As I was doing my devotional this morning, I felt called to start reading the Bible myself, not just following a devotional plan. So, I started in Matthew. I’ve made it a goal to get through the entire New Testament in 2021! (If you want to join me, click HERE to get a FREE download of the reading plan!)
I read chapters 1 and 2 to start. Do you know how Matthew begins? He starts with the story of Jesus’s Genealogy. Then, he goes through the birth of Jesus and Jesus’s early years with the perspective of Joseph. Before I read this, I can’t say that I’ve thought about Joseph too much. Joseph was Mary’s soon to be husband when she found out that she was going to be the mother to the Son of God. Throughout the entire first 2 chapters, Matthew describes Joseph as a man of action. He has dreams of what God is telling him to do, and Joseph does it. He jumps right in! Joseph is told to marry Mary AND move countries TWO TIMES in these dreams.. and that’s the cliff-notes version of events.
I don’t have that kind of faith… do you? I wish I did. I want to. But at this point in my life? No way. I’m not a jumper. I question. I want to know next steps before I take my first one. But that’s not faith, that’s fear. And when we let fear rule our lives instead of faith, we get a life that isn’t what God had planned for us.
This morning, I also read the story of Elisha. Again, I can’t say that I’ve thought about this person much throughout my Bible Studies. However, Elisha has this same kind of action packed faith that Joseph has. (Elisha is introduced to us in 1 Kings 19:14-21) When Elijah tells Elisha to follow him because it is God’s will, Elisha drops everything and does what God has called him to do.
Not only does he drop everything, he literally BURNS his past. He goes to tell his parents goodbye and kills his ox and cooks it for the family. Elisha even burned his plowing equipment before leaving.
When Elisha found out his calling, he let go of his past to jump into God’s plans for him. Elisha didn’t ask questions. He didn’t make lists or contingency plans. He jumped.
Are you willing to burn your past and leave it all behind for the Lord? I want to be that person! What behaviors or patterns do you need to burn this year? ED behaviors, thought patterns, anxieties, past mistakes and memories that are holding you back could all fall into this category.
God doesn’t define you by your past mistakes, he defines you by what He has called you to do and what He knows to be true. He defines you as beautifully and wonderfully made. He defines you with his plans for the future. He defines you as a mighty warrior. If the definitions that run through your mind don’t fit into God’s definition of you then those need to be burned before you start the new year!
How often does God tell me to do something and instead of doing it, I ask 20 questions? How often has God laid it on my heart to burn my past and move on and instead I’ve held onto it tighter? How many times has God told me to move and I’ve firmly planted my feet in protest?
What we can all learn from these two men in the Bible is that following God doesn’t take much- it just takes faith and trust. There is no money, prerequisites, or questions that need to be answered. We just have to jump in.
As we go into a new year, I encourage you to take this perspective. God doesn’t ask us to do things to make our lives worse. He asks us to do things to fulfill His plan, which will ALWAYS end in good. The enemy holds us back from God’s plan for our lives with lies about how we know better than God! The enemy convinces us that holding onto control in our lives will lead to happiness when in actuality holding onto control leads to anxiety and a life lived unfulfilled.
As you start planning goals for 2020, pray about what God wants you to do with your time here on earth. Look towards the things that make you truly happy. I have a positive goal planning guide here to help you get started and make 2021 the year that you follow God unashamed and unafraid. Make this the year that the enemy doesn’t hold you back, but instead the year that you shed the identity that the enemy has given you and dress yourself in the purpose that God created just for you.
Drop your email below to join my weekly devotionals list! In 2021 we will be going through the New Testament together. If you start late, don’t worry about it! I will have any Bible Studies saved to my Instagram (@heightinheels) where you can pick up anytime to watch and learn with me.
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