Don't Stop Short--Keep Going!

(Genesis 11:31) “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.”

If there is a calling in your heart from God to go somewhere; if He is leading you in a different direction in life whether doing things different or a new job or moving or stepping up and taking on more responsibility in Church, don’t stop short! (Proverbs 20:24) “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?”

Partial obedience is not obedience! If God is leading you, then you can be sure that it is for a reason and it will be to help you and others! (Isaiah 46:10) “I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.” God has an eternal purpose in everything He does and everything He leads you to do. (Ephesians 3:11) “This was according to the eternal purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If God is directing you to do something, do it quickly! Rebellion will only halt your spiritual growth and your blessings. Terah, Abram’s father, was on his way to Canaan but stopped and settled in Haran. Canaan was the Promised Land that God was trying to get the people He would call His own to; He started with Terah. Terah stopped short, so God continued the call with Abram. Don’t stop short! You will always have trouble but your blessings are found in your obedience and in fulfilling the purpose God has for you. Satan will always try to deter you from the call God has on your life; don’t give into his temptations and let his darts of turmoil cause you to stop going forward! (I Peter 5:8) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

If God is directing to do something or go in a different direction, then trust Him knowing that the God who provided for your eternal salvation will not steer you in the wrong direction. (Psalm 23:4) “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” Walk through your trials; don’t set up housekeeping by stopping short! God will “never leave you nor forsake you.”

God will walk through the fires of your trials with you and He will protect you as He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the book of Daniel. Some of King Nebuchadnezzar’s officials set a trap for them. They proclaimed in (Daniel 3:4-5) “This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” They could not do it. They worshiped God alone. They believed that God was able to save them and He did. As they would not fall down and worship the image of gold, King Nebuchadnezzar gave orders to have them thrown into the furnace. The flames were so hot, that just being near them, they killed the soldiers who took the three men and threw them into the fire. The king was amazed as he saw them walking around in the fire unharmed and with a fourth man in there as well. (Daniel 3:24-25) “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? They replied, Certainly, O king. He said, Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

As the Lord Jesus Christ was there for them, He will be there for you as well.

(Psalm 139:5-12) “You hem me in--behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.”

Keep going! Don’t stop short and don’t settle for less than what God has for you!