One Step Away

Nothing good in life is easy. There are times when we are trying to do something and we get stopped along the way for whatever reason. We may have struggles with our health, our families, our finances or our career. Things continue to come up time and time again which try to beat us down when we are trying to do the right things. Obedience requires persistence, even through the suffering.

Hebrews 5:8 "Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered."

When we reach a point in our life we feel we are suffering, it is easy to lose our balance when the ground we are walking on becomes loose or uneven. We have to be careful as we continue walking and be sure we aren’t stepping away from God and be tempted to take other paths which may appear to be easier to walk on. When we are suffering, that is time we need to step closer to God so He can lead us down the right path. We need to continue to be obedient to Him and ready to do good things.

Titus 3:1 "Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good."

An example is a situation with money. When we are distracted because bills are due and the money is not there to pay them, we may stay focused on the obstacle so much we get off track from doing God’s will. Our focus on money may make us want to stay in bed longer because we don’t want to face the creditors calling. Our focus on money may make us snap at others because we are upset about something else. Our focus on money may make us look for satisfaction in wrong ways such as excessive food, alcohol or medicines in an effort to calm our nerves.

Just when we are about to reach that next level due to our obedience to God, we have to be careful we don't get sidetracked, we don't step backwards, we don't lose faith. We could be just one day away or one step away from reaching that breakthrough and if we give up or lose hope, we could slip and have to start over. We can't get sidetracked when we are working on purpose for God. Our next step for Him could be the one major step He planned to make that big difference. We have to hold on and continue on fearing God along the way by staying close to Him reading His word and talking with Him.

Psalm 25:14-15 “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.”

We can’t make it to the goal when something is keeping us from seeing how to succeed. It may be too dark for us to see, there may be obstacles in the way, there may be people who distract us. We are to keep our eyes on the goal. The goal is God and doing His will. He will help us open our eyes. He will move those obstacles. He will use people to help us rather than hinder us. God can make us able to see and stay focused on the goal when we surrender all to Him.

If we focus on the goal, look at God’s purpose for us and trust in Him, we will realize we can still worship Him and talk with Him even through the suffering. He will help us through those situations and bring us out stronger. However, if we let those things bog us down and we step away from God, we won’t know the blessings and the results He wants us to have and we can’t make the difference He wants to make in our lives.

Isaiah 40:31 "But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."