Wednesday, July 9, 2014

One Day At A Time.....Step by Step


The Christian Walk…..I’ve nailed it...I’ve got it all together…I got this figured out!  Oh, how I wish I could say that for my walk with Christ.  Oh, how I wish that my walk with Christ was as simple as one of those statements.  Oh, how I wish it was just that easy.  Oh how I wish……..
When I look at the big picture of my walk with Christ, it all seems so complicated.  I can barely wrap my brain around it all.  I fail far too many times to live the righteous life that God wants me to live, even though I know His promise in Philippians 4:13 that says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  I don’t know about you, but I don’t like failure.
 
Unfortunately, I have had a lot of failure during my last 38 years of walking with Christ.  I have had a pretty hard head and a pretty hard heart at times, not wanting to hear what God is trying to tell me or show me.  When I look at that big picture of my walk with Christ, I get discouraged thinking about where I have come from and where I am going.

BUT…..God has been showing me lately that I should not look at my past failures in my walk with Christ (“one thing I do:  forgetting what is behind”...Philippians 3:13), but I should look forward (“…straining toward what is ahead...”Philippians 3:13) one step at a time.....


One step at a time, walking with Christ, allowing Him to take the lead and simply following.  To be honest, this has not been easy for me.  I am generally not a follower, I like to dance to the beat of my own drum.  And dance to my own drum I did for many years.  But now…..now I have discovered that the beat of God’s drum is so much better than mine, so much richer, fuller and peaceful.  I have discovered the truth of Psalm 37:23 which says, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him.”

Because I have learned to soften my heart to what God wants to teach me in His Word and I have learned to delight myself in the Lord, my steps are firm.  Praise God…..my steps are firm!  Yep, it’s only one step at a time…..but each step is firm. 

Psalm 119:133 says, “Direct my footsteps according to your Word;” 

It is God’s Word that has enabled me to walk one step at a time.  It is His Words that have sunk deep into my soul and given me direction in every situation I find myself in.  Words that I have memorized so that I can stay focused on Him and the direction He wants me to go as “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:14

Words such as:  “Trust the Lord with all your heart”, “Keep your eyes on Jesus…..so that you will not grow weary and lose heart”, “All things work together for good to those who love Christ”, “God is our refuge and strength”, “Do not fear for I am with you”, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, “If God is for us who can be against us”, “the Holy Spirit will teach you all things”, “if anyone is in Christ He is a new creation”, “And my God will meet all your needs”, “Be strong and courageous”, “For God so loved the world…”, “They who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength”, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous”, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition”, “Resist the devil and he will flee”, “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want”, “The Lord Himself will come down from heaven”, “Forgive one another”, “Set your mind on things above”, “Love is patient, love is kind”, “Put your hope in God, “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness”, “Our citizenship is in heaven”, “Devote yourselves to prayer”, “Do not be anxious about anything”, “I have gone to prepare a place for you”; all work together to enable me to walk out my Christian walk step-by-step, one step at a time.

It is my prayer for you today, that you are not dwelling on the past, but that you are  walking out your Christian walk, step by step…..one step at a time…..allowing God’s Word to guide you, as you “fix your eyes on Jesus…so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.”   (Hebrews 12:2-3)   It is my prayer for you today, that when the past jumps up to bite you, that you “take captive those thoughts” and “fix your eyes on Jesus” so that you can walk step by step…..one step at a time…..with Jesus by your side.

I have found that when I follow Jesus one step at a time, I am “more than a conqueror”…..and “nothing can separate me from His love!”  And then I dwell in the “peace that passes all understanding that keeps my heart and mind in Christ Jesus”.

“…we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37

Keep walking the walk, Brothers & Sisters.
Keep putting your Hope in God!
He is always there for you!

Encouraging You Today
in your Walk with Christ!

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