Fizzle, Fade, Or Flourish?

Have you started something this year that has stretched your faith? However, despite you’re brave moves and best efforts you’re discovering it’s fading fast rather than flourishing.

I get it. I see what once ignited your enthusiasm has now suddenly fizzled out leaving you with no confidence. Now you’re wondering if you’ve made a mistake if you did hear from God, and if He’s guiding every step. Be warned, my friend, this is the part of your story where the enemy steps out from behind the shadows, clears his throat, and whispers, ‘Did God really say?’ And now you don’t know what to do. Do you press ahead into an unknown future, or go back to where it’s safe, comfortable, and secure? Will this big, bold move help you fizzle, fade, or flourish?

If you take the bait of the enemy’s lie of, ‘Did God really say?’ he will make sure he follows up with more lies so that they stick. Words like embarrassment and shame, or, his all-time favourite line, Who do you think you are? always draws a good crowd around our thought patterns when we sense we’re fizzling and fading rather than flourishing because of our leap of faith.

All those lies and half-truths can cause us to look around for the nearest bush and search for fig leaves to hide our guilt, as we begin cursing ourselves because we didn’t trust God enough with His plan.

However, if I know God, He never starts something that He doesn’t intend to finish. His moves are the plot twists to each one of our stories, regardless of the enemy’s lies. From my experience, when something seems like it’s just about to fizzle and fade, this is the moment God looks at our faith intently, smiles at our weaknesses, and says, ‘Trust Me with this because you’re going to flourish.’

Not sure I’m telling you the truth? Well, just flip open your Bible and read about the story of the early Church in the Book of Acts. The villain of this story was Saul of Tarsus. His cruelty so desperately tried to purge the movement called The Way to the point where it would fizzle and fade under his relentless persecution, that any notion that it would flourish under such circumstances was absurd to Saul’s thinking.

And yet, Saul had an amazing, life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ whilst walking along a road named, Damascus, and Saul went from making sure The Way movement flourished rather than helping it to fizzle and fade out. Saul of Tarsus was given a new name, and became Paul, the apostle, and the early Church went from fizzle and fade to fire and flourishing under his incredible leadership.

As Aubrey Sampson of Propel Women says, “I don’t wonder anymore what God is planning to do with us, I wonder who can stop us now that we’ve started.” And if you’ve started something that has God’s stamp of approval, then fizzle and fade will become fire and flourishing if you stick with it.

The surprising truth of all of our stories is that God allows our unravelling to occur so we realise we are not in control of the outcome, He is. If you’ve found your faith is being stretched in the fizzle, you’re in good company. For me, if I’ve prayed about it, asked God for wisdom, and sought good counsel from trusted friends, and I know that I know that I KNOW God is in it, I sense I’m right where God needs me to be regardless of fizzle and fade.

The truth is that the enemy wouldn’t bother whispering his lies if you weren’t heading toward something that will bring God all the glory. Right?! The enemy has world changers on his hit list and he will make sure you’re fizzle and a fade becomes so discouraging that you give up. However, the fizzle and fade is the fuel to ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight’ [Proverbs 3:5-6]

When we recognise, yield, and acknowledge God, the path we are walking on becomes straight and we gain momentum which boosts our confidence. And it’s not confidence in ourselves but confidence in who God says He is.

So, if you’re going where God is leading you and you’re heading in the right direction, don’t stress, do your part, and trust God with the outcome because He never worries about fizzle and fade. For when He starts something He will make sure it will end with a flourish!

Wendy xo

Have you started something this year that has stretched your faith but despite you’re brave moves and best efforts you’re discovering it’s fading fast rather than flourishing?

How have you allowed God to take control of the outcome?