Picture a beautiful sunny day with a cool breeze blowing. Imagine a little old rowboat that you often take to a small lake to get away. You sometimes stop by the shoreline to read, maybe fish, or just relax. If you were to take that same boat down to the beach, put it in the ocean, and begin paddling with the oars, before long your arms will tire. After going some distance, you will wish you had not ventured so far from your original destination. You need a different boat!

There is always room for change and new ventures in life. It is time to set your sails. If you were going to venture out into the ocean, you may need a motorboat or a sailboat to go to new places, see and experience new things. Life does not have to be so humdrum day after day, but only you can make the choices to change your circumstances.

Like having the right boat or changing your normal routine from getting in a rowboat in a lake or taking a sail on the ocean, we can change our situations by the way we respond to life’s difficulties. How can we do this? By the words we speak. They play a key role. Pay attention to what people say and see what kind of life they have. Often they make their own problems if they are constantly negative. If people say, “Jesus is bringing me through this and I am looking to Him and trusting Him,” their situations often turn around a lot quicker.

If you say, “I can’t stand my life, it is boring,” or “I always have troubles, I have no money, no friends, etc.,” the odds are that you have exactly what you are proclaiming over your life. When Jesus was going through it, He learned to speak God’s word even if His circumstances were terrible!

If you speak God’s word over all your problems, His word will not return void. God says it will accomplish what it is set out to do.

Therefore, Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise then begin speaking those things over your circumstances and in your life. (Philippians 4:8) Give the word of God a job, speak the word of God so that the word of God can begin to work in your life! If you begin to do this, your life will begin to improve!

I try to live each day to the fullest and I thank God for giving me opportunities. I actually have a fruitful life. Maybe at times it is too full and I need to drop an activity or two. But I do what I can to change my situations and make the best out of some unavoidable ones. It usually works out. I do different things, so there are no ruts. I take mini-vacations and find quiet moments to get refreshed by venturing out and enjoying all the benefits of God’s kingdom. But most of all, I decree and declare good things over my life, family, and friends.

I realize we have trials. They come in seasons because we are not promised those sunny and cool breezes every day, sailing along without a care. We are promised that Jesus will hold our hand and walk with us when the sunshine turns to rain, when instead of feeling good we are in pain. He will carry you in His arms.

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. (Psalm 68:19, NLT)

The only thing we can do in difficult moments is ask the Lord for His help, go to His Word and begin to speak life into what seems to be a hopeless situation. You can chase those clouds off your mind and set sail for a different journey. If you’re in the same boat day after day, purpose to do something different. Speak good things from God’s word over your life and expect a turnaround.

Copyright © Cathy Irvin, used with permission.

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