The struggle with starting a thing is remaining consistent. If you recall my first post, I was so enthusiastic about sharing my love of Christ with others. I wanted others to know that they were not alone in learning how to walk with God. Then life happened! I’m not referring to the pandemic, that happened to everyone at the same time. I am referring to my life shifted in a way I was not prepared for.
In January of this year, I was so overwhelmed by God’s hand moving in my life. I mean when I say I felt Him, I mean He would overtake my thoughts and actions in a way I had never felt before. Let me try to explain, have you ever been praying for someone and the words that left your mouth were not what you were thinking or things you should know? Or have you ever felt this feeling of “knowing” that caused you to cry out on behalf of someone else in prayer. That is what it was like. I had no idea how to handle these things. So, I felt unsettled in this shift. I begin to pray about it more than allowed God to show me how to live in the new.
This new life with Christ is amazing, daunting, and frustrating at the same time. Yet I want more of it! Oh, how He has opened my eyes to see that I was in a state of slumber for far to long. And honestly, I don’t want to go back to that life. Yet how do I allow God to guide me in this one? This scripture was mentioned to me, Hebrews 12:1-2, and has provided some guidance I feel I can share with you. Here we go!
This scripture opens with Paul, the disciple credited with writing Hebrews, reminding those listening to remember there are witnesses to the power of God’s ability to sustain them. They are mentioned in Hebrews 11: 1. He provides them (Moses, Abraham, Sarah, and more) as known examples of what walking with God allowed them to accomplish. Don’t misunderstand his point, they struggled for sure, but they kept moving forward in what God spoke to them. In this I hear God guiding me to remember those in my life, those I hear about, and those I see walking in Christ.
To remember is the action of recalling something known, seen, or experienced. Applying this thought, I took the time to think about the close friends and family members in my life God has allowed me to see walk their path. Recalling how they struggled, how they responded, and how they used the word of God to focus on the outcome. They are my witnesses! Their walks encourage me to know that where I am today is just for a moment. As I keep walking forward with my focus on Christ things must change.
The scripture continues with Paul instructing his listeners to look inward at the things that keep us weighed down and the sin that we expose ourselves to. Now it wasn’t hard to find the sin, however it was much harder to recognize what weighed me down. This is where I got stuck for a long time. Most of the time I just consider the things that I go through in life as normal. Discussing it with others, I found my weights were in how I carried my emotions, thoughts, and expectations of myself and others.
Can I just say those are some heavy weights. They served as distractions that caused me to take my focus off God as well as stop moving period. I’ll share one to give you an idea of what I mean. This blog was created out of inspiration given by God. For those who know me I like to keep things low key and work them out with those I trust. Writing about my struggles and allowing other to comment is not my idea at all! In the beginning it seemed easy to write because my walk looked like everyone else’s nothing out of the norm.
As my walk became more personal it became harder to write about it. The thought of others witnessing my strongholds on display, or shortfalls in written form cause me a level of anxiety that kept me paralyzed. Unable to get out of my own head, I turned my focus from the call of God. Yup I was a victim of people pleasing in a way that was subtle but very present. That weight was heavy! Taking the time to recognize that it was a weight gave me the wisdom to know how to pray for assistance. With prayer, I am determined to set aside this weight refocusing my attention to the call of God on my life in this season.
Finally focused I am striving to remain in the race that God has just for me. How often have you heard this the saying “Stay in your lane.”? It’s from this passage in the bible (Hebrews 12:2), reminding us to run our own race. Focused on the directive the Lord gave to each of us individually. That doesn’t mean that we won’t cross paths with others much like Jesus did when He walked the Earth. Yet like Jesus, we must constantly stay in relationship with the Father for guidance which affirms our personal “lane” or “race”. What you may be thinking is how do I figure out my lane?
For me, the same topic kept coming up randomly in conversations with different people, when reading scripture, and a burning internal desire to move forward with an activity. What may come to mind is the Baader-Meinhof Phoenmenon, but this feeling is different. It doesn’t go away no matter how much you put it off. Once action is taken there is a peace that arrives with increased awareness of the next steps. That is how I know what my lane is. I encourage you to spend time in pray and assessing the calling you have in your life.
Looking back at the scripture, without the desire to endure through the ebbs and flows, I did the bare minimum required. Although it felt like I was being obedient, I wasn’t. I was doing what felt good to me. That is my truth. As I work to build my endurance muscles, I have redirected my focus, actively participating in the current request God has asked of me. So here is my understanding in a nutshell:
- Remember what God has shown you. Recall people and experiences that remind you of the power of God.
- Recognize your distractions. The areas in your life that keep you from walking in obedience to God’s call on your life.
- Remain consistent. Focus on building a relationship with God.
I am sure there is so much more within this passage of scriptures, and I pray God continues to reveal it to us with clarity as we, His children, follow His guidance. Be blessed!
Amen and Glory to God!! Thank you my sister for sharing this powerful word. I felt that “stay in your lane” / “run your own race” to my core. God has set my race and my destiny for me and me alone. It is mine and it reminds me to continue in my lane because I can’t run in anyone else’s race. 🙏🏽💜
This is powerful. Thank you for your transparency. So many things will come to try to stop/hinder us from going to the next level. You have provided great insight. Keeping focus, prayers and seeking guidance of the Holy Spirit 🙏🏾
Amen, and Amen. It’s a great feeling when we identify what those distractions are, and an even greater feeling when we learn how to shift and refocus! Great read Sis
Amen, and Amen. It’s a great feeling when we identify what those distractions are, and an even greater feeling when we learn how to shift and refocus! Great read Sis