Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
So many have been commanded by God to do something they never imaged doing…to accomplish what so many thought was the impossible task. But as The Father sent each one forth, He continuously reminded them that no matter what, he would be with them along the way.
Too often, we sit on dreams, goals, plans because we are FEARFUL. We are afraid of what others may think and feel. Afraid of how we may be perceived. Afraid of failing. Afraid that if we just take a chance, nothing will work out. We get trapped in the inevitable circle of “what if…”
While it is ok, to question the plans, goals, and dreams to ensure they are righteous…to ensure we are following the path God has laid before us and not something we are doing on our own…without wisdom and purpose, it is NOT ok to stay in a constant state of “question” or “confusion.”
It is important to understand that just as The Father gives us direction, He provides the provision to accomplish what He desires of us. Everything we need to continue to move ahead is available for the taking if we keep our sights on Him.
It is when we turn our head, our heart, our mind away, that we become lost and confused. This is when fear takes over and leads us astray. This is when we end up moving in a direction that was never designed for us. We allow fear to drive us…drive us down the road of destruction and failure.
Staying obedient…faithful to the call will lead us to destiny…the place designed for us. As we stay faithful and walking in faith, The Lord, His grace, His power, His Love, His strength, will cause you to prevail. With Him, we are able to accomplish what people believe is impossible, unattainable, and inconceivable.
The difference between the faithful and the fearful is who and what we put our trust in.
The fearful have difficulty moving forward because their minds keep them hostage. The fearful, are unable to see beyond what is presently in front of them. They hold on to the thoughts and beliefs of people and things around them. They put their trust in systems and organizations, first, looking at what others accomplished through various sources, trials, and errors. These ways create nothing but barriers…hinderances that ultimately cause us to become trapped. Trapped in the snare of inevitable failure. Trapped and weak, shut up and shut off from what should be giving your dreams, goals, and plans life. Those plans, goals, and dreams, eventually just die, leaving the fearful in darkness and further despair, believing there is no hope and no future.
The faithful, on the other hand, trust in another source. They understand that the true meaning of faith is the ability to “believe” in something greater than themselves. The Word tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 1:1).
They understand that though they cannot see it now, the mere fact that these dreams, goals, and plans, were planted in their hearts by The One that created them, this is what they can trust.
They understand that it was not without reason or purpose that God spoke, telling the results, first, that is more than enough to move forward. Think about that for a moment…He gave the results to us before we stepped forward. He basically gave you a reason to get and move.
Through His words, telling you what He would do, as the outcome, He was already telling you that the way straight, was the path He created for you to arrive at your destination. The plan was created before you accepted it. Everything is set before you, and the only thing required of you is to MOVE. That’s it…MOVE.
He is the Creator. He knows the end from the beginning. He goes before us therefore, we can rest assured that there is nothing to fear. He knows what we will encounter along the way (seen and unseen), and He will equip us with whatever we need as we complete our work for His purpose.
When trials come, he strengths us to persevere. Even as neigh Sayers come, the unbelievers, the doubters, the skeptics, come to discourage and persuade you to turn off your path…to lose your footing…God is still there, keeping you encouraged. Reminding you of His presence. Most of all, when needed, when we become weak and downtrodden, He will pick us up and carry us along the way.
See, the fearful will never understand how this all can happen simply because they are stuck in a pattern of belief that limits them. Meanwhile, the faithful understand that we rely on a source that is unlimited in His ways, His thinking, and actions. We rely on the source that is beyond our comprehension, therefore understanding that anything is possible as long as we believe and put all our trust in Him. His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways and thoughts are much higher than us. He sees and knows things that we may never comprehend. So, why not trust in The One who knows all, sees all and created all? He is The Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent God. There is none like Him, and none shall take His place. It is in Him I trust with all my heart and He will continue to direct my path.
Deuteronomy 31:8, Isaiah 46:10, John 14:27, Joshua 1:9, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 55:8-9
