You’ve Been Here Long Enough!

Times changed somewhat unexpectedly for most of us, the economy changed, people lost jobs and the things many of us counted on were no longer options. It was like all of the sudden things were “just different”, and we had to adapt and overcome.  We had to get used to the way things became so we could “survive”. Those fears shell shocked many of us and changed our perspective. The real truth is in spite of what we experienced and what we felt, God NEVER left our side, but for many of us the lesson was a harsh reality that God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

As we approached the last quarter of 2016, one thing is clear, you have been “HERE Long Enough”. I borrowed this from a text in Deuteronomy 2, one of my favorite, God’s proclamation to a kept people that it was finally time to move into a new place and go into a different direction. These were His people, those who He had nurtured, kept and cared for as they recovered from a 400-year history of slavery, and a ton of scars.

Where Is Here?

Here, is a comfortable place, we know it, and we know what to expect, and it doesn’t disappoint us, it’s the same. Here is more than a destination, it is a mindset, it is a lifestyle, it’s a belief. It is the place where fear lives, and it is the choice many people make when they refuse to try new things. Here is a place where past failures live, and where we can no longer grow. Most of all, it is a place where we don’t and can’t exercise our faith because here doesn’t require faith, it just requires our presence.

Leaving Here Is A Process

If you are going to leave “here” you have to be wiling to step out of your comfort zone, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable and be willing to be stretched. At times, you will be discouraged, and you ARE GOING TO FAIL, but that is ALL part of the strengthening process.

[Tweet “Failure is not something to fear, it is something to cherish @aidajingram”].

Our failures become new starting points, it allows you to look back and say I was there, but now I’m here.

When God told the Israelites to get ready to move, they had been in the wilderness for 40 years. They had enough social proof to know who God was, and what He was capable of providing.  In the wilderness they didn’t need to be afraid, they knew that God would take care of their needs, and they knew He would provide for them. Herein lies the problem..[Tweet “When you are comfortable, you are not growing. @aidajingram”]

 

Greatness is found when we let go of comfort and embrace the unexpected.  In this text, God reminds the Israelites of His faithfulness, for 40 years THEY LACKED NOTHING.

Just like God took care of the Israelites, He WILL take care of you.

As we embark on new territory and new ground, we must remember what is possible with God. We have to remember that our later days are really better than our former days. Our fears try to get us to forget our LONG history with God.  We are never alone, we are never left to our own devices, God is and will always be to be by our side. Do we have everything we want, NO, but do we have what we need, ABSOLUTELY.

Trust your history with God and let it be your constant companion, and move forward knowing that it’s time for you to reach your GREATER.