It is the second week of January and already obstacles rush in the set up road blocks.  Can you relate?  I set goals, wrote down the plan, and then bam—sickness comes upon the house.  Who has time for that?  Well, not me, because my plan is all about moving forward. Sometimes it’s the stupid, small issues that can turn you around.  Actually, as I sit writing this blog post our server is down and I can’t access anything online.  Seriously, what is going on?

 

Opposition comes in all shapes and sizes, but its purpose remains the same: to knock us down.  In fact, I’d go so far as to say the sole goal of opposition is to knock us off course and harass us with lies.  It’s the whole strategy of distraction. So, barely on the way and you hit a road block? Here are 5 truths to overcoming the obstacles of moving forward, because pursuing goals, dreams, and living on purpose requires a certain fortification.  You can certainly map it out and make detailed plans, but you need strength to walk it out.

 

 

 

 

Moving forward is not easy

 

I’m not sure why I thought it might be easier having a plan because it isn’t.  The truth of the matter is that it may actually be harder.  Wait, what?  You heard me. Follow my logic for a minute.  If you don’t have a plan set, it is much easier to abandon ship and go on as before.  When you take time to pray things through, write out dreams, and set goals there is more at stake; it is not so easy to turn away.

 

So what do you do when you face opposition?  Well, you start by remembering who you are and why you are pursuing this goal to begin with.  You have to fortify dreams and goals with the promises of scripture.  This is NOT about manipulating scripture to back up what you want.  Fortifying your dreams with the promises of scripture is actually about submitting them to the LORD.  When you try to manipulate God to do things your way, you will always be disappointed.  Acknowledge the way is hard and press on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving forward means rehearsing truth

 

Moving forward means you stand on the truth of who God is, and who you are as His, so when the obstacles come on hard, you can hold your ground.  I am working on my heart to let go.  The temptation is to give into lies of defeat, which feels ridiculous to even say, but it’s real.  Can you relate?  Listen, here’s an important lesson we need to learn to implement.  Take captive every thought and submit it to the LORD.  Lay it before him and allow the Holy Spirit to bring it into alignment with God.

 

Not all is lost.  The truth of the matter is that timelines are only a small part of the whole.  When issues arise we need to learn how to make contingencies and continue to move forward.  Course corrections are not failures, they are adjustments.  Learning to recognize that is important. Remind your heart to believe the truth, it is a script you want on constant repeat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving forward means cutting off lies and unbelief

 

Did you know that sometimes you can actually become your own opposition?  Talk about tension.  One part of you moves one way while the other part of you is resolved to remain right where you are.  Have you ever experienced this?  I know I have.  It is challenging to want something but be afraid to move toward it.

 

In the beginning of my season of “Rest and Wait,” the LORD gave me a particular passage of scripture to study.  It was a portion of Psalm 37.

 

Trust in the LORD and do good.  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.  Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.  Commit everything you do to the LORD.  Trust him, and he will help you.

(Psalm 37:3-5)

 

Initially, upon reading this scripture, I felt frustrated.  What was he saying to me?  Did I lack trust? Was I not delighting in him enough?  If so, how on earth could I change that?  I’ve learned along the way, that I hate the idea of failure—at all.

 

When I read this passage it felt like a rebuke.  I came up lacking…again.  But God is faithful and full of mercy.  He continued to draw me in and revealed that this was not a rebuke, but rather and invitation.

 

You see, fear opens the way for the enemy to come in and plant lies. Fear is an insidious sin because it can be subtle and easily justified.  But fear is dangerous and cannot be ignored.  Fear that is left alone will always hold you back and ultimately kill you. Learning to recognize the places of fear and cutting them down is the key in moving forward.

 

 

 

 

Moving forward requires letting go

 

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. (John 15:2-3)

 

I am not a gardener.  But I live with one, so I get an up close look this very principle.  It literally makes me sad when I go out into the yard and see all the bushes and shrubs cut back after the growing season.  They look stripped and barren, but then spring comes and these plants take off and produce more than the previous year.  It amazes me.

 

It is the same for us spiritually.  In order to thrive and produce (moving forward), we need to let go of both the dead stuff weighing us down and some of the good stuff, to make way for the better stuff.  Think about it for a minute.  Do you hold tightly to good things simply because they are good?  Is it time to prune to make way for new, exponential growth?

 

Letting go isn’t easy, whether it is toxic stuff that acts as bondage, or good stuff that just stifles new growth. No, letting go isn’t easy, but it is necessary. And an important side note is that some the biggest obstacles come in the form of really good things.  Learning to sift between the good and the best is a valuable thing to learn.  One of the ways to do this is by keeping the dreams and goals visible and discerning whether or not the current distraction is going to add or take away from it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moving forward is ongoing

 

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.

(Hebrews 12:1-2)

 

Let me be honest, this is a tough one for me.  I do not like open-ended things.  There is way too much room for me to get lost and distracted with the myriad of options to choose between.  But the goal is eternity and it is the race of our lives! Every little goal gives way to the next goal, which then in turn gives way to the next one.  We are always moving forward toward the heart of the Father, and so the goal of the life we live today is always about alignment with Him—always.

 

Dreams and goals surrendered to the LORD go through an amazing process of refinement, just as surrendered hearts do.  Laying it all down is not about giving up the dream or the goal it’s about lining it up correctly.  Alignment is a fantastic thing.  Amazing how much distance you can travel when your tires are aligned right and the GPS is online.

 

 

 

Going for it

Here’s to moving forward!  It may not be easy, but it is worth it.  We are designed to succeed and achieve, but not as purpose.  It is important to remember that these are only the vehicle to fulfillment.  What I mean is everything we do should flow out of who we are.  We were made to be loved by God and to love him back.  Every goal, every dream, every purpose should align with that, because when it does there is fulfillment.

 

So go for it: line it up, lay it out, and walk on!