I know a lot of people who have been tempted to throw in the towel and give up.

I hardly know anyone who HASN’T walked through tough battles this year. It has been a very difficult year for many. For me, the last two years have brought one trial after another and there have been many disappointments.

When you are going through the mill it doesn’t seem fair and it can look like God has abandoned you. But that’s not true, God loves you, He wants the best for you, He is faithful and His promises are always true.

When God sent the children of Israel to take their promised land, they had to fight for it. It was theirs, God had promised it to them, but they had to step out and take the land, they had to do  battle with their enemies for it.

Don’t sit back and passively accept what life throws at you. Remind yourself what God has promised you, dust yourself down, tell yourself the truth, expect more from God, get ready, make preparations, and battle for your promised land.

Ask the Lord, “What do you want me to do?” Then listen to see what He will say to you. Decide to trust Him, follow Him closely and rely on His wisdom rather than your own. Shake off discouragement and dare to BELIEVE.

NOW is the time. Do whatever you need to do. Focus and get ready. If you need training, find the right training, if you need a mentor, ask the Lord to show you who to ask and ask them.

Encourage yourself in God then stop, listen and take focused action. You will be amazed at what happens when you allow God to speak in then line your life up with what God says.

Letting the mistakes and failures of yesterday dominate your thinking today robs you of joy in the now and of future happiness. It can cause you to miss today’s opportunities.

John Maxwell, in his outstanding best seller, Failing Forward, gives some practical advice:

“To move forward today, you must learn to say good-bye to yesterday’s hurts, tragedies and baggage. You can’t build a monument to past problems and fail forward.

“Take time right now to list the negative events from your past that may still be holding you hostage. For each item you list, go through the following exercise:

1. Acknowledge the pain.
2. Grieve the loss.
3. Forgive the person.
4. Forgive yourself.
5. Determine to release the event and move on.”

The best is yet to come if you treat your “mistakes” as lessons to be learned. Each lesson has the potential to bring wisdom. When you take time to learn from ‘mistakes’ and disappointments your life is truly enhanced.