FOR THE ONE STANDING INSIDE A SEEMINGLY “DEMO’D” LIFE AND WONDERING IF RESTORATION IS EVER COMING. 

Something in your life feels like it’s been taken down to the studs and left for dead.

Maybe it’s a relationship… a season… a ministry or business. Maybe it’s version of yourself you spent literal decades building.

And somewhere in the midst of the demolition – dust still settling – a question forms that you have not said out loud: What if this is it? What if this is just where my life stays now?

Sister, I want you to hear me loud and clear right now:  Demolition is always the first step to restoration. It is not a sign that failure is forever. It never was. 

Whenever God tear something down in the life of a believer (or even allows it to be torn down), you can believe with everything in you that He’s already moving to restore it all to His brilliant design. Victory is your portion in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t leave anything fallow forever.

But here is the part that belongs to you: It is on you to decide what your demolition means. 

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Stop Trying to Be the Foreman 

Doug and I bought the lot next to our current home, and when they came to demolish the structure that was on it, I got nervous. It was a tall building. They brought in enormous equipment. And my house and vehicles were sitting right there in what looked to be the blast radius. 

So Doug went and found the general contractor. Right in the middle of the demolition, he walked up to the foreman and asked him: What can I expect here? What do I need to do?

And that foreman pointed at the bright orange barriers ringing the site and told him this: These crews are trained to keep every bit of debris inside those boundaries. As long as your vehicle is outside them, you are fine. 

He was one hundred percent right. Hear me: When you are standing in a demolition season, you go find the Foreman. And the Foreman is God the Father. You come to Him and you ask what happens next and what you should do now.

What you do not do is walk onto that site and start directing traffic. If I had gone in there, waving my arms and rearranging things I did not understand, I would have wrecked everything. Absolutely everything. 

But God knows exactly what He is doing. He ordered the demo and rebuild on your life.

The Word to Tether Yourself To 

“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” — Isaiah 58:11 

I want you to read that over yourself every single day until you believe it. Not just a sticky note on the mirror in your bathroom or on the dashboard of your car that you’ve become desensitized to. 

James 1:21 says the word implanted has the power to save your soul. Implanted. Alive in there because you believe it. That is powerful.  And look at what He is promising you: He will guide you continually. 

Right now there may be an area of your life in drought, where you feel abandoned and it looks like nothing is going to work out.

That is fear ministering to you, and fear will tell you that no one is coming to save you and this is going to end in disaster. 

Faith tells you something else entirely. You are not working toward victory. You are working from it. So no matter what that construction site looks like this morning, you can open your mouth and declare it: The Lord is guiding me continually. I am not alone.

He will satisfy you in scorched places. You are allowed to feel dry. But I am asking you to believe what God says about where you are instead of what your feelings say about where you are. Because if you will believe what God says about a matter, your feelings will follow.

The Stronghold Wearing a Disguise 

Here is where the enemy gets clever with us…

He convinces us that certain things in our lives have to be preserved. Untouchable. Historic. Load bearing. I will not be safe without it. I will not be strong without it. I will lose something if I let it go. 

And in reality, that thing is a stronghold. It was never load bearing. It was just big and loud and demanding value be given to it.

Here’s the Truth: Your willingness to stand in the middle of the demolition and say “I do not need this” (about the stronghold) is the sound required to break that thing off your life.

He is waiting on you to say it: I do not need this numbing. I do not need this habit. I do not need this thing I have been protecting with everything in me. Because Psalm 23 already settled it: The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

It Was Inside Before It Was Outside 

When we first toured the building our church meets in, the wide doorway between the front lobby and the activity center was a solid wall. You could not walk through it.

 After that tour, I had a dream. Everything you see in that room now, from the color of the chairs to that wall coming down, God gave me in a dream before a single thing was touched. We built according to the pattern. 

It was inside before it was outside. It was inside me before anyone else ever walked through it. Sister, that is your life. God puts the thing inside you first. You are a creative being made in the image of your God, and this is exactly how He operates. He ruminates in His Spirit. He declares it. He causes it to come to pass.

So, when you’re standing in the wreckage asking what on earth is happening, you declare what is already true. “I am a well watered garden. I am a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Because the Source Himself lives inside me.” Come ON, Isaiah 58! 

And when that becomes your daily meditation, verse 12 becomes possible. “And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.” — Isaiah 58:12

Read that again. This is so much bigger than your comfort.

The demolition is not happening so you can get a prettier house. You are becoming a partner in expanding the Kingdom, a repairer of the breach, someone who raises foundations for generations that have not been born yet.

Because people are watching how you endure your demolition. And when they see your upgrade come, they are going to want what you have. And they can have hope that if He did it for you, maybe He’ll do it for them, too. Amen!

After You Have Suffered a Little While 

Peter’s life was utterly demolished the night he denied Christ. But listen to what Jesus told him before it ever happened. Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that when you have been restored, you will turn and strengthen your brothers. 

When. Not if. Peter denied Him three times. Then in John 21, we get the restoration. Peter, do you love me? Three times asked. Three denials undone. And out of that restored man come 1 and 2 Peter. 

Which is why 1 Peter 5 is such a gift. It is a roadmap written by a man who lived through his own demolition and came out the other side. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” — 1 Peter 5:10 

After you have suffered a little while. We have been taught to move past that phrase quickly. God is good, He loves you, He has a plan. Yes, and Amen. And He also allowed the suffering. You have to deal with the fact that the God who created you and celebrates you… allowed it.

How? Because in His Kingdom, all pain and suffering produce. And He knows exactly what you can carry, because He is the one who made you.

Watch how the enemy works this though. Scripture says he prowls around like a roaring lion. In the middle of your demo, he is circling that construction site whispering that it is not going according to plan.

And if you agree with him, you will build that agreement right into the final structure. Do not agree with him. 

So What Do You Do With This? 

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are the house. And God is not going to let you keep the termites and then frame fresh lumber over the top of them. That is not how He builds.

There are things you have been asking Him to just build over. Get me to the other side of this. Put some paint on it. And He keeps saying, No. It has to come out so that what belongs there can finally go in.

For me this past year, that thing was safety. Betrayal after betrayal, one right behind the next. I felt like Job in the part where the cattle are gone, then the servants, then the children. 

Here is what I learned in it: If you have been experiencing loss at that kind of breakneck pace, God has something big for you, and it’s already coming. 

So, name the thing you have been clinging to out of fear. The idol. The compulsion. The pride. The false safety. And ask Him to demolish it. He is not going to take it and leave you empty. He is not going to take it and leave you incomplete. His Word says He is faithful to finish the work He started in you. 

You have been standing in a demolition site wondering if anything is ever coming next. Something is: Restoration season is here. 

🎯 Your Next Steps + Resources For You:

✅ Join me for Get Ready with God: I go live weekday mornings at 7:30am ET on Instagram and Facebook. Come start your day with me. 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericapyle or Facebook: https://www.ericapyle.com/BizFB 

✅ Come worship with us at REVIVE Church of Tampa: Sunday worship at 11am, in person and online. 1803 N. Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33607.  👉 https://www.facebook.com/revivechurchtampa 

✅ Subscribe to Positioned to Prosper Podcast: This is where breakthrough gets built, the kind that changes the pattern for you, your family, and the generations coming behind you. Subscribe so you do not miss the next one.

👉🏽 Apple Podcasts: ericapyle.com/apple
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📖 Scriptures Referenced in This Episode: Isaiah 58:11-12 | James 1:21 | Psalm 23 | Luke 22:31-32 | John 21 | 1 Peter 5:8-10 

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Erica co-leads a local church alongside her husband, Doug, in Tampa, Florida called REVIVE Church of Tampa. You can visit the church’s website for more information about who we are, what we believe and how we show up as the Church in the heart of West Tampa and beyond.

REVIVE Church of Tampa

REVIVE Church of Tampa streams service live on Sunday mornings at 11am ET. You can find that livestream on our church Facebook page:

Live Service – Sundays at 11am ET

If you’re interested in joining the online campus of REVIVE Church of Tampa, you are welcome to join our community group on Facebook where we offer weekly discussion around the Friday and Sunday messages as well as discipleship Zoom groups and the opportunity to host others in your home as you stream services. You can find us here:

The ROCC: REVIVE Online Campus Community

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About this podcast:

Welcome to the Positioned to Prosper Podcast with Erica Pyle, where we dive deep into Biblical mindsets, strategies, and inspiration to help you thrive in every area of your life. Whether it’s faith, health, relationships, finances, business, or ministry, Erica’s here to equip you with the tools you need to get unstuck, overcome overwhelm, and avoid burnout as you pursue your purpose with intention.

Join Erica, co-lead pastor of REVIVE Church of Tampa, and founder/lead mentor of The Jesus Girl Gang, an online, group coaching mentorship for Christian women with a pioneering spirit, as she shares powerful teachings, practical advice, and pivotal strategies for breakthrough living without compromising on the things that matter most to you. With over 13 years of experience in pastoral ministry alongside her husband Doug, Erica brings a wealth of knowledge and a passionate heart for helping you live out God’s best for your life.

Each week, tune in for transformative insights that will empower you to build a Kingdom business or ministry, nurture your personal well-being, and create balanced, prosperous relationships. If you’re a faith-driven woman seeking to align your life with God’s purpose, you’re in the right place.

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