You may never graduate from some struggles. They might always be closer than you want them to be. But some­times the struggle is the thing that keeps us humble. It helps us see ourselves rightly as we see ourselves surren­dered and dependent upon Almighty God.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul prays about a particularly stubborn challenge he’s struggling with:

2 Corinthians 12:7 ESV To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Sometimes it’s good to say, “I’m scared.” I’m scared, but I’m not quitting. I’m scared, but I’m not throwing in the towel. I’m scared, but I’m not going to sit on the side of the road and sulk. I’m scared, but I will not forfeit what God has called me to do, because I recognize it’s not about me; it’s about Him and about Him reaching others through me. I’m scared, but I will stay at my post. I’m scared, but I will keep moving forward. I will continue to trust God in the middle of crying huge tears. I’m scared, but I will not turn away from what God has asked me to turn toward. I’m scared, but I’m still going to trust that God knows what He is doing. And even when I don’t know all that He knows, I can trust that He knows better than me.

James 1:2-12 ESV Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

In defiance of whatever fears you may be feeling, what step forward do you need to take today?

Judges 6:11-24 ESV Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.” So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

Who did God use to overcome the Midianites? A man named Gideon who had some serious doubts.

When God first called Gideon, Gideon responded as I think many of us feel sometimes: “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (Judges 6:13). In other words, “Where are all the miracles you once promised? Because right now, I’m living in fear. I feel forgotten. I feel disappointed with God.”

Yet God always interrupts our disappointments with a bigger agenda. Today God might be interrupting you. I pray you sense the Lord graciously reminding you to dream again, believe again, trust Him again. God still has the ability to do more than you can ask or imagine. I know you have your reasons to not believe, but God has His rea­sons for placing gifts and purpose in you.

God said to Gideon, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive” (Judges 6:16). God told him to mount an offensive attack against the raiding Midianites. And what would he need to move forward?

God said (my paraphrase), “Gideon, I’m going to give you My presence and My power to accomplish the call I gave you while you were still in your mother’s womb. I want you to understand, Gideon, not only do you need My pres­ence, but you also need My power.”

You see, the power of God is what enables us to do the thing He has called us to do. In order to accomplish a God-sized dream, you and I need God-sized power. It is foolish for us to think we can accomplish what He is asking us to do void of His power. And His power is exactly what He promises us.

The Bible tells us in Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” The power of the risen Savior is running through your body. The power you need to be faithful and bold is the natural by-product of your surrender to the authority of Jesus.

Let these words resonate deep in your soul: The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.

What challenge are you facing today that requires supernatural power to overcome?

Judges 6:1-10 ESV The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord. When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”

Judges 6:1 says, “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” That’s a bit hard to relate to. Many of us look at our own lives and don’t think we’re doing anything evil. But doing evil in the eyes of the Lord in this context has to do with forgetting not only God but the paths that He laid out for us to live.

Our ultimate purpose is to make God’s name great and establish His love, His grace, His rule, His authority, and His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. But we fall short. We have a lot in common with the Israelites in that way. God is about to break the cycle for them. But first, Judges tells us that “for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites” (Judges 6:1). The Israelites had to hide in caves to escape their enemies. To feed themselves, they planted their crops in secret, but the Midianites still stole their harvest.

Like the Israelites, are you struggling to find your way back to life? How many years or months has it been since you’ve not had freedom of movement in your mind, your words, or your purpose? How long has it been since you harvested what you planted?

Let’s go a half step further. Who are your Midianites? Perhaps your own self-talk? Your family members, your friend circle, or your co-workers?

Judges 6:6 tells us: “Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.” Take some time now and ask the Lord for help. It doesn’t have to be eloquent. Just like a child speaking to their mom or dad, let your loving Father know you want help.

The God of the Israelites is your God today. And by the grace of God, you’re going to get your spirit back! You’re going to get your fight back. You’re going to break the cycle you’re in. All of that is going to happen through turning to God for help.

Philippians 1:6 reminds us, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” We’re not aiming for a temporary reprieve. We’re after breakthrough.

What is it that has been crushing your spirit? How has this affected your life? Are you ready to get your spirit back?