Unstuck by Mark Jobe l Christian Living l Spiritual Growth l Spiritual Help l Faith Life l What is Holding You Back in Life l What is Your Calling l Being Spiritually Stuck l How to Move Forward

Some of us re stuck for short seasons of time. But others surrender to a life of being continually trapped and frustrated. The hang-ups of our past, fear of failure, victim mindsets, broken relationships, disappointment with ourselves - together with the lack of fresh encounters with God - have left many of us struggling and unable to move into our next season.

Organized around the most significant event of the prophet Elijah's life, his cave experience, Unstuck: Out of Your Cave and Into Your Call, by radio host and pastor Mark Jobe, provides what you need to discover what is holding you back from starting a new chapter of life.

The Seven Sticking Points

Moyan Brenn / Flickr.com

As you look back over your own story and try to explain how you ended up stuck, you may discover the same thing I did. There are many “ifs” that have affected your journey. Typically it is not one event that ends up getting you stuck; it’s a series of events—and your response to those events—that leads you to your current predicament.

I have seen many vibrant, gifted people unexpectedly end up stalled on the side of the road. They are scratching their heads and wondering what in the world happened to them. Often they linger so long in that spiritual traffic jam that their soul drains, their dreams evaporate, and they dismiss their vision as a season of naïve, youthful idealism.

Common to almost every person’s journey to “stuck” are at least a few of these seven sticking points. These sticking points appear in Elijah’s story too. He had to confront each of them in order to step out of his cave. These seven sticking points are traps that send millions into frustrating dead-end living. Not every person gets stuck on all seven points but most of us struggle with some combination of them.

Sticking Point One: Isolated Living

The first sticking point is isolated living. Solitude is a great spiritual discipline, but isolation is an emotionally lethal condition that most of us struggle with. Isolation is unhealthy in virtually any season and context of life. The most dangerous place in the world is to be alone with our dark thinking and unresolved issues.

Like many of us Elijah’s instinct was to run from his problem and isolate himself from the people he needed most at a critical time in his journey. Through the cave experience Elijah was called to break his cycle of isolation. This maverick prophet would have to relearn the power of relationship in his new season of life. Stepping out and staying out of the cave requires cultivating healthy community that safeguards us from returning to the same cave.

Sticking Point Two: Distorted Thinking

The second sticking point is distorted thinking. Distorted thinking is like a bad recording that plays over and over in our heads convincing us of a false reality. Eventually that distorted message shapes and defines the way we see our world. Those messages in our head repeat lies about our identity and destiny. Distorted thinking inevitably drives us to missteps that only perpetuate our state of being stuck.

Like insects trapped in the sticky web of a hungry spider, the more we struggle to escape the more entangled we become. God had to interrupt Elijah’s mental recording by challenging his thinking. If our thoughts are not being shaped by truth, then they will soon be shaped by whatever message rings loudest and is repeated most in our head. This message will determine our reflex response to life.

Sticking Point Three: Impaired Hearing

The third sticking point is impaired hearing. Many of us have so much “white noise” in our life we struggle to hear the clear voice of God. Webster’s dictionary defines white noise as a constant background noise, one that drowns out other sounds. It is virtually impossible to hear the gentle whisper of God while engaged in fear-filled, anxious, insecure self-pitying conversations that rumble loudly in our heads.

Many sincere people of faith are frustrated by their inability to hear from God clearly. The voices of their own thoughts, fears, anxieties, insecurities, and misperceptions often ring so loud that the voice of God is often imperceptible.

Sticking Point Four: Warped Identity

The fourth sticking point that keeps us from moving forward is a warped identity. The mental picture we carry of ourselves defines how we interact with our world. The battle for personal identity rages from kindergarten playgrounds to the offices in corporate America. How you see yourself and who you think you are will affect your life as deeply as any thought you have.

Elijah believed that he was alone, abandoned by God, and a failure. He was 800 feet from the truth. The mental picture drawn in our mind, like the misleading yellow line, often does not reflect reality. Instead, it reflects the distortions that we have believed. We can only see the real picture when we look at ourselves from a divine perspective. God’s GPS is always right.

Sticking Point Six: Blurred Calling

Sticking point number six is a blurred calling. Coming to terms with what we are called to do and what we need to let go of is essential. Releasing those things that we were never meant to carry frees up internal energy and resources to tackle our main calling.

Taking on more than we are called to do speaks to our need for control as much as taking on too little speaks to our fear of failure. Many well-intentioned people throw themselves into their task and try to make a difference, only to come to a gradual halt as they get stuck. Often they start running out of steam as their passion diminishes, and they can’t understand what is happening. An undefined calling without boundaries is never sustainable.

When we embrace our specific call with clear boundaries, the passion and energy can return. Elijah ended up in the cave of self-pity and isolation in part because he had taken on more than God had given him. His post-cave experience required him to clarify his calling and release control over certain responsibilities that were not his to carry.

The Defining Moment

Most of us reach a point when we have to decide whether we will continue to cling to our security or step out of our cave. This is a defining moment. It involves a step of obedience, anact of faith, trusting our heavenly Father. You will know clearly if you have taken this step or not. I have met many people who know what they should do but live their life in perpetual postponement. They deceive themselves into thinking that they are on the way but actually they are stuck waiting for the right timing, resources, or change in circumstances.

In the next few chapters we will take a look at the process of getting unstuck. For every sticking point there is a step that must be taken to move forward. Understanding why we get stuck is only the beginning. Being willing to work through the process of getting unstuck is what separates those who remain trapped and those who move to their next season.