Sunday, October 14, 2018

Don’t Stop / Don’t Settle



Genesis 11:31-32  And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 12:1-5 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

This last Sunday, our church welcomed guest preacher, You-Tuber, international speaker, and coach, Sean Cannell to the pulpit for a message on progressing on the vision that God has called upon our lives. Sean expounded that no matter how old you are, God can use you. Along with the vision in which we set out on the road of life, we find stalls, potholes and breakdown upon our journey’s path. God had said the Abram’s father Terah, “go to Canaan”, but his vision was sidetracked and he was sidelined on the trip. The message is: Don’t stop and don’t settle. 

Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy
is he who keeps the law.”

A “power life” vision comes from God Almighty. Sight is a function of the eyes. But, vision is a function of the heart. We all need vision, but how clear is our vision?
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” God has not called us to less; He has called us to more. The devil tries to diminish our vision with lies and illusions designed to stall and cause us to settle for less than God’s calling on our life.

Sean identified three major vision-blockers that appear on the road of life. (1) Distractions. A basic rule is “keep your eyes on the road”. Living distracted can cause you to not get to your desired destination and not receive God’s best. Habakkuk 2:2 tells us: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” Is your vision written down so that you can focus on and pursue your goals with purpose? What is the vision that God has clearly communicated and placed upon your heart for your life? God is not calling us to stand still and stay here, so move forward.

(2) Doubters. Nehemiah 6:9 says For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands. The child of God can see what others cannot. There are discouragers to what you are trying to accomplish always. Be determined to keep going towards God’s vision for your life. Realize that others do not understand what God has called you to and what you see. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Audit you circle of confidants to remove negativity, gossip and complains that are vision-hitters and killers. But stay in church, the body of Christ, and guard God’s vision for you.

(3) Delay. There is so much going on in all our lives. There are always challenges and circumstances beyond our control on the journey of life which delay progress. But God has us, so trust and believe; always looking at Jesus. We are not defined by one chapter in our book of life. Remember that God has called us to a great purpose, so do not lose heart. In God we trust. In Christ we believe. So, have faith, stand firm and keep dreaming. Don’t stop / don’t settle. Get up and go!

In Christ, Brian

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