Focussing on God, avoiding distractions

[tango]

An interesting insight came to me this morning.

I've been thinking that after the initial "rush" of coming back to God wears off it's very easy to get caught up in the ways of the world. The little things that we'd all prefer not to find ourselves doing start to creep back in (for myself it's often hard to maintain grace, patience etc on a jam-packed commuter train every day)

I've often caught myself thinking that it would be so much easier to follow, to be more overtly Christian and so on, if only I could get rid of these tendencies. It's easy to think that any public statements are too easily compromised by being less than perfect.

Today it was as if God was telling me to just go for it, to focus on walking with him rather than worrying about whether every little thing was perfect before starting out. If I'm spending my time feeling bogged down by the ways I'm not perfect, caught up with feelings of guilt every time I trip up, I'm always looking backwards rather than looking forwards.

In a physical battle the warrior waits until he is victorious before cleaning his sword - if he stopped to polish it repeatedly during the battle he would soon fall. The spiritual battle is no different.

[Teke]

Amen, hindsight and foresight can be a stumbling block for us. It's a noisy world, and we are looking for the stillness of quiet.

Psa 46:10 Be still (literally quiet), and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

[turtledove]

In a physical battle the warrior waits until he is victorious before cleaning his sword - if he stopped to polish it repeatedly during the battle he would soon fall. The spiritual battle is no different.

Great analogy!

Also: take a look at this in Joshua 6:2>>Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands along with its kind and its fighting men."

God had given Joshua the victory even before they marched around the city blowing the rams' horns. Victory was given and proclaimed even before the fall of Jericho.

[Frances]

Today it was as if God was telling me to just go for it, to focus on walking with him rather than worrying about whether every little thing was perfect before starting out. .

Isaiah 30:21 " Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying 'this is the way, walk in it' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left."

In other words we are supposed to be submitted to Him and do what seems right at the time, but always be prepared to hear the Lord correct us when we are about to do what is wrong.

(unfortunately, I sometimes dismiss His Voice thnking it's just me trying to get out of doing something I'd rather not do and discover my mistake too late. )