Want to get unstuck? – Gods Ancient Wisdom Rediscovered

Want to get unstuck? – God’s Ancient Wisdom Rediscovered

Maybe you know what it feels like to be stuck or you’re feeling stuck in your faith. Whether it’s through addiction, holding back,
distractions, being too comfortable, feeling overwhelmed with life’s challenges, past regrets,
future worries — or maybe you’re not sure why — but you know for some reason you’re stuck and your
heart longs for more.

It may not be that we are necessarily stuck in our circumstances, but in deeper places — in patterns
we can’t shake, disappointments we keep revisiting, or fears that lock us in place.

And yet, we do know that we want to grow. We want to change. We want to move forward
in the life Jesus has for us.

Still, something seems to hold us — or at times freeze us. It keeps us living in yesterday or worrying
about tomorrow instead of stepping into the life-giving goodness God has prepared for today.

If you can relate to any of this, there is good news. Followers of Jesus have wrestled with this long
before modern psychology used terms like rumination or future anxiety.

Two of the great Christian thinkers — Augustine and Blaise Pascal —
understood the human heart with remarkable clarity. What they offer us is not only profound, but
liberating.

Let’s explore how Christians truly change — and how we can become unstuck.

Augustine: Our Hearts Are Shaped by Our Loves

In The City of God, Augustine argues that the real difference between the City of God and the
City of Man is not geography, morality, or religious affiliation.

The difference is love.

The City of Man is shaped by disordered loves — loving things out of order. Loving
created things more than the Creator. Loving self above God. Loving the temporary above the eternal.

The City of God is shaped by rightly ordered loves — loving God first, which in turn
rightly orders our love for others, work, pleasure, and the world.

“My weight is my love; wherever I am carried, it is my love that carries me.”

In other words, your life moves in the direction of your deepest love.

Ask yourself: What or who do I love the most?
Talk to God about this. Ask Him to re-order your heart and remove what doesn’t belong there.

Where we are stuck is often where our loves have become disordered.

• We cling to past hurts because part of us is still trying to control them.
• We obsess over the future because part of us has made it our saviour.
• We get stuck in fear because we love safety more than obedience.
• We stagnate spiritually because we love comfort more than formation.

Augustine’s most famous line remains true:

“Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

To get unstuck is not first a matter of discipline or motivation.

It’s a matter of love.

Change comes when our loves return to their proper order — when God becomes our first love again.

Augustine on Time: Mercy Behind Us, Providence Ahead of Us

Augustine understood something crucial about the human struggle: we carry the past like a burden
and fear the future as if we must secure it ourselves.

Christians get stuck when they try to drag their past into the present and drag an imagined future
into today — instead of trusting God with both.

Augustine’s radical reframing:

• Give your past to God’s mercy
• Give your future to God’s providence
• Live in the present and give it to God’s love

Your past does not need to be rewritten, outperformed, or endlessly analysed.
It needs to be redeemed.

Your future does not need to be perfectly planned or controlled.
It needs to be entrusted.

We get stuck when we carry what God has already offered to carry for us.

This is where the power of Christian counselling often takes place — when God works through a
skilled helper and we are invited to share our story in a safe, guided space.

Pascal: Missing the Present by Living in Yesterday and Tomorrow

“We never keep to the present… Distraction draws us away from ourselves and steals the one thing
that is truly ours — this moment.”

Pascal describes what we now call rumination and future anxiety.

Jesus echoes this in Matthew 6:34 — not because tomorrow doesn’t matter, but because God is not in
tomorrow. He is here.

You cannot meet God in the past.
You cannot obey Him in the future.
The present is the only place transformation happens.

When you live in the past, you submit to what wounded you.
When you live in the future, you submit to what frightens you.
When you live in the present, you submit to the One who loves you.

Jesus: First Love, First Priority, Ever Present

Jesus invites us to return to our first love — to seek first the Kingdom of God.
This is not pressure. It is alignment.

We don’t get unstuck by pushing harder.
We get unstuck by returning our hearts.

Change in the Christian life always begins with presence — God’s presence with us, and our presence
with Him.

The Challenge: Give the Past, Receive the Present, Step Into Tov

1. Give your past to God’s mercy.
2. Entrust your future to God’s providence.
3. Be fully present with God in His love today.
4. Step into the tov plans God has prepared for you.

You were made for tov — life that brings life, goodness that multiplies goodness,
love that reflects His love.

To support you, we invite you to watch our testimonial videos and join our webinar.
You can also speak with one of our team for a free, no-obligation conversation as you
discern what God is calling you into next.

Ready to Explore Christian Counselling, Coaching and Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care?

If you sense God inviting you to walk alongside others in their formation journey, Christian counselling may be part of your calling.
At aifc, we offer pathways grounded in Scripture, spiritual formation, and real-world practice to equip you for this sacred work.

To discern whether this is the right next step for you, you can book a free Course Advisory Session with our team.
In this conversation, you’ll be able to ask questions, explore study options, and consider how the aifc might fit your season, calling, and future.

Book a Course Advisory Session