Off the Sidelines Day 4

Your problem might be real, but it might not be the whole fight. Day four of our Field Notes devotional series Off The Sidelines is a wake-up call for anyone who feels blindsided by life and tempted to shrink back. When stress hits your body, your mind, your emotions, or your spirit, it is easy to act like everything depends on what you can see and control. 
 
I walk through Matthew 3, where Jesus comes up from baptism and the heavens open, and we use that moment as a reminder that an unseen spiritual realm is operating closer than we think. We also connect that perspective to Ephesians 6 and the reality of spiritual influence, not to stir fear, but to restore clarity. When we forget who is actually in charge, we start living timid, overwhelmed, and reactive lives. 
 
You will hear a simple challenge that gets personal: what circumstance is blinding you to God’s power right now, and where are you choosing fear instead of faith? Then we end with a practical action step you can use immediately when life is whooping you: stop, pray out loud, and ask God to open your spiritual eyes so you can remember that Jesus owns it all. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who feels overwhelmed, and leave a review with what you are trusting God for today.

Transcript

Welcome And Series Setup

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Hey, what's going on? It's Pastor Josh, and welcome to Field Notes, a five-day devo from Mission Scent. We are on our series off the sidelines. And today, day four, we are going deep. Today's rundown is about seeing the whole battlefield. See in Matthew 3, when Jesus came up out of the water after his baptisms, the heavens opened. It was a massive reminder that there is an unseen spiritual realm operating right on top of us. That there's a whole nother world that we can't see, we can't touch, we can't smell, and yet, according to Ephesians 6, has influence over us. See, so many times in life we get so timid when we face physical problems or when that thing that we didn't see coming pops up in front of us and we go, how on earth are we going to overcome this? We back down, we we get wrapped up because we forget who's actually in charge, not just of this realm, but of every realm. We act like we serve a weak God when the truth is the God we serve commands chariots of fire and the heavens can't contain him. We need to be operating and walking by faith, understanding that Jesus is in control, that Jesus owns it all. Our challenge today is this what earthly circumstance is blinding you to God's power right now? Where are you acting out of fear instead of faith? Where are you sitting here holding back because you don't think that your God is strong enough? Your action step today is when life starts whooping you today and you feel overwhelmed, whether it's physically or mentally, emotionally or spiritually, stop what you're doing, pray out loud, and ask God to open your spiritual eyes to see that He is still fully in control. Stay locked in and set your mind on the things that are above. I'll see you tomorrow for day five.