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Stop Focusing On The Finish Line And Run The Race

Stop Focusing On The Finish Line And Run The Race

Has life punched you in the face so much that you’re ready to give up?

There’s this huge temptation that will permeate your space where you (and others) will convince you that you’re finished. That somehow life is too difficult and will fuel this overwhelming feeling to quit before you’re done.

So many of us confuse quitting with failing.

Though my own battles I can assure you that everything God wants to start inside of you He wants to finish through you. The question is, how much inside of you is not finished yet? Some of us have our deepest regrets because there’s so much unfinished stuff inside of us.

Life continues to erode at our will to continue to move forward and somewhere along the way we lose our resolve, our determination, our courage, our faith and convince ourselves that we’ve lost our opportunity…and we quit. We often step into the narrative that if God wanted it to happen, it would happen, right? How many of us think this way to protect ourselves?

God never has a crisis of faith…He just has a crisis of us!

—Erwin McManus

Let’s step into the story of Caleb, around Joshua chapter 14 where we find him refusing to quit when everyone else was done. Joshua and his leaders have stepped into the promised land and have seen battle after battle and conquest after conquest. We pick up in the story line where Joshua is at the end of this era and begins to divide the land up.

Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. —Joshua 14:6,7

Many of us want to camp out on the facts alone, but we forget that the facts are always wrapped up in us. Ever wonder how two different people come back with the same facts and walk two different paths?

…but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.” —Joshua 14:8.9

Caleb is reminding Joshua of when Moses sent them out together to spy on the land and they were the only two that came back with a good report. All the others didn’t want to go there because they were afraid of what they saw and convinced themselves that there was no future there.

“Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.) Then the land had rest from war. —Joshua 14:10-15

There’s something here that I don’t want you to miss, “…then Joshua blessed Caleb!” Not sure you caught this, but Joshua blessed Caleb by giving him territory that was still at war. That seems a bit crazy, doesn’t it? Joshua blessed Caleb by giving him another battle that he could step into. So often we think that when God blesses us, He gives us peace and makes things easy for us. So, what have you resolved to? A land of peace where battles don’t exist or a space in turmoil where you can bring the peace?

Caleb shouts out with volume and vigor, “I’M NOT FINISHED YET!” — and neither are you! I’ve had to battle through being born with a broken leg, growing up daily being bullied, sexual abuse, divorce, and a bout of skin cancer, etc. And I have resolved myself to a place where I’m still standing because I’m not finished with facing life’s obstacles!

Without the anticipation of better things ahead, we will have no heart for the journey.

—John Eldredge

Before you think about giving up; remember that God left Abraham with his knife raised…ready to plunge into Isaac’s heart (and Isaac waiting for the knife to strike…yikes!); He left Joseph suffering for years in an Egyptian prison; he allowed the Israelites to suffer 400 years of bondage under the Egyptians and leaves those same Israelites backed against the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s chariots bearing down on them. He abandoned Jesus at the cross and does not rescue Him at all. And then there are those of us who are groaning under the weight of life and things that have gone very wrong, waiting for that same Jesus to return and sweep us up with Him in power and glory. We often shout out in our weariness, places of desperation and pain, “How long, O Lord? What the heck!” — forgetting the epic ending to these stories.

So many of us forfeit our future by camping out in the bitterness of circumstances, which just fuels the demand to live in the past. I know life’s tough, but here’s some wisdom I learned along the way; God wants to do something in you and through you. And you must believe that your resolve, your perseverance, your pain, your sacrifice and your wounds are the very materials that God is using to accomplish this. Remember that there’s a contribution that God wants to make through your life, so when you get knocked down, get back up.

If you haven’t figure this out yet, God often calls us to battles where the deck is completely stacked against us, just to add drama to the story. And there is this clear picture, even from God Himself, that He does this to demonstrate His own glory. You need to decide in your own heart that you’re not finished yet and you will continue to run the race! No matter what life throws your way, lean into God, face the battle and never give up!

heartstonePick up a copy of my book, Heartstone: A Journey out of the midnight of my soul.Heartstone is a journey of destiny, a story of a life turned upside-down for the best possible reason. Step into the story and discover what happens when a broken life has a head on collision with a broken world! [WARNING] This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for those who have the courage to face life head on and walk it out with God!

July 17, 2019 Filed Under: Life Tagged With: broken, courage, divorce, faith, featured, God, hope, Jesus, journey, life

Will You Walk The Ancient Paths?

Will You Walk The Ancient Paths?

I have been walking the road of life for almost 50 years, pressing into God and seeking council from wiser men of character who have traveled the ancient paths that Jeremiah talks about.

“Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it. And you will find rest for your souls.” -Jeremiah 6:16

Through good times, hardship and the fathering mentors God has placed in my path; I have discovered a treasure trove of counsel and insight I offer to share with other men who are courageously choosing to become wholehearted courageous men of God!

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December 12, 2017 Filed Under: Life Tagged With: courage, featured, God, identity, Jesus, poetry

7 Habits To Help You Man Up

7 Habits To Help You Man Up

We are on a collision course with the the demise of our culture as we know it because there is an epidemic of men checking out! Far too many men have no direction or vision in life, are becoming emasculated at an epidemic rate and are scared little boys that have never crossed over into authentic manhood. In today’s postmodern culture the meaning and image of true masculinity is seriously getting diluted, tainted, watered-down and completely lost. Unfortunately the narrative that’s being played out today is ‘boys in men’s bodies’ with only a few wanting to be men…but not exactly knowing how, while others remain nonchalant.

Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.

-Stephen Covey

A common theme is that’s emerging is men and boys have become increasingly confused about their identity and role in today’s society. Fathers are not passing the mantle, media portrays men as incompetent, and society praises the “castration” of men. This subtle message has increasingly influenced the collective unconscious with devastating repercussions and young men have taken the bait of adverse societal cues as an excuse to avoid responsibility and never grow up!

For those young men who feel rudderless in today’s postmodern culture, here are some habits that will set you apart from the decaying norm and kick start your journey into authentic manhood.

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August 22, 2017 Filed Under: Life Tagged With: courage, featured, journey, leadership, stepup

There’s Only One Way To Face Life, And Here It Is…

There’s Only One Way To Face Life, And Here It Is…

I love the scene from J. R. R Tolkien’s “The Return of the King” where Aragon is desperately outnumbered. He looks fear right in the eye and finds the strength to inspire his men against what seems like an almost certain defeat against the massive forces of the enemy. Standing firm and riding in front of his army, he declares,
 
I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
A day may come when the courage of men fails,
when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship,
…but it is not this day! This day we fight!
By all that you hold dear on this good earth,
I bid you stand…
 
Sounds so easy in the movies, doesn’t it?

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April 25, 2017 Filed Under: Life Tagged With: courage, crisis, faith, featured, God, journey

Why Self-Promotion Disqualifies You

Why Self-Promotion Disqualifies You

God has given me a calling with ‘Heartstone Journey’ and there are days that I struggle with wanting more of my portion. It wasn’t until I came across the story of Gehazi in 2 King 5, where I got a reality check on the dangers of adopting this heart attitude. Sad reality is…many of us have it.

We don’t like being in the process and want more…or we want to become the “head guy” before we’re ready. We convince ourselves that we’ve put our time in and we should get what’s “owed” to us, right? This is the heart attitude that began to take hold of Gehazi. He was a servant of the prophet Elisha and served him with honor for many years until on day, he used Elisha’s name for his own dishonest personal gain — self-promotion.

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” He said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'” -2 kings 5:21-22

Let’s see what happens…

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March 28, 2017 Filed Under: Life Tagged With: featured, God, life

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Favorite Quotes

An adventure is, by its nature, a thing that comes to us. It is a thing that chooses us, not a thing that we choose. -Chesterton

Cool Scripture

If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? -Jeremiah 12:5 (NIV)

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