“But the land into which you are about to
cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of
heaven, a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God
are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year."Deuteronomy 11:11-12 (NASB)
Hello,
Friend:
Have
you ever found yourself on an unexpected journey? My husband and I are there
right now. He is working on his first doctor of ministry course and
diligently seeking God’s next ministry assignment (he has been a pastor for
over 25 years), and I am attempting to build a speaking, writing, and
counseling business.
Unexpected
journeys can be scary things, but as Holley Gerth says above: “When you are
always taking the next step of obedience, fear of the future diminishes.”
Praise God we don’t have to invent His will! We work hard, pray hard, and
take the next step of obedience. We don’t always know the final
destination, but we are called to be obedient and enjoy the journey.
You
may have heard of the “one word” challenge. Instead of writing out a long
list of new years resolutions, you ask the Holy Spirit to give you one word to
focus on for the year. My one word for 2015 is “journey”.
I
think of the words of Bilbo Baggins from the movie, “An Unexpected Journey”:
Hobbit:
You! Mr. Bilbo, where are you off to?
Bilbo
Baggins: I'm already late.
Hobbit:
Late for what?
Bilbo
Baggins: I'm going on an adventure.
My
husband and I are choosing to view this season of study and transition in
ministry as an adventure!
Moses
spoke to Old Testament Israel about the Promised Land and God’s watchcare for
it. Similarly, God has a spiritual “land” for us to possess. It will
have deep valleys and steep hills. We must fight the good fight of faith
and persevere to dwell in it. We can apply the promise to ourselves that
the eyes of the Lord are upon us, from the beginning even to the end of the
year.
Friends
I’m going to be gut honest. The deeper the Lord calls us to trust in Him
and follow Him in loving obedience, the more firey darts Satan shoots at
us. For me especially, the enticements of the world seek to draw me to
old patterns of sin. Please pray for me, that my faith will not
fail. I don’t want to be late for this adventure!
I
close with the words of an awe-inspiring hymn:
‘He
Leadeth Me’
He
leadeth me, O blessed thought!
O
words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er
I do, where’er I be
Still
’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
Refrain: He
leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own
hand He leadeth me;
His
faithful follower I would be,
For by His
hand He leadeth me.
Sometimes
mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes
where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By
waters calm, o’er troubled sea,
Still
’tis His hand that leadeth me. (Refrain)
Lord,
I would clasp Thy hand in mine,
Nor
ever murmur nor repine;
Content,
whatever lot I see,
Since
’tis my God that leadeth me. (Refrain)
And
when my task on earth is done,
When,
by Thy grace, the vict’ry’s won,
E’en
death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since
God through Jordan leadeth me. (Refrain)
Joseph
H. Gilmore, 1862.
Cheryl Lutz is
passionate to teach women how to tear down strongholds and find freedom in
Christ. A pastor’s wife for twenty-five years, Cheryl possesses a vibrant love
for teaching the Word of God. She is the founder of Securely Held,
LLC, where she works as a trained and experienced lay counselor and
speaker.
You may
contact Cheryl through her blog at:www.securelyheld.com
On
Facebook: www.facebook.com/securelyheld
Twitter:
@clutz40
Email: clutz40@gmail.com
