Kelly Balarie
Kelly is a Cheerleader of Faith and a Fighter of Fear. She’s a get-on-the-gloves kind of girl. By seeking God’s unending encouragement, she uncovers His deep callings right under the surface of her worst failings. Her greatest desire is to grab hands with other women, jump up and down, and look back on all God has done. Kelly is a blogger at www.purposefulfaith.com, Crosswalk.com and iBelieve.com. Her work has been featured on Relevant and (in)courage.me, and as the cover story on Today’s Christian Woman. Her book, Fear Fighting: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fears (Baker Books), releases January 2017. Get all Kelly’s blog posts by email.
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Father, I want to obey You. Forgive me when I let fear keep me from walking in Your steps or when I listen for the voice of others above Yours. Give me a hunger and thirst for Your Word so that I can grow up in You and become a mature believer that honors You with her life. Give me the strength and power to step out in faith. ![]()
In Jesus’ Name, Amen. ![]()
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I pulled out an old prayer journal and there it was. Written in my own handwriting was a prayer request I had prayed for years. I traced the words with my finger and the words blurred as tears threatened. ![]()
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Just five minutes earlier, I had questioned my husband like a lead investigator. ![]()
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Are you sure we can do this?![]()
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Are we making the right decision?![]()
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What about {fill in the blank}? ![]()
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I peppered him with numerous questions. I wanted to iron out every detail and make certain that this was not just doable, but with no room for error. In the night, when I should have been sleeping, I crunched numbers in my head and went over possibilities. ![]()
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It was exhausting. ![]()
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Seeing that prayer request in the journal was a reminder that I had asked God for this very thing. That’s what brought me to tears. ![]()
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God had graciously answered, but rather than rejoicing, I was fretting. ![]()
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In today’s passage, Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt and out of slavery. They had been at the mercy of their captors, working unmerciful hours making bricks from straw. It was brutal work. For years, they had prayed for freedom and the answer had finally come! Egypt was behind them, and they were on the way to the Promised Land. The journey was not without obstacles. Pharaoh sent his men after them and they were panicking. They complained and murmured. Their fretting was so incessant that Moses petitioned God on their behalf, and this was God’s response:![]()
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“Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” Exodus 14:15 (NIV) ![]()
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This may seem direct and to the point, but you must understand. The Israelites were in the midst of a miracle, yet they had been so focused on the obstacles they were missing it. They were blind to the fact that they had been in shackles and were now stepping into freedom. ![]()
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God didn’t want them to get stuck in the murmuring over the miracle. ![]()
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As I traced the faded prayer request with my fingers, I thought about all the times I cried out to God for this particular miracle. But even as the answer began to unfold, I became fixated on the obstacles ahead rather than the miracle. The answer God gave the Israelites was mine as well. ![]()
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Keep moving, Suzie. ![]()
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Rarely does answered prayer mean that it’s smooth sailing all the way. ![]()
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We pray for that prodigal child to come home, and they do. Yet there’s work to be done in the relationship. ![]()
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We pray for God to help us achieve a dream. He does, and it takes work and time.![]()
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We pray for a promotion and there’s a learning curve. ![]()
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You and I have a choice. We can get caught up in the challenges or celebrate what God has already done – and where God is taking us. ![]()
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For me, it was time to shift my focus. I opened that old journal one more time and wrote “answered” beside my prayer request. Sure, there were challenges ahead, but what an opportunity for God to show me who He is over and over again. ![]()
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Maybe you are in the midst of answered prayer and it’s not easy; it’s okay to say that. Rarely do miracles come without a faith walk. ![]()
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Just know you aren’t alone. ![]()
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God sees what is ahead and is with you every step of the way. ![]()
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Keep moving. ![]()
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Heavenly Father, I’ve been so focused on the challenges of this answered prayer that I lost sight of what You have already done. Thank You for this unfolding miracle. Thank You for hearing my prayer, ![]()
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.![]()
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