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closer to God's best

"Every point we have a check or a hesitation before obedience to God in our lives is God calling us to be closer to Him."  Matt Chandler

That is an awesome point.  He shared that at the leadership meeting called Catalyst that I attended with some of our people and some friends last week in Atlanta.  If you were at The Community this past Sunday, you know that God is working in my heart drawing me and us closer to Him.  It is at those points where we have hesitation that God is trying to get and wants our attention, yet that is also the point that we often miss some of His best for us.

Did you hear that?  We often miss the things that God has for us.  The reason is because we are not close enough to Him and we are not obeying Him.  No, we don't serve a God who has a big stick ready to beat us when we don't follow Him.  We serve a God, the God who is ready to bless us and love on us when we get closer to Him.  That is where we find His best, real sweetness and the greatest of time we will ever have.

What keeps us from obeying God?

Hebrews 12:1-3 (New Living Translation) ---  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up.


Jesus knows best.  Why?  He is the founder of faith.  What is it like to spend time with the is one who began it?  He not only has the plan in His mind, but He has His best for us in His heart.  That is why we have to set aside the things that keep us from keeping us.  We have to take the opportunities to answer the hesitation and to walk with Jesus.  It is not easy, but it is right.

Jesus began this faith journey thing, and He also is perfecting it or making it right for us all.  He walked the path not just planned it out.  He took our pain and didn't just set it aside.  Like the verses above says, He is our champion, the winner and He is everything.

So, where do we go from here?  We must look at where we are and listen to those moments of hesitation.  Listen close.  And follow Jesus.  What will we miss if we don't?  Seeing those moments and seizing those moments will bring us closer to God's best.

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