finish the journey...don't look back

The Standby

John 14:16….the Comforter will teach you all things

As the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit has a personality. He can be offended and grieved and He must be treated with great respect. Once you have the understanding that He lives inside those who believe, you should do everything you can to make him feel welcome. The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman. He will not push His way into your daily affairs. If given an invitation, He is quick to respond, but He must be invited.

 

The Holy Spirit is always available. The Amplified Bible calls this The Standby. That is a wonderful description! Think of him ready and waiting at all times in case you need anything at all. Every single day, no matter what you may face the Holy Spirit is standing by you. Invite him to get involved in everything you do.

 

Finish the Journey

Genesis 11:31

God gave Abram's father an opportunity to go to the place of His blessing – Canaan. But, instead of going all the way with the Lord, he chose to stop and settle in Haran. Many believers do what Terah did. They start out for one place and settle somewhere else along the way.

 

It is easy to get excited when God first directs you to do something. But many times you never finish what you start because the road gets difficult. It would be nice to reap the benefits of the journey without actually having to leave your comfort zone, but it does not work that way. To receive your blessing, you must be willing to push on through to the finish.

 

Don't Look Back

Psalm 30:5…weeping my endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

There is a time for everything – a time to weep and a time to mourn; a time to laugh and a time to play. You would be coldhearted and lacking compassion if you experienced loss and felt nothing. But after a while, you must let go of what lies behind and press forward. If you do not, the past will destroy your future.

 

God said, "Moses My servant is dead. So now arise [take his place], go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, the Israelites. Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses" (Joshua 1:2-3).  Like the children of Israel, God wants you to let go of the past and take new ground. Do not spend the rest of your life mourning something, you have lost. Go forward and do not look back.

 

Avoid Selective Hearing

John 2:5………..Whatever He says to you, do it

An interesting truth about your ability to hear God's voice is that when you are unwilling to hear in one area of your life, it may render you unable to hear in other areas. Sometimes you turn a deaf ear to what you know the Lord is clearly saying to you – it's called "selective hearing". After a while people think they can not hear from God anymore, but in reality there are lots of things they already know He wants them to respond to and they haven't done so.

 

If you really want to hear from God, you can't approach Him with selective hearing, hoping to narrow the topics down to only what you want to hear. Don't just go to God and talk to Him when you want or need something; also spend time just listening. He will speak to you about many issues if you will be still before Him and simply listen. Then, be sure to obey His direction.

 

Not Too Hard

Deuteronomy 30:11…for this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off.

 

Have you ever caught yourself telling God, "I know You want me to do this, but it's just too hard". The enemy tries to inject this phrase into your mind so you will give up. But this Scripture assures you that even when things seem impossible, nothing God expects from you is too difficult to accomplish.

The reason the Lord's commands are not too hard is because He gives you His spirit to work in you powerfully and to help you in all He has asked. Things get hard when you are trying to do them on your own without leaning and relying on God's grace. If you know God has asked you to do something, do not back down just because it seems hard. When things get difficult, spend more time with Him, lean more on Him, and receive more grace from Him (Hebrews 4:16).