September 13 - Compelled to Move

September 13th, 2017 - Thoughts for your Week

Scripture: Isaiah 45: 2-3

"I will go before you and will level the mountains
I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."

Compelled to Move

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

Acts 20: 22-24 

Can you imagine getting to that place in your heart and mind that Paul got to in his faith in God? To be so compelled that no matter what the obstacle and no matter how great the pain, that you can still move forward in faith and hope and strength in whatever God has called you to. I’m wondering if you’re feeling what I felt when I first read these verses; overwhelmed, excited, challenged, perplexed, in awe, curious, maybe a little scared, or a lot scared?

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. I want what Paul had. I want to be compelled by the Spirit, to be spurred on to greater things that I can’t do on my own; that I can’t even imagine doing. I want to run the race with my whole being, full of passion and willingness to move into the unknown.

You may be at a point in your life where things are not panning out. Life is not going according to ‘the plan’. You may be wondering if God has forgotten you, or maybe He’s made a mistake in choosing you, or allowing some suffering in your life. But our God is not a God that sets us up for failure. He has already prepared you for whatever you are facing. You’ve been in training, perhaps your whole life, for this ‘thing’ He’s called you into. And He expects you to pass the test of it! He expects you to own the suffering, push through the fear, and overcome it with and through Him; all the while bringing glory to His name.

These are intense thoughts for sure, but if I’ve learned anything, it’s that there is no better place than to be tightly nestled next to our Savior; to know that we are wholly loved and cherished, that we are an original creation thought up by a mighty God who has the perfect plan for our lives. That’s what Paul understood about God; that no matter what happened to him, he knew his safety and freedom were founded in Christ.

Where are you in your relationship with Jesus? What is it that compels you? Are you at that place where you can say with conviction that “your only aim is to finish the race at all cost”? As much as it may seem terrifying at the prospect of not knowing what will happen to you, the safest place you can be is in the will of God, in His perfect plan for you. Press into Him and bring every part of yourself to Him. Hold back nothing. Be vulnerable to the point that it aches. I’ll leave you with these verses in The Message version…take some time to read and consider how and if these verses reflect your life…

 “But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.

Acts 20: 22-24 The Message

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in  despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

-2 Corinthians 4: 8-9