Need to Get Back on the Road to Life in 2019?

Have you ever felt directionally challenged?

When you were supposed to go right, you went left and got lost?

Don’t feel bad, you are not alone.  Do you remember the two believers traveling on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13? They were heading away from Jerusalem while consumed by the disappointment of Jesus’ death. They failed to realize Jesus was walking right beside them with the roadmap.

How many times have we unknowingly traveled on the wrong road by focusing on missed opportunities, dashed hopes, and frustrated plans?  That demonic trap will keep you lost in a stupor of hopelessness, depression, and fear.

I ask clients during counseling, “Where do you think you first traveled off the narrow road that led to your current situation?”  That is where Jesus is beckoning you to return to lead you back to victory.

The Bible lays out the path to the Promised Land, but to persevere you need to know the route.  Here is a hint; it’s more than a two-step dance of leaving and entering, going and getting.  That microwave mindset is the graveyard for New Year resolutions.

Let me show you the biblical pattern of the path, so you so you can take off the grave clothes and press through to victory.

The Biblical Path – Five Stages to Victory

1. Leaving. If God is asking you to leave a physical location, mindset, or relationship, it will always be your choice. You can stay in a comfortable rut or respond as Abraham did and embarked in obedience without all the details.

In Gen. 12:1, the Lord said to Abraham, Go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father’s house to the land which I will show you.

Abraham was brave, and once he gave God the movement, he was able to direct his steps.  Without motion, God has nothing to work with. Be forewarned, in this stage, the enemy tries to focus your attention on the consequences.  It’s where the “what ifs” want to sabotage your emotions and keep you stuck. Be strong, they are misleading and short-lived if your mind is set on God. That will help you prepare for what is coming in stage 2!

2. Famine. Wait, that’s probably not the reward you expected when you agreed to leave, is it? However, it’s right there in Gen 12:10.

Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the hunger was severe in the nation.

This does not line up with our plans. This phase surprised me. I left Corporate America expecting my counseling career to soar after I graduated from the Master’s program but the famine was real, and it put me on my face with God for almost 18 months and was in stage 3.

3. Stretching. This is where faith and trust help you drop old expectations and lean on The Word. It is a time of preparation where you intentionally go deep with God.  I called this the hardest of times and the best of times. I was alone with God, and I let go in time for stage 4.
4. Death. I’m sure your thinking by now, when does it get better? Hang on we are almost there! In this phase, your dream has to line up with the way God wants it to look.  Until now, God has allowed you to white-knuckle the steering wheel but in this phase, you surrender it completely, and it feels good.

I had no job, no ministry work, no idols, and no sign of things improving but I had peace because it was right where I was supposed to be –heading into stage 5.

5. Resurrection. Finally! This is where God opens doors, and opportunities begin to line up. All my striving brought no fruit, but in this stage, it was effortless. The office opened, the clients came, and the full promise was realized for His glory.

Are you ready to move with God?.

Make this declaration today:

^“ Lord, you said those who walk in your ways and perform your services will have a rule in your house, charge in your courts and open access.  I say to this great mountain in front of me that it will become a plain and you will place the capstone with shouts of Grace, grace to it!”  Zec. 3:7 & 4:7

Want more? check out “What Happens When Women Walk in Faith” by Lysa Terkurst and my new book, “God’s View Today-Adjusting the Lens on Healing and Deliverance.”

Make this year great for God by living the dream in 2019. His path always leads to resurrection life! Need professional help finding your way back? We’re just a click away.