Some sporting events have ‘half-time’. This is a time to step back and rest, evaluate how things have been going and decide what adjustments need to be made for the rest of the game. It can refresh those who were losing in the first half. If we’re in a place where we feel we’ve fallen, we need to take some time to rest and figure out how we can make adjustments in our lives. Maybe we’ve made mistakes, experienced disappointments and failures. Maybe life has thrown tough situations our way. But we’re still here. There’s hope because God’s able to restore and redeem everything in our lives. It’s not too late for us to follow God’s plan for our lives. God looks at our future while the enemy tries to keep us focused on our past. God will never define us by our past, whereas the enemy will try to control and confine us by using it against us. With God’s help, we can rise up from the place we’re in, and live out our future with God. He says: ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?’ (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV). When Israel was in a state of desolation and despair, the prophet Micah spoke: ‘Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.’ While these words were spoken about the nation, they can also encourage us. There will be times when we’ll fall and feel like we’re in darkness, but we’ll rise again and experience God’s light in our lives. The enemy wants to keep us chained to our past. God wants to restore us and help us step into our future with Him.  

What Now?

Take some time in the middle of your day to stop for a few minutes. Use the time to rest and think about whether you need to make any lifestyle adjustments for your afternoon.