By Nancy Duarte, Bible Teacher at Bible Chicks

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The Place You Never Asked For

Have you ever felt like everything in your life is working against you?

Like you’re in a season where:

• Nothing is going right
• Every door is closed
• Every step forward feels like ten steps back
• The harder you try, the worse it gets

You’re not imagining it.

And you’re not being punished.

God has sent you to a place called “Against.”

It’s not a comfortable place. It’s not a place you would have chosen. But it’s exactly where God wants you—because hidden in that place is a blessing you couldn’t access any other way.

Today, I want to take you through Scripture and show you something that will completely shift how you see your hardest seasons:

When everything is AGAINST you, God is FOR you

And the very fires meant to destroy you are actually burning off the chains that have been holding you back.

Let’s dive in.

God Sends You to “Against” On Purpose

Here’s what we need to understand:

God doesn’t accidentally allow hard seasons. He strategically positions you in them.

He doesn’t send you to places where you’ll be comfortable or where everything will be easy.

He sends you to places where you’ll encounter opposition—because that’s where transformation happens.

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Example 1: Daniel in the Lions’ Den

God didn’t send Daniel to a petting zoo.

He sent him to a den of lions.

Not one lion. Not two. A den full of them.

And here’s what God said: “It will be giants you’re facing. But when you get in it, I will be with you.”

Daniel 6:16-23 tells the story:

Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den because he refused to stop praying to God. The king sealed the den with a stone.

But the next morning:

“When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’ Daniel answered, ‘May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.’”
— Daniel 6:20-22 (NIV)

God didn’t keep Daniel OUT of the den.

He went INTO the den WITH him.

And the very thing meant to destroy Daniel became his testimony.

Example 2: The Fiery Furnace – 7 Times Hotter

If you think the lions’ den was intense, look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

They refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue. The king ordered them to be thrown into a furnace.

But not just any furnace. A furnace heated SEVEN TIMES HOTTER than usual.

Daniel 3:19-25:

“Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.”

The fire was so hot that it killed the soldiers who threw them in.

But here’s what happened next:

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, Your Majesty.’ He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’“
— Daniel 3:24-25 (NIV)

Did you catch that?

They didn’t see the fourth man until they were IN the fire.

Not before. Not after.

IN the fire.

The Fourth Man You Can’t See Until You Go Through the Fire

Here’s the profound truth:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego never saw the fourth man.

They were IN the fire with Him, but they didn’t see Him.

The king saw Him from the outside looking in.

But they experienced Him without seeing Him.

That’s faith.

Sometimes, you don’t SEE God in your fire. You don’t feel Him. You don’t sense His presence.

But He’s there.

Walking with you. Unbound. Protecting you.

And here’s the other miracle

The fire didn’t burn them. It burned the ROPES that bound them.

“So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.“
— Daniel 3:26-27 (NIV)

The fire intended to destroy them actually freed them.

All the fire that has been against you—the very thing trying to burn you—is actually burning off the chains that have been holding you back.

When Jesus Sends You Into the Storm

Let’s look at another example: the disciples on the boat.

Mark 6:45-52:

“Immediately, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.”
— Mark 6:45 (NIV)

Notice: Jesus MADE them get into the boat.

He didn’t suggest it. He didn’t give them a choice.

He sent them directly into a storm.

“During the fourth watch of the night, he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately, he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’”
— Mark 6:48-50 (NIV)

Jesus sent them into the storm on purpose.

He knew the wind would be against them. He knew they would struggle. He knew they would be terrified.

But He wanted them to learn a valuable lesson:

When everything is against you, God is FOR you.

The Hidden Treasure in “Against”

Here’s what we miss about seasons of opposition:

We think they’re punishment. But they’re actually preparation.

We think we’re being destroyed. But we’re being untied.

We think God has abandoned us. But he’s positioning us for a breakthrough.

The place called “Against” contains blessings we couldn’t imagine.

We don’t choose to go there. But if God tells you to go—if He leads you there—you can’t get to the blessing until you go THROUGH the opposition first.

There is Hidden Treasure in “Against”

Job 23:10:

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
— Job 23:10 (NIV)

The fire doesn’t destroy you. It refines you.

God has brand-new things coming for you that can only be accessed on the other side of “Against.”

A Perfect Example: Jacob and His Sons

Genesis 42:36 gives us a perfect picture of what “Against” feels like:

“Their father Jacob said to them, ‘You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!
— Genesis 42:36 (NIV)

Jacob felt like everything was working against him.

But here’s what he didn’t know:

Joseph wasn’t dead. He was alive, positioned as second-in-command in Egypt, about to save his entire family from starvation.

What appeared to be “everything against me” was actually “God setting up my greatest deliverance.”

Jacob couldn’t see it in the moment. But God was orchestrating the whole thing.

But God is FOR You

Even when it feels like everything is against you, God is FOR you.

Psalm 56:9:

“Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this, I will know that God is for me.“
— Psalm 56:9 (NIV)

David wrote this psalm during one of the darkest seasons of his life—when King Saul was hunting him down, trying to kill him.

Everything was against David.

But David declared, “God is FOR me.”

And then he said this:

“You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?”
— Psalm 56:8 (NKJV)

God is bottling up your tears. He’s writing a book about your story.

Nothing you’re going through is wasted.

You Need to Get This in Your Spirit:

God is FOR you.

Even when you didn’t listen to Him.

Even when you made mistakes.

Even when you feel like you’re being punished.

He will never desert you.

Hebrews 13:5:

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
— Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

And Here’s How We Know God is FOR You

Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
— Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Read that again.

ALL THINGS.

Not just the good things. Not just the comfortable seasons.

ALL THINGS—including the place called “Against”—work together for your good.

The Question You Need to Ask Yourself:

Are you going to love God LESS when He allows you to go through the storm?

Or are you going to stay real close to Him, knowing there’s a tied-up blessing in it?

There is a new level coming. A new experience. A new anointing.

But you can’t get to it without going through “Against” first.

The Colt That Had to Be Untied

Let me show you something powerful.

Mark 11:2-3:

When Jesus was entering Jerusalem for Holy Week (what we now call Palm Sunday), He told His disciples:

“Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
— Mark 11:2-3 (NIV)

The colt had never been ridden.

It was TIED UP—unused, waiting, bound.

But Jesus said: “UNTIE it. I need it.”

This colt was about to fulfill a prophecy. It was about to carry the King of Kings into Jerusalem while people shouted “Hosanna!” and threw their coats down.

But it couldn’t fulfill its purpose while it was TIED.

It had to be UNTIED first.

Sometimes God Lets You Go Through a Season to UNTIE You

You may not see it.

You may be in darkness.

You may feel like everything is against you.

But God is untying you.

We get comfortable in our ways. We get stubborn. We hold on to things that aren’t serving us—addictions, bondages, strongholds, fear, control.

And we don’t let go until we go through the fire.

Not until we’re in “Against” do we finally release what’s been tying us up.

The Blessing After “Against”

If I were to interview people who are walking in freedom today and ask them, “What was your hardest season?”

They would say:

• “I went through a divorce.”
• “I lost everything in bankruptcy.”
• “I battled cancer.”
• “I was betrayed by someone I trusted.”
• “I lost my job, my home, my identity.”

But then they would say:

“And that season—the one that felt like everything was against me—is when I found God in a way I never had before.”

We cannot deny that most of the growth in our lives comes from the seasons when life was AGAINST us.

We Are Going to Suffer in This Life

John 16:33:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33 (NIV)

Jesus didn’t say “You might have trouble.”

He said, “You WILL have trouble.”

Suffering is guaranteed.

But here’s the truth:

Everything in this life is better with Jesus.

The suffering doesn’t disappear. But Jesus makes you more like Him through it.

He removes:

• Addiction
• Bondage
• Strongholds
• Fear
• Self-reliance
• Pride

And when you let go, you break free from what’s been binding you.

A Place Called “Against” is a Bad Place—But It Leads to Something Beautiful

Let me give you a recent example we all lived through:

COVID-19.

It was crazy. Everything was going against ALL of us.

• Lockdowns
• Job losses
• Isolation
• Fear
• Sickness
• Death

Everything felt like it was falling apart.

But look what happened on the other side:

People reevaluated their priorities.

Families reconnected.

Churches got creative.

People learned to depend on God instead of their routines.

The very thing that felt like the end became a reset.

The Excitement and Joy That Comes After “Against” is Amazing

Psalm 30:5:

“Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
— Psalm 30:5 (NIV)

The place called “Against” is a BAD place.

But the JOY that comes after it? Unmatched.

James 1:2-4:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
— James 1:2-4 (NIV)

The testing produces perseverance.

The fire burns off the ropes.

The storm reveals Jesus walking on water.

The “Against” leads to the breakthrough.

What God is Doing in Your “Against” Season

Let me tell you what’s happening right now if you’re in a place called “Against”:

1. God is removing what’s been tying you up

Addictions. Toxic relationships. False identities. Pride. Self-reliance.

The fire is burning off the ropes.

2. God is positioning you for something new

You can’t fulfill your purpose while you’re still bound.

The colt had to be untied before it could carry the King.

3. God is teaching you to depend on Him

When everything is against you, you can’t rely on yourself.

You HAVE to lean on Him.

And that’s exactly where He wants you.

4. God is writing your testimony

The very season you’re in right now? That’s going to be your story.

The thing people will point to and say, “If God brought you through THAT, He can bring me through this.”

5. God is preparing you to meet the fourth man in the fire

You can’t experience Him in that way until you go through the fire.

The fourth man is waiting for you in “Against.”

Don’t Quit in “Against”

Here’s my challenge to you:

Don’t quit.

Don’t give up.

Don’t walk away from God because He allowed you to go through this.

Stay close to Him.

Know that there is a blessing tied up in this season.

Know that God is FOR you, even when everything feels like it’s AGAINST you.

Know that what’s meant to destroy you is actually freeing you.

Psalm 34:19:

“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
— Psalm 34:19 (NIV)

You WILL have troubles.

But God WILL deliver you from them all.

Final Thought: The Treasure is in “Against”

The place called “Against” is not a punishment.

It’s a portal.

A portal to:

• Freedom
• Breakthrough
• New levels
• New experiences
• Intimacy with God, you couldn’t access any other way

The fourth man is in the fire.

The untied colt is waiting.

The blessing is hidden in “Against.”

And God is FOR you.

Join Us: Bible Chicks Community

If this message resonated with you, I want to invite you to join our community.

Bible Chicks is where we study God’s Word together, encourage each other through hard seasons, and learn to see God’s hand even in the place called “Against.”

We don’t pretend everything is fine. We get real. We cry. We pray. We fight.

And we remind each other: God is FOR us.

👉 Join Bible Chicks: duarte.coach/bc 👈

We meet live every week to:

✨ Study Scripture deeply
✨ Pray powerfully
✨ Support each other honestly
✨ Recognize God’s presence in our hardest seasons
✨ Walk through “Against” together

You don’t have to go through this alone.

Come join us.

💜 Nancy Duarte
Bible Teacher, Bible Chicks

P.S. If you’re in a place called “Against” right now, if everything feels like it’s working against you, don’t quit. The fourth man is in the fire with you. The blessing is coming. And we’re here to walk with you until you see it.

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