Go
From Following God's Signals
by on January 19, 2015
“Go” is the third and final segment in the Following God’s Signals series. The focus of today’s lesson is to go, make a change, and align ourselves with the will of God. Jesus told the woman in John 8:11 to, “go and sin no more” (KJV). “Go” was the first word Jesus said to her, and held much instruction for her life. When we are caught up in a lifestyle of sin, our instruction from God is to “go,” and our goal is to determine what that means for our life.
In the book of John 8, the woman caught in an act of adultery was centered in a circle of her accusers. This circle represented guilt, condemnation, failure, bad choices, etc. Those encircling her were vying for the opportunity to stone her. But, Jesus wanted to break the barriers of that circle.
Today, Jesus wants to break the same circle that is around us in our own situations. He has promised to break down every wall serving as a hindrance. However, until we decide to walk out of the chaos that is trying to overcome our spiritual and/or physical life, we will live in a circle that doesn’t have any borders―we choose to stay there.
If Jesus provides a doorway out of our situation, we need to walk out―walk away from what is destroying us. If we stay in the same place, continue what we’re doing, and don’t adopt a new mindset, we will experience the same results we’ve already experienced. We need to be attentive to the voice of God, follow the green light, and move!
Paul noted in Philippians 3:13–14:
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (KJV).
In order to walk away from what is destroying us, we need to think forward thoughts. Paul was reaching forward because he wanted to get away from his past. God wants us to move forward so we can grow stronger, get better, and draw closer to Him.
We don’t need to take a big step―we just have to move! God will celebrate even the little steps that we take. Paul noted that he didn’t have to be perfect; he just had to make progress! Luke 15:7 tells us that all heaven rejoices when one sinner repents. Repentance is just a little step! Just move away from the sin and reach toward Jesus.
Once we start going and making progress in our spiritual walk, we can’t give up. We cannot let anyone or anything convince us to stop. We have a mandate from God to keep going! Too many times we come close to overcoming our dilemma and we give up.
In II Kings 13:14–19, we read about king Joash. The prophet Elisha told him to shoot the arrow of deliverance, which represented future conquests over the Syrian army. With additional arrows, Elisha told Joash to hit the ground, and Joash only did so three times. Elisha told Joash that he would only obtain victory against Syria three times instead of five or six times. Joash stopped too soon.
We too have a pre-determined idea of our personal threshold―how much we think we can take. But, we don’t know what we’re capable of, especially when the Lord of Hosts is on our side. We need to stop trying to dictate to God what we think we can take. God will never put us in a place of defeat! He will never tempt us beyond what we are able (I Corinthians 10:13).
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (KJV). God isn’t going to set us up for failure and will make a way of escape. If we keep going, in due season we will reap the benefits (Galatians 6:9).
We need to get God involved in our situation from day one. He cares about what we’re going through. We need to get a vision from Him as to what our outcome will be―a vision is paramount (Proverbs 29:18). When we don’t understand His plan for our life, we will perish. Our vision needs to include starting at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus not only has an answer to every situation, He has the right answer. Isaiah 40:28 tells us that there isn’t anything that God doesn’t understand; He knows the unique dynamics of every situation that we face. If we want to be free from sin and this world of darkness that surrounds us, we need to:
If we can’t hear His voice, we need to look for a sign. His Word will give us all the signals that we need―yellow, red, and green. God wants us to go.
Even if we don’t know the right direction, find the light of Jesus, and walk. We will stay lost if we don’t start moving in the right direction; we need to walk out of our situation one step at a time. We don’t walk alone―God has promised that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:15), and He walks with us every step of the way.
