Are Big Steps The Best Steps?

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps."
Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

When you are going somewhere, normally you want to get there sooner rather than later.  But if our goal is simply to get to our destination as soon as possible, we could actually go faster than we should and miss something along the way that could be important.  Or if we are in such a hurry to get to some place, we may accidentally leave something behind and not bring it with us on our journey.  The goal is not really how fast we get somewhere, but to get to where we need to be, with what we need to have when we get there.

Usually, when we have a goal in mind, the thing we obviously want to do is to reach that goal.  But we can make a mistake by just focusing on the goal itself and not on the best way to reach that goal.  We might think that the fastest way is always the best way, but that may not always be true.  We may think that if we can take one big step in the right direction it would be great, but is a big step always the best step to take?  It could be that we are trying to take a bigger step than we should take, or that we are able to take, and that can cause a problem.

Proverbs 16:9 tells us that our heart may plan the way, but God will direct our steps.  Moving in the right direction is more important than the size of the steps we take, or the speed we are going.  It is better to take the steps God directs us to take towards our goals, and in life in general, rather than just trying to take a big step that we may not be ready for; or we could be moving too quickly, and going in the wrong direction, which would be bad.  The steps we take, big or small, and the speed we are moving, are not as important as the direction we are going. 

A Trusted Source?

"But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,"
and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NKJV)

Today, it seems that everyone has an opinion on almost everything.  With the Internet, and social media, no matter what the topic is, you can find a lot of ideas and opinions about almost anything.  But we really need to know if that person, institution, or group that we are getting the information from is a reliable, and trusted source for the information.  How well do we know that source?  Do they always give good, reliable information that can be trusted?   If not, it would be foolish to get any advice from them.

Trust is not something that is built overnight, but when you know that someone is a trusted source of information, you can take their advice and the information that they give you.  There are many people and places we can get information from, but not every source is one we can always trust and rely on.  There are many people who could, and who would like to, give us information and advice, but are they a trusted source?  We need to test all things and hold on to what is good, which includes the source of our information.

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul told Timothy to continue with the things that he had learned, because Timothy knew who he had learned those things from.  Paul was not just someone who showed up one day and started to teach Timothy and give him advice.  Paul had taught Timothy, and he had a good relationship with him, so Paul was a trusted source that Timothy could rely on.  We should not just accept teaching or take advice from someone we have no real relationship with.  We can always trust the Word of God, but not every source of information is a source that we can trust.

Are These Your Only Choices?

"Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.  And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these."
And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?"  Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep."  And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him.  For we will not sit down till he comes here."
1 Samuel 16:10-11 (NKJV)

Having a wide variety of choices is often a good thing.  If you want to eat at a restaurant, there are different places that you could go.  But what if there was one restaurant located next door to you, but it did not have the kind of food you wanted, and it was more expensive than what you were willing to pay?  And what if there were other restaurants to choose from, but they were not as close to you?  Would you just go to the restaurant that was nearby, or would you go a bit farther to the place you really wanted to eat at?  Sometimes our choices are only as limited as we allow them to be.

When God directed Samuel to go to the home of Jesse to find the new king, Jesse showed Samuel seven of his eight sons, leaving David out of the group.  After Samuel had seen the first seven sons, he knew that none of them were God's choice.  Samuel could have just said, "Well, none of these are the right one, but these seem to be the only choices that I have, so I will just pick one of them and move on."  Samuel could have done that, but he would have missed what God wanted to do.  Samuel knew what God had said, and Samuel was not willing to settle for anything less than what God had promised.

Sometimes, when we see something in God's Word, we then pray and take a stand in faith, but we do not see the results we expect.  This is when the devil will tell us that we cannot have and experience what God has said, and our choices are limited to something that does not really agree with God's Word or meet the need.  That is when we need to make the choice to stay with what God has said.  No matter what choices it seems like we are facing, we must choose to believe that what God says is true, and take a stand on that to receive what we need; that is our choice. 

Are You Ready To Move Forward?

"And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them.  So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.
Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?  Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?"
Exodus 14:10-11 (NKJV)

Moving from one thing to something better is good.  Receiving a promotion at work, having an increase in our finances, or getting some new phone or tablet, are all good things.  But, what if we get promoted, and we cannot actually do the work, what if we have an increase in our finances, but we do not manage our money well, and what if we get some new device, but we really do not know how to use it properly?  To truly be successful in anything and do well, we need to be ready when the opportunity comes.

God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt to lead them to the Promised Land.  But, as we see Israel traveling to the Promised Land, not long after they left Egypt, there were problems.  Israel came to the Red Sea, and then they saw Pharaoh and his army coming after them.  Sadly, rather than call out to God to deliver them, just as He had already done, at the first sign of trouble, the people started to panic and complain. Even though God had delivered Israel from Egypt, Israel was not really ready to move forward with God.

Everyone would like to be successful and see things improve in their life.  But what if when the opportunity for improvement comes, and God starts doing something great in our life, we are not ready for it?  When God brings us an opportunity to do something for Him and to experience His blessings in our life, are we ready to move forward with God, or will we stay stuck in our old habits and attitudes and end up not really moving forward?  We need to live by faith and continually grow and develop spiritually, so that when God is ready to do something then we are ready too.

The Right Amount

"This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: 'Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.'"
Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.
So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.  Every man had gathered according to each one's need."
Exodus 16:16-18 (NKJV)

Have you ever ordered food at a restaurant, and when it arrived, the amount of food was not what you expected, and it was less than what you wanted?  Or you may have had the experience of ordering something, and when it arrived you realized it was too much, and you would not be able to eat the entire meal?  Getting the wrong amount of food, or something else, whether it is not enough or too much, is not good.  While there are some things you can do to fix these situations, it would be great to always get the right amount the first time.

God's Word is spiritual food that will help us grow and develop spiritually (1 Peter 2:2).  Every Christian is at a different level of spiritual development, and what one believer needs from God's Word is not the same as what someone else needs.  So, what each person receives from God's Word would also be different than what someone else receives for their situation in life.  When we spend time with God in His Word, He can and will speak to us and show us the things we need to see, for us to grow and develop spiritually and to deal with the situations we face in life.  

When Israel was in the wilderness, God sent manna to feed them, and each person had to gather what they needed.  Some gathered more than others, but each person had just what they needed, no one lacked, and no one had too much.  In the same way that they needed to go and gather manna daily, we need a daily time in God's Word to get the spiritual food we need to grow and develop, and to help us to deal with our life situations.  By spending time with God in His Word, we can get exactly what we need, without having too much for us to handle, or too little to satisfy us. 

Where Does The Road Take You?

"Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."  This is desert."
Acts 8:26 (NKJV)

There are many places I have traveled to by car in the USA and in Europe.  Sometimes the roads have not been as nice to travel on as they were at other times.  There are places I have traveled to where the roads were not as good as other roads, but while the road was not so good, it did not change the quality of the destination.  There were times that I have traveled to some very nice places, but the road to get to that place was not very nice.  The type of road we are on is not an indication of our destination.

Many Christians have strange ideas about how God leads and directs His people today.  Sometimes we might think that to get to where God wants us to be, the road we need to take to get there will be a perfect road.  But while the road we are on may not seem to be the best, by following God's direction, we will always get to a great destination.  The point is not what the road you are on is like, but what is important is where you are going.  Your road may be small, but the destination can be big. 

In Acts 8, God directed Philip to go on the road that went down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which was desert.  Philip had been preaching in the city of Samaria, and great things were happening, but God led Philip to a place that was a desert for the next step in Philip's ministry.  Philip then met the Ethiopian eunuch, who received salvation before Philip was taken to another place.  God sent Philip to a place that looked bleak, but it led to a man's salvation.  God may lead us in a way that does not seem like the best way to go, but the results are always worth it.

What Identification Are You Using?

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
Colossians 3:1-3 (NKJV)

After I moved to Germany, there were times that I had to show someone my identification.  What I learned very quickly was that the form of identification that I always used in the USA, my driver's license, was not a valid form of identification in Germany.  When someone in Germany asked for my identification, I needed to show them my passport.  Even though my driver's license was once my valid form of identification, I cannot use it where I live now, because it is the wrong kind of identification.

There are many ways that we can identify ourselves, but not every form of identification is valid in every situation.  As Christians, we have been spiritually raised with Christ, and our real life is hidden in Christ.  Some Christians identify themselves by the church group they are a part of, some Christians identify themselves by a certain type of doctrine that they follow, and some Christians identify themselves by their title.  But, the only valid form of identification we have as a member of the Body of Christ is who we are in Christ.  

Colossians 3:3 says, our life is hidden in Christ in God.  Who we are now is based on who we are in Christ.  It does not matter what nation we come from, it does not matter who is in our natural family, it does not matter how much money we have or what our education level is; in God's Kingdom, the only valid form of identification is who we are in Christ.  If we are going to live in the blessings of God that were provided through Jesus, and if we are going to fulfill the will of God in our life, we have to identify with who we are in Christ.

Feed On God's Faithfulness

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness."
Psalm 37:3 (NKJV)

There are different kinds of food that you can eat that will help you in some way.  For example, eating carrots is helpful because carrots contain beta-carotene, that the body converts to vitamin A, which is good for your eyes.  Other examples would be things like spinach, which is high in vitamin K and good for the bones, salmon, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids and helps brain and heart health, and almonds, which are high in vitamin E and good for skin health.  Having these foods as a consistent part of your diet will help you in different areas of your health.

What we eat can be a benefit to us naturally, and what we spend our time with, what we feed ourselves in that way, can help us as well.  Trust is something built on relationship, the more time you spend with someone, the better your relationship with them will be, and this results in your ability to trust that person.  Some Christians do not have a great deal of trust in God, because they have not developed in their relationship with God.  But the more we learn about God and get to know Him and His character, the greater our trust in God can become.

Psalm 37:3 tells us to trust in the Lord and feed on His faithfulness.  We can develop greater trust in God by feeding on God's faithfulness by reading in the Bible about who God is, what He has done for others, and by reminding ourselves of all of the times that God has been faithful in our lives.  If we just look at our circumstances and think about the problems that we face, wondering what we are going to do, it makes it more difficult to trust God, because we are "feeding" on the wrong thing.  We need to feed on God's faithfulness and reject feeding on things that are contrary to that. 

Who Influences You?

"that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
Hebrews 6:12 (NKJV)

There are some people today who are referred to as "influencers."  Generally speaking, these are people who create content, mostly on social media, which gives them some level of credibility in some area and because of this they have gained a following.  People will follow some influencer to see what they are saying or doing about a certain thing.  The people who follow these influencers are paying attention to what the influencers are saying, as a source of information about how they themselves can do things like the influencers have done.

There are many people in the world today who are exerting an influence on other people, but that is not always good.  Sometimes people have some level of credibility with people for whatever reason, but what is really being represented is not so good.  We are all influenced by others in some way, and it is good to have examples in our life and people that we can look to as a pattern of how we can do things successfully.  But if someone has not really done something of lasting or significant value, should we really be following that person and allowing them to be an influence in our life?

Long before the world came up with the term of "influencer," God already knew the value of a person's influence.  As Hebrews 6:12 tells us, we should imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  There are many "influencers" today, but we should not just imitate someone who seems popular according to the world's standards.  The people we should follow and allow to be an influence in our lives are those who have successfully followed God and fulfilled His purpose in their life, they are a pattern of how we can do the same things and succeed in our own life. 

A Deposit Has Been Made

"who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,"
2 Timothy 1:9 (NKJV)

Everyone likes to have something credited to their bank account, and if a deposit has been made to your account, you need to know about it.  It is possible that you could have some kind of credit made to your account that you were not expecting or possibly not aware of.  Or you might receive the deposit of an unexpected gift and find it hard to believe that the deposit was really made.  Of course, if you checked your bank account and you could see the deposit listed there, you would then be sure that the amount was actually in your account.

One of the biggest problems that Christians have is a lack of knowledge concerning Bible truths.  This is something I have seen over and over again as I have taught God's Word in Bible schools, churches, and other venues.  There have been times where people have literally sat listening to Bible teaching with their mouths hanging open in amazement, as they hear what God's Word actually says about them.  This shocked reaction is often replaced by joy as people begin to understand who they really are in Christ and what God has provided for them through Jesus.

In the Bible, we learn that God has given us each something, He has made a deposit of something into our lives.  As 2 Timothy 1:9 tells us, even before time began, God gave us a purpose, and God gave us grace, the ability to fulfill God's purpose.  If we do not know about the grace given to us, we will not make use of it, and we will not fulfill the purpose of God, the calling, for our life.  By spending time with God through His Word and in prayer, we can discover exactly what this purpose and grace in our life is.  We have an eternal deposit from God, and we need to discover it and use it.

The Best Kind Of Peace

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
John 14:27 (NKJV)

When people think of peace, they generally think of some problem coming to an end and everything becoming calm where things were once in turmoil.  That kind of peace is based on circumstances and an absence of conflict.  But even if there are no problems happening, people can still be at a place where they lack true peace, because there is always the possibility of further problems.  So there is really no peace in this situation, just a lack of problems at the moment, which is not true peace.

Jesus talked about a peace that He gives and a peace that the world gives.  The kind of peace that comes from the world is mainly based on an absence of negative circumstances or problems, but the peace that Jesus gives is something that can be had even when there are negative circumstances or problems.  In Philippians 4:7, Paul talked about a peace that passes understanding, which is really talking about the same thing.  The peace that Jesus gives is a peace that is not limited to just a lack of negative circumstances.

In John 14:27, Jesus told His disciples that He would give them peace, but not the kind of peace that the world gives.  Jesus went on to say that the disciples should not let their hearts be troubled or afraid.  This is only possible with the peace that Jesus gives, because we often face challenges and problems that tempt us to be troubled and afraid.  This requires us to keep our focus on God in faith, regardless of our situation.  Only Jesus can give true heart peace where we can be at rest, even while there are negative circumstances or problems. 

The Best Reason For Doing Something

"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV)

There are many reasons that we might do things.  We could do something because we had received some good advice from someone, we could do a thing because we saw a lot of other people doing it, or we could do something because of some other reason.  Some reasons we have for doing something are good and some are not.  If we do things for the right reason, it is always a good thing, and it would be especially good if we do something for the right reason that results in some great benefit for us as well.

One thing that is always good for Christians to do is for us to consider why we are doing what we are doing.  There are many reasons that believers will do things, in their own lives, in their churches, and in other ministry activities.  The best reason for us to do things is because it is biblically the right thing to do, and of course because we are led by the Holy Spirit to do a certain thing.  If we are just imitating what someone else has done, doing something because it is a current Christian trend, or even continuing to follow a pattern of something we have always done in the past, we may end up having problems.

Hebrews 11:7 tells us that Noah prepared an ark in faith, because he was following God's direction, not because he had a natural reason to do so.  Noah did not build an ark because it was the popular thing to do, because the weather looked bad, or because the local home improvement store was having a sale on ark building kits.  We need to be like Noah and do what God tells us to, acting in faith, no matter what things look like in our natural lives, and no matter what other people are doing. We need to always follow God's direction, in faith, no matter what we see, hear, or feel. 

More To The Story

"This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.
So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.  When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately."
Acts 18:25-26 (NKJV)

Years ago, there was a magazine that would publish condensed versions of popular novels.  When you read the condensed version of the book, you had the basic story, but you did not always have all of the details from the story.  The condensed version of the book published the main, and most important parts of the novel, but there was still more to the story.  And while it was true that you had the necessary facts to understand the story, in the condensed version, there were actually more details available in the regular version of the book.

The Bible is an amazing book, and it is something that we can continue learning from for our entire lives.  No matter how many times you read the Bible, there is always more to learn and understand from God's Word.  Because of that, we also have to realize that there can be more to what we know about the Bible than we already know.  This is why it is good to be a part of a good church, to hear good Bible based teaching, and it is why we should take advantage of all of the good teaching that is available to us in various forms today.

In Acts 18, we read about Apollos, who was teaching correctly, but he did not have all the available information, there was more that he needed to know.  Then we read how Aquila and Priscilla met Apollos and "explained to him the way of God more accurately."  In the same way, we too may know a lot about God's Word, but it is possible that someone can give us more understanding of the truth than what we already know.  We need to grow and develop spiritually, be ready to learn from others, and understand that no one knows everything, so there may be "more to the story" from God's Word than what we already know.

It Already Happened

"giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:12-14 (NKJV)

What would you think if you met someone who was talking about how great it would be for a person to land on the moon one day?  Would you agree with them and say that it would be a great achievement, or would you tell them that it has already happened?  And what if you met someone who said it would be nice to be able to fly over the ocean in some type of a vehicle, instead of crossing the ocean on a ship?  Would you think that person was a great visionary, or would you wonder what was wrong with them, because they were looking for something to happen that had already happened?

One of the biggest areas we need to grow and develop in spiritually is learning about who we are in Christ.  Because of Jesus, we can become a child of God, we become a new creation in Christ, the righteousness of God in Christ.  If we do not understand what Jesus did for us and live in the reality of what has already been done, we will never really grow and develop spiritually.  If we are trying to earn a position with God or do something to be good enough for God to bless us, then we do not understand what has already happened through Jesus.

In Colossians 1:12-14, Paul talked about giving thanks to our Heavenly Father, because He has already qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, God has already delivered us from the power of darkness, and we already have redemption and forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus.  These are not things that we are looking forward to happening some wonderful day, but these are things that have already happened!  Instead of looking forward to something great happening for us sometime in the future, we need to understand what has already happened through Jesus and live in that reality. 

Faith Or Feelings?

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

There is something I have noticed in some news reports.  A reporter will talk about something that took place, and then they will talk to some person about that situation.  The reporter will usually give the person the basic information about the story, and then they will ask the person what their reaction is to what has happened, and how they feel about the situation.  I have often thought that how someone feels about a news story is not really relevant to what actually happened, so just asking someone about their feelings is not really noteworthy.

We all experience things in life, and having feelings and thoughts about the things that happen is normal.  But, if we only evaluate things by how we feel, or just by what we might think about a situation, we will not really go from the place of experiencing the situation, to being successful in dealing with that situation.  Our thoughts and feelings are not always correct, and if we stay in the place of just our feelings and thoughts about a situation, and we do not look at what God's Word says about it, we will have problems.

When something happens in our life, we have a choice to make, we can consider how we feel about it, we can contemplate what we think about it, or we can find out what God's Word has to say about it.  Just dealing with our life situations through our feelings and thinking is a road that leads to nowhere.  We need to live our life by faith, and faith comes through God's Word, not our feelings.  The next time you are confronted with some problem or a life circumstance, don't just check with your feelings or thoughts, check what God's Word has to say about it, and walk by faith into victory!