENCE, Nampa, Idaho
DATE: Saturday, September 14, 2024
VENU: 4170 E. Amity Ave., Nampa, ID
TIME: Check-In 8-9:00 a.m. Conference 9:00 am. – 4:30 p.m.
ONLINE REGISTRATION: https://boise.heartsbeinghealed.org/idaho/speakers-schedule/
Note: Online registration closes Sept. 10 and includes a complimentary lunch if registered before the deadline.
You may register at the door on the day of the conference (Sept. 14th) but it will not include lunch. Please bring a lunch with you.
Register today! For more information about Hearts Being Healed Ministries, go to www.heartsbeinghealed.org
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