When God elevates you (when He calls you higher in purpose, obedience, or assignment) you will experience resistance. Elevation always exposes spiritual pressure. The air gets thinner. The terrain gets steeper. Trials and temptations intensify.
This does not mean you’re off track.
It means you’re rising.
Isaiah 40:31 gives us a divine roadmap:
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Before we explore these movements, let’s be honest about what elevation often feels like.
When Resistance Makes You Question Your Calling
I’ll be honest… I’m good at starting good, even great, things for God. But when resistance rises, I sometimes begin to wonder if all my effort was worth it. I start to feel foolish for trying. I start imagining a plan B. And suddenly, I can understand the Israelites’ temptation in the wilderness, the pull to go back to Egypt simply because Egypt felt familiar.
Maybe you’ve felt that too.
The moment God calls you upward, resistance meets you on the climb. But Scripture prepares us for this.
Before Joseph ever stepped into leadership, he endured the pit, Potiphar’s house, and the prison.
Psalm 105:19 says:
“Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.”
His trials were not punishment, they were preparation.
Resistance is not a sign to quit. It is confirmation that you are rising.
This is where God invites us into three movements: flying, running, and walking… all anchored in the final truth that we are already seated with Christ.
1. FLY : The Perspective Shift of Elevation
Flying is not about speed; it is about vision.
Elevation requires a different vantage point. When God lifts you higher, He first lifts your perspective.
Colossians 3:2 says:
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Flying means rising above fear, anxiety, comparison, discouragement, and spiritual attack.
Isaiah 59:19 reminds us:
“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”
Flying is God saying:
“Come up higher. See this the way I see it.”
Once God elevates your vision, He strengthens your legs for the next phase: the run.
2. RUN : Discipline, Training, and Endurance
Where flying adjusts your vision, running develops your spiritual stamina.
Paul writes:
“So run, that ye may obtain.”
— 1 Corinthians 9:24
Running isn’t about rushing, it is about sustained obedience.
Paul continues:
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection…”
— 1 Corinthians 9:27
Running is where God trains you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is where He builds consistency, discipline, self-control, and strength of will.
Hebrews 12:1 tells us:
“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
Real-Life Example:
Maybe God gave you a vision for a business, ministry, or new season, and you started strong—then came resistance. Doors didn’t open instantly. Results felt slow. That’s where the real work of running shows up: steady, consistent obedience when the excitement wears off.
After you’ve run with endurance, God invites you into the quiet, steady faithfulness of the walk.
3. WALK: Continue, Grow, and Remain Faithful
Walking represents long-term obedience.
This is where transformation becomes a lifestyle.
Scripture teaches us to:
- walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7)
- walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16)
- walk in love (Ephesians 5:2)
- walk worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1)
Walking requires patience, humility, perseverance, and daily consistency.
Isaiah promises:
“…and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Walking is the evidence that elevation didn’t break you… it matured you.
After the walk comes the anchor that makes all movement possible.
4. SIT: Your Position of Peace and Authority in Christ
Here is the mystery beneath all movement:
As you fly, run, and walk, you are already seated with Christ.
Ephesians 2:6 declares:
“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Being seated means:
- you rise from rest
- you run from victory
- you walk from identity
- you stand from authority
- you endure from peace
You are not striving for elevation, you are operating from elevation.
Your seat in Christ is your anchor when elevation becomes intense.
Transformation Takeaway
Elevation will test you, but it will not defeat you. God strengthens you at every stage:
- Fly: shift your perspective upward.
- Run: build endurance through discipline.
- Walk: remain faithful step by step.
- Sit: rest in your secure position in Christ.
This is how you overcome without fainting.
Reflection Questions for Growth
- Where is God elevating me right now?
- What perspective shift (fly) is He asking me to make?
- What discipline (run) is God strengthening in me?
- Where do I need to slow down and walk faithfully?
- How can I rest more deeply in my seat with Christ this week?
If You Need Support on This Journey…
If you’re in a season of elevation and facing resistance (and you don’t want to faint) I would love to support you.
This is exactly the kind of spiritual-emotional work I help clients navigate through Christian coaching.
Feel free to reach out or explore my coaching programs anytime.
Blessing
May the Lord renew your strength as you rise in Him.
May you fly, run, walk, and sit in His power, and may you not faint.
