Friday, October 22, 2010

One Step at a Time



Good Evening to All!

Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee. (Genesis 12:1 KJV) This was Abram's or Abraham as he was to be called divine calling from God. By following God's wishes, he was blessed by God in cattle, silver, and in gold. This was only the beginning of Abraham's God-filled journeys as well as blessings.

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Abram learned to trust God to lead him one step at a time. His story begins in Genesis 12:1, the verse for tonight.

God only gives His directions one step at a time for several reasons that I can think of . He doesn't want to overwhelm us. He know that as humans if He was to give us a list of things to do, we would either not do it because we don't think we could handle it all, or we would end up skipping steps because we want to "get to the finished product". I have actually seen people do that. How many times have we taken "short cuts only to have whatever we were doing be messed up, or shoddily done? How many times have people tried to build something but decide they didn't need to put that brace underneath the shelf because it would take more time or effort, and then when they place items on it , it cracked or fell? They shouldn't have left that step out. There is an old saying I have heard many times. Do one thing at a time and do it well, then go to the next. I can't help but think whoever said that was inspired by God after reading this devotional which I am taking my thoughts from.

God has a reason for everything He asks us to do. God's plans are crucial for our lives, and His ways are higher than our ways, therefore His instructions should be followed the way He intends them to be, one step at a time. We must listen for His voice and carry out each step as though it is going to produce the "finished product. The only way we can do this is by prayer, and listening to His still small voice. Each time we complete the step which He has provided, we must pray and ask for His guidance to the next step, to make sure that it is He that is giving us directions and not that we are providing our own steps, or that it is not coming from another source. Prayer is so important in our walk with God. It goes hand in hand with faith, and it is impossible to please God without faith.

Another way to look at it is if we see a long list of steps, we may be tempted to think we cannot handle it. It's too complicated. It's too much to remember. The list goes on. God is in tune with our feelings. He made us, He knows what and how we think. He does not want us to give up on His objective. So we plod on ONE STEP AT A TIME.
The thing is this WHOLE THING is a lesson in faith. He wants us to have FAITH in Him enough that we continue to do as He asks one step at a time. If we do this, after the first few steps, we will have enough faith in Him to know He is there with us. He will help us through each step. Even if "we" don't think we are able. He will guide us and help us to do each step He has planned for us to complete. If we are following God's leading then we don't have to worry if we understand the following steps or even why He is telling us to do them.

When we obey God, we are blessed. God has a good plan for our lives, a plan that is to our advantage. All we have to do is walk in it--one step at a time.

Obey God's voice one step at a time.


Good Night to All and May God Bless!



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6 comments:

Patti Hanan said...

Amen, Patti. One step at a time. I have to keep relearning this. Our timing is not God's timing, and if He is having us wait, it's for a reason. He is so patient with us. Sometimes, it's hard for us to be patient!

lynette355 said...

I love the blessing we have right now. Dear home with us and the grandbabes this weekend. Who could ask for better.

lynette355 said...

I love the blessing we have right now. Dear home with us and the grandbabes this weekend. Who could ask for better.

Anonymous said...

How true this lesson is... yet how hard it is for us to learn patience and absolute surrender to His will. One of my favorite verses that teach this lesson is Christ's prayer to the Father when He made a simple 7 word phrase that summarizes everything.... "Not my will but Thine be done" Thanks for a great lesson.

Crown of Beauty said...

Hi PJ
Thanks for the long and encouraging comment you left at my latest post. Not many visitors are willing to spend time at anyone's blog post to read, really read, and much less, interact by leaving a comment, So I do appreciate your specific words for me.

I am not after comments per se, or even followers for that matter. Like you, all I want is an old fashioned friendship where friends stay for a cup of tea or coffee, and listen to one another's heart. When someone visits I return the blessing as much as I am able. It's an act of passing on the blessing...my intent is to spread life and kindness, a deliberate act to break the cycle of shallow friendships so prevalent on cyberspace these days. Also to reclaim, one step at a time, parts of the precious territory that the Enemy has stolen - the hearts and minds of people.

You are a warm and sincere person, I can tell by your words. It is an honor to know you and looking forward to spending more time with you through this medium.

You don't know it, but this passage you wrote about here is the crucial passage God spoke to me at an important turn or crossroad in my life.

It comes as heaven's confirmation to what I am asking God to reveal to me these past weeks.

So thank you...for obeying the Father on what words to write on your post.

Blessings of shalom, dear new friend,
Lidj

Yaya' s Home said...

Good lesson, PJ. It seems that every step in our lives has two possibilities; to be a stepping-stone or to be a stumbling block. Some days, that' a difficult thought to remember, though.

~ Yaya