The runners in a marathon must all follow a clearly marked course. Suppose one of the athletes decides to pick his own path. He keeps to the 26.2-mile race standard and sets his finish line in the same spot as the official one, but he runs through neighborhoods with fewer hills and across less crowded parks. His plan seems excellent to him, but when he crosses the finish line, there will be no medal or ribbon waiting.
That would certainly be a silly thing to do. Yet believers fall into this very trap when they decide the course for their lives instead of running the race God sets. By submitting to His will—doing what He says and going where He leads—we remain on the right path. But the moment we revert to our old habits and start making decisions based on our own wisdom, we go far afield.
Whether believers run the race God’s way or their way, the finish line is the same—namely, heaven. However, the difference is what we have to show for all the energy expended getting there. No one wants to look back and realize, I didn’t really accomplish anything of value. Regardless of how grand a legacy someone leaves, the only truly lasting and worthwhile deeds are those done for the Lord in the power of His Spirit.
Thankfully, no matter how far off course we veer, the Holy Spirit is still present. He reminds us of the right path—as well as the power available to get back on it and persevere. Your route is set; your choice clear. Run the race set before you and finish well.
Most people would be pleased to accept the honor of leading a nation. Perhaps Joshua felt that way, too. But there’s no doubt that he was very aware that leading the Israelites out of the wilderness would be a daunting task and responsibility. Yet he was determined to obey God no matter what.
The Hebrew people were a difficult bunch. Not only did they grumble about food, water, safety, and rules; they also questioned Moses’ leadership and, almost as soon as his back was turned, rebelled against God. Now Joshua—a man they once threatened to stone (Num. 14:10)—was poised to lead these wayward desert nomads safely home. His was a God-sized task indeed.
Ultimately, however, Joshua took up the mantle of leadership with courage. Any uncertainty was replaced by boldness and resolve. He placed his faith in God, the One who had never let the people down. Joshua fully expected the Lord to be true to His word again and deliver them to the Promised Land.
I don’t know what challenge you are facing, but I do know that God will enable you to tackle it bravely, calmly, and victoriously. Whether you are a woman in a painful marriage, a family man contemplating a return to school, or a person in the clutches of a dreaded disease, God says to you, “Be strong and courageous” (Josh. 1:9).
Joshua’s courage was based upon years of seeing God’s faithfulness. Whether you’ve been a Christian for five minutes or 50 years, you can have the same confidence. The Bible promises that the Lord is sufficient to meet your needs and see you safely through your journey until you reach heaven (Phil. 4:19).
Yesterday as we studied the necessity of increasing our trust in God, we were challenged to make waiting on Him a part of our daily lives. Today, we will look at three additional steps that are essential for the obedient life.
Meditate. If we want to know the mind of God, we must meditate upon His
Word. We do not need to pick the “right” verses in order to know God’s will. He has the power to direct us from any portion of the Bible. Our part is to pursue wisdom through Scripture over a sustained period of time.
Listen. Learn to listen to the quiet prompting of the Holy Spirit, who is our Helper. The Word of God is the primary resource through which the Spirit works. If we are studying a passage of Scripture, He will illuminate our minds so that we can understand how God is directing us. Or He will bring to remembrance a passage we have learned and reveal how it applies to our situation.
Walk. Our final lesson to learn regarding obedience is that sometimes we must walk, even when the way is unclear. Abraham is a good example. God told Him to move out of his homeland but did not specify the destination. Abraham complied by faith (Heb. 11:8). We, too, can obey without a total understanding because God makes Himself responsible for the consequences. We are accountable only for obeying. This is good news!
As our class ends, consider the importance of obedience in the life of faith. Then ask God what He wants you to work on first—trusting, waiting, meditating, listening, or walking with Him?
Welcome to God's School of Obedience. Today and tomorrow we will be sitting in on a class called “Obedience 101.” For some of us, the lesson will be new material; for others, a good review. In this course, we are trying to master the essential elements of an obedient, God-honoring lifestyle. Here are a couple of things we must learn to do in order to achieve our goal:
Trust. A key requirement for obedience is trusting in God—this is something the Lord expects of us (Prov. 3:5). He knows obedient responses result from a foundation of faith, while most rebellion derives from a lack of it. Therefore, to live obedient lives, we must believe God is who He has revealed Himself to be. We must also accept His plans, methods, and timing. We can deepen our trust level by obeying and watching for the Lord’s response. Remember, God delights in blessing those who do what He says.
Wait. We seem to find the element of patience particularly challenging. When we don’t know what to do, we often rely on our own understanding, make a move, and then hope God will approve and bless it. That’s not scriptural. God is more than willing to show us what to do. He’s given us His Spirit as our teacher because He wants us to know how to proceed. We must wait in an attitude of trust until we are certain.
God assumes full responsibility for giving us direction in our lives. He desires to let us know each step along the way. But we must come to Him with a trusting heart and a willingness to wait before He reveals what to do next.
What believers do about guilty feelings has a lot to do with what they understand about guilt. By definition, the word refers to a sense of wrongdoing—an emotional conflict arising from second thoughts about a particular action or thought. The biblical method for clearing away such feelings is repentance.
However, many believers are plagued by false guilt, which is not actually rooted in sin. It can develop in several ways:
A church caught up in legalism can foster this unhealthy feeling. A member may not do enough of what is “required” (such as praying, Bible reading, and witnessing). Or she may do things that others in the church categorize as wrong, even though there’s no scriptural basis for their opinion.
Painful memories of abuse in childhood often lead an adult to believe he is somehow to blame for the sins committed against him.
Hearing believers’ criticisms of others can lead to low self-esteem. Without clear discernment, a person may get the sense that he can’t measure up to God’s standards or the world’s.
Genuine, biblically based conviction is an anxiety in the spirit over a definite, willful sin. All the various causes of false shame have one thing in common: They are not the result of sinful behavior. Such feelings are Satan’s tool for harassing God’s people.
When we understand that true conviction is the Holy Spirit’s loving pressure on our spirit to correct a specific wrong, we can reject Satan’s attempts to distract us with lies. Whatever the cause of false guilt, it must be unearthed and removed from the believer’s life.
