Do you ever feel like your life is going nowhere fast? Perhaps you just feel like you’re completely stuck where you are and there’s no hope for you to break free. In most cases, when we feel stuck, it’s because we’re constantly repeating the same unhealthy cycles that got us stuck in the first place. Today, if you’re tired of feeling like you’re standing pat while the rest of the world is flying by you, discover how you can break free from the toxic cycles that are holding you back.
When you take an honest inventory of your life, do you feel like you’re stuck? Maybe you look at the people around you and it seems like their lives are thriving while you’re still standing in the same place that you’ve been standing for as long as you can remember. While it’s hard to admit it, in most cases, our seasons of feeling stuck are because we’re repeating the same cycles that got us stuck in the first place. When we continue to do what led to us being stuck, there is no way for us to truly break free.
What if your key to breaking free was found in breaking the cycle that you’re currently trapped in? What if the freedom that you’re longing for was within reach? There’s good news; it is! Today, you can shake free from the toxic cycles and generational curses that are holding you back.
God’s plan for your life doesn’t include your being stuck in the same toxic cycle where you’re currently stuck. He has promised us freedom, abundant life, and every other good thing that we can imagine. In fact, He has promised us more good things than we could possibly thank or ask. However, we must make sure that we’re not living our lives in a state of perpetual toxicity.
Scripture declares that there is freedom in the presence of the Holy Spirit. As we begin today’s study, invite His presence into your devotional time. Ask Him to help you identify any areas where you may be repeating the same toxic cycles that led the bondage that you currently find yourself in. Discover what it means to break free from the thoughts and actions that have led you to the place where you feel stuck.
Everybody Gets Stuck Sometimes
1 Corinthians 10:13 (TPT)
We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.
One of the most important aspects of breaking free from the toxic cycles that have you stuck is to realize that you’re not the first person to find yourself in the position that you’re in. It’s easy for us to see other people and how their lives are advancing and assume that no one knows what it’s like to deal with what we’re dealing with.
Everyone has gone through a period in their lives where they feel like they are stuck. Being stuck isn’t limited to one area of life. You may feel like you’re stuck in your career path. Maybe you always thought you’d be farther ahead than you are right now when you got to this point in your life. Maybe you feel like your family life is stuck. Perhaps you’re not married while all your friends are having weddings, and you feel like you’re stuck on the outside looking in. While none of us want to admit it, we even experience the feeling of being stuck in our spiritual journeys. Perhaps you’ve been a disciple for years, but you don’t really feel like you’re experiencing the true spiritual growth that you’d always imagined. Everyone has been stuck.
In addition to realize that you’re not the first person to be in this position, nor will you be the last, it’s crucial to understand that Scripture promises that God will provide us with a way of escape, even when we’re the reason that we’re stuck.
Today, recognize the “way of escape” that has been presented to you. The principles that we’re going to discover in the rest of today’s study are the way of escape that God has provided.
Facts Over Feelings
Ephesians 4:26-27 (TPT)
But don’t let the passion of your emotions lead you to sin! Don’t let anger control you or be fuel for revenge, not even for a day. Don’t give the slanderous accuser, the Devil, an opportunity to manipulate you!
When we’re stuck, it’s easy for us to get so focused on what we’re feeling that we forget about what we know. Feelings are a tricky thing. Obviously, all of us have feelings, but when we don’t know how to manage them in light of the facts, it’s easy to let ourselves be pulled in a thousand different directions. When you’re feeling stuck, you need to have a centralized focus, and that focus needs to be on getting out of the cycle that has you stuck.
In Jeremiah 17:9, we read that “the heart is deceitful above all things.” This statement gives us a lot of information about how we need to deal with our feelings when they come up. We live in a world teaches us to “follow our hearts,” and to “listen to our feelings.” While those pieces of advice may come from a genuine place, they’re actually unscriptural ideas that we are not called to follow.
When you’re stuck in a cycle of toxicity that has left you feeling stuck, it’s important that you overcome your own feelings with things that you know to be true. If you don’t feel like there’s anyway for you to break free from the cycles that are keeping you stuck, it’s vital that you move past your feelings.
Spend some time filling your heart and mind with the truths found in God’s Word. His truth is greater than any of your feelings. When you stop being moved by feelings and start moving in the truth of Scripture, you will break free from your cycle of stuck.
Changing Your Mindset
Romans 12:2 (TPT)
Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.
Finally, the most important aspect of breaking the cycle that has left you stuck is found in changing the way that you think. When you shift your mindset, you can truly experience the kind of freedom that God wants for His people.
Everything we do is driven by our thoughts. Before you take any action, it begins as a thought. Before you commit to anything, it begins as a thought. When you allow those thought patterns to remain in the same cycle of toxicity, it’s easy to fall into a pattern like that. This leaves you feeling like there’s nothing you can do to break free.
However, our thoughts are not always our reality. Instead, we often fall victim to our own thoughts and assume that they’re truth. The verse we just read in Romans talks about the importance of letting your mind be renewed through the power of Scripture.
Today, evaluate every thought pattern that has contributed to you feeling like you’re stuck. If any of them don’t align with Scripture, get rid of those thoughts and replace them with the truth of Scripture.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to break the cycle of toxic thoughts and behaviors that have led to me feeling like I’m stuck. I know that You have a beautiful future planned for my life, but I feel like I’m stuck in a place that makes it impossible for me to see it. Help me to change the way I think and help me to control my emotions so I can see Your way of escape. In Christ’s name, Amen.