If I could, I would love to sit down with you, a cup of coffee in our hands, a fuzzy blanket on our laps, and have an honest conversation about life.

I’ll bet we would have amazing stories to share. Some of triumph and joy, others of challenge and defeat. We would probably define our chapters by the strength of the things we conquered or were conquered by.

I love this picture of our son trying to open the refrigerator. The very thing he wants is the very thing he is preventing himself from getting. He…is in his own way.

Have you ever been there?

Perhaps you have wanted to start exercising, yet you wake up in the morning with the repetitive wrestling match between the thought of getting up or sleeping for another hour.

You desire to spend more quality time with your kids and you sit down with them to play Legos. Suddenly, you find yourself picking up and organizing their toys while your child is still seated and playing by themselves. When did you even get up off the floor?

You process and dream of what life would be like if you pursued a different career, yet never update your LinkedIn profile or explore other opportunities.  

Expanding your friend group is something you would like to do. Yet you find yourself making excuses when you are invited to go out on a Friday night.

Recognizing that you and your spouse need more connection, you continue to turn on the T.V. night after night, instead of starting a meaningful conversation.

Sound familiar?

If you find yourself relating to what you just read, you are not alone. I sleep in and wonder why I am not in shape, I start playing basketball with my son, and then start to pick the weeds. James and I watch TV before bed almost every night and then I complain that we have no time to talk.

This problem of us getting in our own way is not new. We even see it back in Biblical times. God promised the Israelites the land of Canaan. You may have heard it said that Canaan was the land flowing with milk and honey.

God told Moses to send men to explore the land and see what they were going to face. Twelve leaders went to spy on the Promised Land. Ten of which came back and said that it was not possible to take the land as they emphasized the difficulty that they would face if they tried. As a result, the entire nation of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years.

Uniquely two of those leaders believed that with God, they could do it, Caleb and Joshua.

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Numbers 13:30,

40 years later, Caleb and Joshua ended up being the only two adults who experienced Egyptian slavery and lived to enter the Promised Land. God used them to take 2 million people with them into the Promised Land.

With God, you can certainly do it

When we have those thoughts that the dream is too big, the challenge is too hard, or to change is too difficult, rely on God. We see this over and over in scripture. Faith and reliance on God can give you strength and courage that would not have been possible on your own.

Be strong and courageous

Ever ask your kids, “How many times do I have to tell you…?” God told Joshua three times to be strong and courageous yet we see these same words repeated 8 times. This is a good reminder for us as well, as we face the things that we would like to conquer in our lives. Be strong and courageous!

Maybe I need to be reminded 8 times, or more! I wrote down the 8 verses that remind us to be strong & courageous and when I read them, I say my name before each one. If you would like to do the same, download the Be Strong And Courageous pdf.

Take the step

After wandering in the desert for 40 years, here was their moment. Now, I don’t know about you but if I can’t find a store in the mall in 5 minutes I leave. Can you imagine 40 years of wandering?

They finally get close to the land that God promised them, but there is a big problem, the river Jordan. Separating them from their promised land. During flood stage, it could have been as wide as a mile and up to 150 feet deep.

They could not just call up Siri and ask how to get to the Promised Land. There was no relying on her to recalculate their path every time they took a wrong turn. Nope, they had someone far more amazing.

They had God Himself.

This obstacle was not a surprise to God. He had every single detail arranged to get them across.

God told the priests to step into the water first. That was an act of faith because it took faith to take that first step. They had to trust God.

When the soles of the priest’s feet were dipped in the edge of the flowing water, the water stood and rose in one heap.

The entire nation approximately 2 million people crossed on dry ground. Notice that the ground was not even MUDDY, it was DRY. WHOA. Can you imagine being one of the priests that had to take that first step into the water?

Take responsibility for the change you want to make in your life.

I want to encourage you to take the step. You are the only one who can do it.

Rely on God, be strong and courageous and take the step. Let’s reclaim those things in our lives that we want to change when we find ourselves getting in our own way.

What is it that God is leading you to reclaim today?  

Read More Articles From Reclaimed Story