In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears. Psalm 18:6 (Amplified Bible Classic Edition, AMPC)

Have you ever felt like you painted yourself into a corner? You know what I mean- got yourself trapped in a bad situation by your own doing. Maybe it’s been poor financial decisions, wrong career moves, impulsive relationship choices or any other ill-conceived idea that got you in a place from which there seems to be no escape. We’ve all been there at one time or another- it’s part of being human. We’re imperfect and we make mistakes- some small and some of them not so small.

Now, I could go on and on about how we should have been in tune with our spirits to hear the warnings of the Holy Spirit telling us not to do the very thing we did. But that’s not what my intention is for this post. Once we’ve done something stupid- it’s done. Then it’s time to stop feeling regret. Instead it’s time to repent and ask God to help us. You see, the devil wants us to do two things.

1. He wants us to feel guilty and condemned about what we did to get ourselves in this spot. But always remember, the moment you repented to God and asked for forgiveness, it was forgiven and forgotten. No condemnation should be welcomed. Shoo it away with the Word of God that says “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”

2. He wants us to look at our situation and lament about how hopeless it is. When we spend a lot of time looking at our circumstances, things always look worse than they really are. And when we give voice to the negative thoughts the devil brings about our situation, we give him legal access to our lives to make things worse. When your emotions and thoughts are running wild with all the bad things that could happen to you and how there is no way out- keep your mouth shut and do not say anything until you corral your thoughts and can speak only the Scriptures.

When we’ve gotten ourselves in a pickle, God wants us to run to Him, not from Him. If we repent, He won’t condemn us or reject us and say, “You’re on your own.” No, not at all. He is our loving Father and wants to help us.

When we’ve “painted ourselves into a corner,” He will open a door behind us that we didn’t even know was there. It may be a small door at first, but as we take steps to do what He tells us, the door will get bigger and bigger, and eventually it will open and we’ll walk right out of that trapped spot we were in. We activate the door by the Word of God and time spent with the Lord- especially time spent praying in the Spirit. He will give us solutions and bring people to help us. He will line things up to remedy the problem we have.

Now I’m not saying there won’t be consequences from bad choices. There may be some effects from your actions that you will have to overcome. And, yes, sometimes deliverance is instantaneous, but most of the time it is a process. And in the process we grow and develop our faith. But God uses it for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28).

Don’t lose hope, my friend. If you’ve painted yourself into a corner, know that God is in your corner with you And no matter how it looks, with Him on your side, you cannot lose.