What Gets In Your Way? "And Joshua said, 'Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!' " Joshua 7:7 (NKJV) Joshua was frustrated. The people of Israel had just defeated Jericho. Then they turned to the small city of Ai. Only a small amount of soldiers were needed to defeat this city, yet the Israelites were not winning this battle. Why? Read Joshua 7:10-12. There was sin in the camp, as my Dad said in one of his sermons. Have you ever felt like what you were doing for God was the right thing, yet felt frustrated that you were not accomplishing what you thought you should? If that is true for you, what is getting in your way? Take a good look at yourself. Is there some worldly thing, thought or action that you have allowed to put a block between you and God? If there is, take it away. Get rid of it just like the Israelites had to get rid of the sin that was in their camp before they could win battles for God. Only when we come to God in His way will we be able to receive blessings from God. "Then if my people, who are called by my name, are sorry for what they have done, if they pray and obey me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14, NCV) Let go of the world and turn yourself completely to God. Then you will be able to accomplish all that God desires for you and He will give you peace.
	What We Need to Wait "Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:3-4 (NKJV) It is so very hard to wait. But there are such rewards when we do. In order to wait on God, we may have to change our lifestyle. Why? Think about what we need in order to wait. We must have faith. The solutions to the issues we may be facing may not be clear right at the moment. How do we build faith to wait? "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17) As you study and apply the Scriptures to your life, your faith will be strengthened because you will see that God's way is and always has been best. We must be humble. As long as we think we are the "king/queen of the world" we will have a tendency to rush ahead of God. We will think that our way is the only way and will not open ourselves up to be led by God. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (Matthew 15:5) We need to remember who is in control of our lives and humble ourselves to live by His plan. We must, as said before, have patience. If we are patient, we will have a calm and peaceful spirit while we wait on the opportunities that we need. The only way to have this is to believe, truly believe, that God is who He says He is and that He will fulfill His promises. We must also have courage. We want to know the end of the story before it's played out. We want to know exactly what's going to happen and when. We can never fully know this during our life on earth. We must hold steady and trust. "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave your nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
			Why Do We Fail? "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10: 28-31 (Today's NIV) With God, we can accomplish all that we need to on this earth. He will provide strength, courage, opportunities; everything we need. So, why do people fail to follow God's plan for their life? There are some very real reasons. One is fear. Fear defeats so many on the road to accomplish whatever they are attempting to do. It may be fear of making mistakes. None of us like to "mess up". So many times, we allow this kind of fear to keep us from even trying. At other times, it is fear of having our weaknessed exposed. We hide away so no one can ever truly see or know us. When we do this, we do not allow opportunity for God to use us in His kingdom to encourage others. We must remember that we are not alone. There are many others who have the same fears and concerns that we have, even the same weaknesses. As the church, we are supposed to encourage and build each other up. Open yourself to others so that we can accomplish God's plan for our lives together. Don't allow fear to control your life. Will there be times that you don't succeed? Possibly. But you will never accomplish anything if you don't try. Trust in God to lead you in the right path. Put your faith in Him and leave a life of fear. We can do it together!!
		Your Purpose "God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing." Ephesians 2:10 (NCV) There are some things that are involved in seeking God's purpose for your lives. Have you ever heard the word sanctified? You must become sanctified in order to follow the path God has for you. Being sanctified means being freed from sin, becoming holy. Sin will stand in the way between you and God. As long as you keep sin in your lives, you cannot follow God's purpose. Being a good steward is also a part of following God's purpose. You must work on having the right priorities for your time, talents and money (treasures). God's purpose must be first when you decide where to spend your time and money. His purpose should be first in deciding how to use your talents. Then you must become a servant. Matthew 20:20 says, "In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others, and to give his life as a ransom for many people." (NCV) You must also live to serve. That is the only way you will find God's purpose for your life. Look for God's purpose for you today!!