Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Just Around The Corner

On a recent road trip, I had to stop and ask for directions.  The person I asked gave me very specific directions.  Unfortunately, when I was being told the directions, I became distracted and didn't hear them in their entirety.  Instead of asking the person to repeat the directions, I thought that I had heard enough and that I wold be able to figure it out myself from what I had heard.  So, I thanked the person giving me the directions and started off in the direction I had been told to go.

Well, what I thought was just going to be a short drive, turned out to be a very long drive and I began to question myself as to whether or not I was going in the right direction.  After quite some time, I decided to stop and ask for directions again.  When i did, I was told, "It's just around the corner".

Sure enough...my destination was "just around the corner".  If I had kept going just one more minute, I would have reached my destination without having to stop and ask for directions again.  If I had not become distracted when I was being told the directions the first time, I would have reached my destination without all the frustration that I experienced.

As I thought about how I had been distracted from listening to the directions and then how my destination had been "just around the corner", I began to think about how the enemy distracts us from God’s destination for us that so many times is, “just around the corner.”  So many times we get distracted and take our “eyes off of Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2-3) and allow ourselves to miss our destination that is “just around the corner.”  So many times we get caught up in ourselves and forget that God is in control and we fail to embrace His Word that says, “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8. 

Matthew 4 tells of the enemy’s attempt to  distract  Jesus;   “Then  Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.  The tempter came to Him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’”  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”   Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple.  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:  “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”  Jesus answered him, It is also writtenDo not put the Lord your God to the test.  Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  “All this I will give you,” He said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”   Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”  Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended him.
Every time the devil tried to distract Jesus, Jesus quoted scripture and did not allow Himself to be distracted.  Jesus knew that God’s plan for His life was “just around the corner” and He stood His ground against the devil’s schemes by keeping His focus on God and quoting scripture.
God has given us that same ability to keep our focus by following Jesus’ example and fixing our eyes on Him, using scripture as our weapon and  “putting on the whole armor of God, so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil.”  (Ephesians 6:11)
And so,
I encourage you today to not give up…..
what you are waiting for may be
“just around the corner”.
I encourage you today to not allow
the enemy to distract you,
but
“fix your eyes on Jesus”
and
“wear the full armor of God”
so
that you will have the endurance to get
“just around that corner”
to the place of God’s perfect will for your life.



Don’t give up…..Keep going!
Keep your focus on Jesus and read your Bible.
God may have something amazing for you…..
“just around the corner.”

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