Advance: Living Unstuck & Moving Forward in FaithSample

Day 1: Introduction:

Welcome to the Advance: Living Unstuck & Moving Forward in Faith Plan! My name is Sarah Wehrli, and over the next 3 weeks, I hope to equip you with 21 biblical principles that will empower you to live unstuck—the way God intended!

God placed this message on my heart during the pandemic that halted life in the spring of 2020. Suddenly, all plans evaporated, and many people were stuck. Stuck physically as experts implemented plans to contain the virus, but also stuck spiritually.

Beyond the pandemic, we all face times in our lives when we feel stuck. Have you ever been there? Stuck in pain? Bitterness? Comparison? Fear? Shame? Regret? You want to move forward, but don’t know how? I have. I’ve been there when, at times, I felt like I was circling a mountain. I had to make a choice with every mountain I faced, if I was going to get stuck or move forward trusting God’s plan for my life.

I want to encourage you that no matter what you are facing, you don’t have to live stuck in your heart and mind. You can still advance in your walk with God and in the purpose He has for your life! You can live unstuck and move forward in faith.

In Deuteronomy 1:6-8, the Bible tells of a time when the children of Israel were moving toward the promised land, but they got stuck. They had just come out of Egypt, out of bondage, and they were free, but they were still wandering in the wilderness.

The Lord spoke to them through Moses at this point and said, “’You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore He would give to your fathers – to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and to their descendants after them’” (Deuteronomy 1: 6-8, NIV).

Here is the big picture of this story: they had been set free, but they were still wandering and stuck at a mountain, which was keeping them from their promised land. They made what should have been an 11-day journey a 40-year journey. They were not moving forward. Isn’t this true for us sometimes? We can get stuck in our minds and hearts because of our own mountains, whether they be mountains of fear, rejection, disappointment, discouragement, grief, or anxiety. We’ve been promised freedom, peace, purpose, and joy but through our circumstances we get stuck in fear, bitterness, depression, shame, and wrong mindsets.

In this devotional, you’ll discover biblical principles and practical steps on how to break free from anything that has been holding you back and move forward in faith towards the plans God has for you (see Jeremiah 29:11).

Your best days are not behind you—they are in front of you. This is your time to advance!