What’s Holding You Back?

“Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely My own.” (John 7:17 NLT)

Where is your heart leading you in this new year? BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL! According to Jeremiah the Prophet: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT)

Perhaps a better way to step into this new year would be to do what King David did. He prayed: “Search me , O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT)

The appeal of the world is real and strong, I’ll not deny that, but if you want to live for God, there is absolutely NOTHING that can keep you from it! John wrote in 1 John 4:4 (AMP): “Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.”

What’s holding you back? Satan can cause you to believe that you are powerless against the forces of evil that have you chained to a life of selfishness and sin, a life that you desperately desire to escape. Somehow you’ve come to believe there is no escape. You feel trapped, defeated, discouraged, and out of energy to believe anything will ever change. Your heart, on rare occasion, seeks refuge in the thought that things can change, but quickly retreats in the face of the insurmountable odds, that in your mind, are stacked against you.

When the angels introduced to the shepherds the good news of Jesus’ birth, they said: “Don’t be afraid…I bring you good news that will bring great joy to ALL people.” (Luke 2:10 NLT) Do you know who is included in that great news? You are! No one is exempt! “But how will I ever break free of these addicitive chains that are holding me so tightly?” Put your full trust in God! You don’t have the strength, the resources, the ability to make your own path straight, but God does!

Shortly after the Hebrew slaves were liberated from their Egyptian masters, the Egyptians decided they’d made a mistake letting the Israelites go. So they sent their whole army after them. The Bible says in Exodus 14:10: “As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them.” Was their panic justified? Absolutely! Did their panic sway or change the plans of God in any way? Of course not! God did what only God could do in their situation, and they walked across the sea on dry ground. The same God who delivered the Israelites will deliver you!

Paul said in Ephesians 3:20: “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think..” Might it take time to deal with all the baggage you’ve accumulated over the years? Of course. Might you fail in keeping up with what God is seeking to accomplish in and through you? Probably. Does that mean you shouldn’t trust Him and begin the journey to wholeness in Him? Absolutely not!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take that step right now. With everything that is within you say, “Yes, Lord! Do in and through and on my behalf what I could never in eternity ever do for myself. Help me to walk in the light You give me, one step at a time, trusting You to lead me into healing, wholeness and fruitfulness to Your honor and praise.”

You CAN take the first step towards Him and He WILL guide you every step of the way. No One loves you more. No One has more power and resources to get you where you and He want you to be. To follow Jesus is, by far, the best decision I’ve ever made in my 74 years!

Blessings, Ed 😊