Tripwires that Keep Us From Progression

We are children of a loving Heavenly Father, a Father who is perfect and desires us to become like Him. Do you know what this means? Do you know how exciting this is? We have unlimited potential to become perfect? PERFECT! How awesome is that?!!!

Some days it may feel as if we are far from perfect and filled with all sorts of weaknesses and flaws. Some days it may feel as if we don't even have a purpose and there is no point to even being here. Oh goodness, how do I know this? Because I have been there before. 

Satan is our enemy, he is constantly trying to put up traps and tripwires in front of our path to stop us from where we need to go. We were sent down to earth, each of us with a unique purpose and mission which stems from our divine nature, and yet we can't figure it out when these tripwires stand right in front of us and block our vision. 

But what exactly are these tripwires, and why are we allowing them in in the first place? Well, Satan does an incredible job at disguising them and sometimes we come to believe his traps are helping us rather than hurting us.

I've had some goals that have been written on my heart for a long time. Sometimes I feel like I am doing so well at sticking to those goals and making them happen, and other times a little chaos comes into my life and it's like all my mojo just falls to the ground and I can't seem to figure out why. Today I took a moment to pull out a piece of paper and right down every single excuse and justification I use when I am not accomplishing the task or goal that I am seeking; it was empowering. So empowering that I'm going to have you do the same thing. 

I made you a printable to help you through the brainstorming process:

Download the pdf HERE:

It was very invigorating to me to have every excuse and tripwire out of my mind and onto the paper. It was as if everything that had been holding me back suddenly had no power over me any more. Take some time on this paper, really let your heart and soul pour into it. If you don't know what the traps even are, there is no way you're going to find the way to break free of them. 

Let me help you out with this brainstorming activity just a bit.

Negative thoughts: These will be anything from feelings of inadequacy or you telling yourself that you're not enough... good enough, smart enough, strong enough, capable enough. 

They will also be the excuses such as, I'm busy now but I'll do it tomorrow. Or I don't have enough resources, money, etc. These negative thoughts may range from Satan telling you that you aren't worth it, or it may be that he is blinding you from truth that doesn't make you feel happy or empowered. All those negative thoughts, excuses, and every ugly voice floating in your mind; get them out!

Fears: These are the fears that hold you back. Possibly if something is new or unknown, it could be scary and holding you back from even trying. It could be a fear of failure, or even the fear of actually succeeding. It could be the fear of what will your friends think, what will your family think. But who cares, this is between you and Heavenly Father. So get them all down. (By the way, no one is going to see this paper; it's just for you so you HAVE to be honest.)

Environment: These are the environmental factors you face every day. It could be the people around you that is holding you back. It could be being unorganized, it could be time or lack of equipment, not planning or prepping enough. What are you dealing with daily that is getting in your way. 

Once you let all that out, pray and see if you can find answers about what you can do about it. You are in control, not Satan, just YOU! And yes, Heavenly Father is in control too, but He gave you agency, and it's up to you to decide what you're going to do about it.

Recognizing the tripwires is 80% of the battle, once you address them, you can change anything!

Let me know if you liked this post, and I'll add more parts and make this a series. 

Good luck, and go show Satan who's boss!