Stepping Stones: Do You Really Want the Promised Land?

Transformational Thought

As a father, my goal is to raise my daughters to be fulfilled, content, and independent (able to function on their own financially, psychologically, emotionally, and relationally), and to be Godly decision-makers. To me, that is the Promised Land living Moses described in Deuteronomy 30. We would all admit this is a great goal for our kids. Thankfully, our teenagers now realize this is a great goal for them to strive for as well.

However, when they were smaller kids (sometimes last week) … and they wanted too stay up late … have ice cream for dinner every night … sleep in all day in the summer … leave their chores for their mom to do … just rush through their homework … really any short cut in life … having that great goal in mind, or at least a healthy strategy to achieve it, was the farthest thing from their mind.

There is no question that it is God’s will to bless you by sanctifying you. His word tells us, “This is the will of God, your sanctification….” The real question: Is it your will?

Are you willing to let God do everything in you that has been made possible through the atonement of the Cross of Christ? Are you willing to let His life be exhibited through your flesh? Growing up, we yielded to the will of teachers, athletic coaches, instructors for dance, acting, instruments … enduring struggles with homework, physical strain, long practice sessions, final exams, learning tough musical pieces, or enduring the frustrating feelings of incompetence and insecurity. But we stuck with it, trusted those leaders, and had faith that they willed something good and desirable for us. So their goal became our goal.

God is the greatest coach, teacher, parent … ever. His will for you is grander and closer to you than you could ever imagine, so make it yours. But you have to submit to His coaching and parenting.

Today, examine whether you really want the best for your life. If you answered, “yes”, are you following God’s plan and using His instruction book as your guide? Or are you getting in His way, and being your own worst enemy? Align your will with the One who created you and who knows you better than you know yourself. It’s your choice … don’t act like a child selling out the chance for life’s great rewards in order to have a little comfort and self-centeredness now. WITHIN REACH can help you get out of God’s way and understand how to use His leading.

Prayer
Thank You, Father, for making it possible that Your will be my will. Thank You, for uniting me through Jesus Christ to You … for Jesus making me pure and holy … and freeing me from the death grip of sin. How liberating it is to know that there is nothing in this universe that can separate me from Your love. Help me absorb Your love … see how much You really care for me, and melt my resistance to Your will. Show me how to get out of Your way as You work on me and with me through Your Holy Spirit. I pray this in the name the one who always submitted to Your will, even above His own, Jesus Christ – and all God’s children say, AMEN!

The Truth
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Jeremiah 1:5

God’s will is for you to be holy…
1 Thessalonians 4:3

The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. "For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, it is within your reach.
Deuteronomy 30:9-11