Fear sometimes steals our victory, thus paralyzing our ability to act. But action is, more often than not, the best remedy to reach your very own Promised Land—often despite fear. And to restore your power to act, you must first address the larger issue: your thinking.
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Excerpted from my Raymond Waites Morning Pages journal on May 22, 2017
Morning Pages again. I’m going to try to keep them up through the end of this notebook. I know they need to be written, if for nothing else than the discipline of beginning a work so that it will be completed, and the way to completion revealed. As long as I fear taking action and staying committed to seeing that action through to the end, I’ll never get to the “Promised Land” of my own goals and dreams.
Before Israel could get to their Promised Land, they had to move forward. Before they could move forward, they had to wait on God—as the cloud over the tabernacle—to move first and lead the way.
As long as I fear taking action and committing to seeing that action through to the end, I’ll never get to the “Promised Land” of my own goals and dreams.
Moses was the earthly leader they had to follow. They were all sheep, remember. So are we. Today, however, the Holy Ghost of God is our shepherd. Nudging us time and again to follow His lead.
For instance, when the children of Israel were crossing the Red Sea, Moses stayed behind…oops. I just found the reference, and he couldn’t have stayed behind; maybe it’s from a movie. Anyway, there’s bound to be an instance somewhere in the Bible where God/Jesus led from behind while the servants moved forward. Now I’m curious. I’ll have to do some studying on that!1
Sometimes God leads from behind!
The point remains: One must move forward to obtain one’s own Promised Land. Just as we must all “Work out our own salvation,” we must work out our fears, our struggles, our doubts, et al., to enter our individual Promised Land.
But don’t forget, Israel experienced many trials and tests along the way to their Promise. They relied on God for their food, water, clothing, shelter, and healing. Their leader, Moses, died just before the Promise was obtained, and a new leader, Joshua, stepped in to fill his sandals. Then, the penultimate battle—and victory—ensued: Jericho. What was impossible with man was made possible by and with God. The walls fell, the city was conquered, the Promised Land was finally obtained! All because they obeyed God.
Obeying God is always coupled with action!
Morning Pages Journal
Speak, Lord
·
May 19
“To obey is better than sacrifice.” These words spoken by Samuel, the prophet and last judge of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, are sometimes hard to swallow. Because, quite often, obedience is a sacrifice in itself.
There is no obedience without action. By definition, to obey means to perform an act of submission. We are not truly submitted to God unless we are willing to put works (action) behind our faith. Faith without works is dead, and so it is with our dreams, goals, and aspirations—and those God Himself has for us. They are lifeless, without their own soul.
Action is the soul of inspiration!
Without action, your inspiration will be a lifeless husk. A mere shell of thought. It takes action to breathe life into your tasks. These actions then serve as servants in obtaining your Promised Land.
[Talking to myself here.] What actions do you need to take, starting today? Your Morning Pages are one action; reading your devotional is another. Well done, but don’t stop there. The day is still young and malleable. So write, play, sing, dance, worship, exercise, sleep, read. Do whatever action you feel God is calling you to, and the next signpost will appear. You won’t see it until you move toward it, so move! Ready. Fire. Aim!!!
This is peculiar thinking, yes, but we, as God’s children, are called to be a peculiar people. If we are to act on God’s behalf, then we must adopt God’s kind of thinking. This way of thinking must be so ingrained in our lives that it becomes second nature and no longer feels awkward to us. It must become muscle memory for our brains to repeat day in and day out. Our thoughts and imaginations must be brought into captivity and obedience to Christ.
When you feel God’s presence moving from your tabernacle, follow. Allow your thoughts to be led as well as your body, and watch what happens when God shows out and shows up!
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