FOLLOWING GOD’S DIRECTION I am directionally challenged. For my birthday, my husband bought me a car GPS system, which receives directions from a satellite floating in space. After I enter the particulars of my destination, I have to trust that it will tell me the best way to get there. As I was putting my trust in this inanimate object, I thought about our trust in God’s direction. He is even more powerful and omniscient than the contraption in my car. What would happen if I just got tired of obeying my GPS’s directions, started to ignore the directions of the GPS lady’s voice, and steered my car where I wanted it to go? I would get lost. We seem to want God’s guidance, yet still be the one in control of the steering wheel. God knows the directions to fulfillment and happiness in the life He gave us. He knows the most direct way to our goal and can take us around life’s highways unexpectedly mired in roadblocks. All we have to do is plug into Him through His Word and prayer to get our directions, and then commit to following His voice for the entire journey. I wonder why we can so easily put our trust in an inanimate object like the GPS, and yet acknowledge only with difficulty that God’s plan is best and that we should see it through to completion. Surrendering to the Lord’s plan will transform us into all we should be as we spend time with Him. Our attitude will begin to reflect peace, contentment and trust in a loving God and to believe in God’s way as best. Faith is the cornerstone of commitment, and commitment is the foundation of success. For we are God’s masterpiece, He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10
HOW TO STAY THE COURSE One of the worst things you can do is start something and never finish it. If you quit halfway through a task, the thought of failure will return to haunt you the next time you attempt it. If you haven’t experienced true joy and success in this journey so far, you may have the common habit of not following through with your responsibilities or commitments. The result is that whenever you attempt something new, the thought of failure arises automatically in the back of your mind. Unless you pray for God’s help and make a strong effort to overcome your fear, it will affect future attempts to succeed. What you really want for your future is at hand, and with the following basic intentions, you can move toward your goal once and for all. I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 Perseverance If we think of discipline as a body, its legs are perseverancethe ones on which we walk toward our goal. Instead of finding excuses for not following through with a task, press through the excuses and find a better solution to follow through and keep moving forward toward the goal. It really doesn’t matter how long it takes to accomplish a goal or task, just as long as we keep working through it and going toward it. I have learned that it takes discipline, patience, determination, trust, and faith in a loving God to achieve a total transformation of my will and attitude. I have a long way to go to reach my goals. But, with discipline and God’s help, I will persevere—task by task. Determination If perseverance composes the legs of discipline, determination is its eyes. Never lose sight of the goal. Focus on it, and don’t get discouraged even if it looks far awaythat is what perseverance is for. Learn to recognize discouragement when you feel it, the emotion that is Satan’s favorite tool. He will even encourage others to make you doubt your attempts to honor God through this new way. It is important for you to know that just because you are not gaining momentum in one area, does not mean you are a failure. Identify your tasks one by one and go forward step by step, and the next thing you know, you are experiencing victory over the challenges. Your tasks are the markers along the road, and they will not let you lose sight of the ultimate goal to be physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally healthy. Positivity This is the heart of discipline. Discipline doesn’t have to leave you with feelings of “yuck.” Your journey to a new lifestyle can be fun once you choose to focus on the solution—not the struggle. Get excited about your future! A positive, cheerful attitude is of considerable importance if you are to succeed. If you focus on how difficult this challenge can be; that’s all you will see. You will lose your determination, and miss out on the future God has planned for you. Positivity is your means to combat the many emotions that can cloud your vision—leading the way to negative thoughts that seem to crop up at unexpected times. Anger, fear, insecurity, and bitterness love to take center-stage just when we least expect them. These emotions interfere with our resolve to glorify God with our lives. A negative thought process is a defeatist mentality. Realize who the enemy is—not people or circumstances, but Satan himself. No one can do anything to you or make you do anything that you do not allow. You are your own person, created uniquely by God with the power of choice. Satan does not want you to experience joy, peace, or success. He wants you to wallow in a cocoon of self-pity and discouragement. Get out of that cocoon and fly! Be all you can be in Christ Jesus, and be FREE, knowing that you are being molded to experience God’s best.
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