The Habit of Rising to the Occasion
Like walking barefoot across a cold kitchen floor, we press on not because it’s comfortable—but because we are no longer ruled by comfort.
Devotional Credit: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Oswald Chambers reminds us that salvation is not merely a divine transaction that secures our place in heaven—it is the beginning of a lifelong unveiling of Christ through us. The purpose of our salvation is not to retreat into ease, but to rise into Christ’s expression. Our calling is clear: that the Son of God might be seen in our lives.
Chambers stresses that while we contribute nothing to our salvation, we are entrusted with the responsibility to express it—to let the life of Christ be visible through our minds, our words, and our actions. Trials are not obstacles to be avoided but opportunities for the Father to manifest His Son through us. God, the Master Engineer, constructs circumstances that invite us to rise—not by grit or resolve, but by our yielded readiness to express His life in the midst of difficulty.
The Christian life is not a spiritual museum of what once was. It is the ever-present readiness of a vessel, filled and poured out moment by moment. Our role is not to control or complain but to trust and submit, making room for the Spirit of Christ to live through us with spiritual courage, daring, and joy—even when it hurts.
Journal Entry — Voice of the Holy Spirit
You were not saved to sit still. You were redeemed to reveal Me.
I live in you to rise through you. I do not withdraw at the first sign of difficulty. I am not intimidated by hardship. I chose to make My home in you so that when trials come, My life—not yours—would meet them. You are not called to prove your strength, but to express Mine.
Each challenge is a platform for My presence. When your patience is tested, let Me be your calm. When your will feels pulled, let Me be your surrender. When the path rises steeply before you, let Me be your steps. With Me, you can scale walls. With Me, you can endure fire. With Me, your weakness becomes My canvas.
Do not cling to comfort or shrink from hardship. I have not placed you here to preserve yourself but to be a vessel of My courage. I will not shield you from opportunities to trust, but I will never leave you to face them alone. Let the whine be silenced. Let the Spirit rise. Let Me show the world the Son through you.
Scriptures: Ephesians 1:18, Psalm 18:29, 1 Peter 4:12, Philippians 2:12–13, Galatians 2:20
Real-Life Analogy
It’s like walking barefoot across a cold kitchen floor in the morning. The shock makes you want to recoil, to step back into the warmth of your slippers. But once you decide to walk forward, your body adjusts, and you find that the chill no longer holds power over you. You didn’t change the temperature—you simply kept moving. In the same way, the Holy Spirit’s presence in you steadies your soul to rise through discomfort, not around it.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that the Son of God lives in me and is always ready to rise to the occasion. I trust You to express Christ in me today—not through my striving, but through my surrender. No trial is wasted, and no moment is mine to control. I rest in Your wisdom, knowing that every difficulty is a stage upon which Jesus can be seen in me. I choose to step forward with spiritual courage, not because I am bold, but because Christ is my boldness. May today be filled with Your Life, rising through me in every word, thought, and action.