Play with Fire - Day 2
Bianca Juarez Olthoff
God isn’t waiting for you to have more resources, a spouse, or a job so he can use you.
He’s ready to use you now.
In this track, we will take excerpts from Bianca Juarez’s new book, Play with Fire.
Through this 4-day track brought to us by the Catalyst App, we will expose and address a condition all too familiar to all of us – our constant desire to try and transform our own lives. Whether that happens at work, in ministry, with those you lead, or with your family, there is some area that we just don’t like surrendering control of.
But as Bianca’s own personal story will show, doing so prevents us from ever really being satisfied.
Find out what that area is and learn how to let God handle those things instead. In the process of doing so, complete the challenges on the Catalyst App at the end of each day for a chance to receive a copy of Play With Fire. There are 5 copies available.
Are you ready?
DAY 2: DESERT
The proverbial desert is a lonely, isolated place. Many people are dropped into its infertile expanse by way of an unexpected crisis or an unforeseen loss.
This is your two-week notice. Your father and I are getting divorced. You weren’t accepted. You have cancer. I’m pregnant. We lost the house. I don’t love you anymore.
With only a few words, a terse phrase, we can find ourselves gripped from our comfort zones and wandering in the desert.
But for each one of us transported to the desert by way of life circumstances, others find it by way of our own willfulness. We try to control every outcome. We strive to achieve and accomplish. We become self-sufficient, and in so doing, we walk away from the God who wants to lead us into His provision, onto His green pathways.
Whether circumstance or our own willfulness brings us into the desert, one truth remains constant: the terrain is unknown and frightening.
We all go through desert seasons and have the opportunity to determine how we will respond. The cyclical frustrations I faced in regard to my desire for control, fear, and the longing to feel chosen were the catalysts that initiated my time in the desert. I longed to create my own transformation.I wanted to be chosen. I wanted to be in control, and following my own way, I found myself in a dry and weary place.
But Control is a manipulator. She promises what can’t be had. She promises perfection. While I chased after Control and envied her apparent freedom, God called after me, tried to remind me that Control was my own construct. I know this now.
God watched as I proved that my plan to micromanage every second of my life only led me deeper into desolation. He knew the futility of my attempts, and like a patient father, He waited for me to understand that I needed to entrust my life to Him.
Challenge: Answer the poll below.
What attitudes or habits tend to initiate your time in the desert?
A) Wanting control
B) Fearing that God won’t come through
C) Desire for the approval of others
D) Other
Tweet your answer to us @CatalystLeader using the #PlayWithFireTrack.
*Each completed challenge on the Catalyst App allows you to enter in for a chance to win a FREE copy of 'Play with Fire'.*
Download the Catalyst App now.
Bianca Juarez Olthoff is a writer, teacher, and chief storyteller for the A21 Campaign. She is passionate about God’s word and teaches around the globe as well as blogs about life, love and the pursuit of Jesus.
Discover more from Bianca Juarez Olthoff:
Play with Fire Track: DAY ONE
Listen Now: Episode 383: Leading Up // Bianca Juarez Olthoff
Login to join the conversation!