Staying On Track

“Staying on track”: Proverbs 3:6

I’m so happy every time to pick up my phone to read a verse in the morning, because it helps me to pray and start my day. The Bible can feel heavy but the phone is always there, so easy to program it with reminders to pray, or praise the Lord.

Life doesn’t have a draft version, what you are living is it; there is no chance to correct what you are doing tomorrow. I have three Bibles that look exactly the same, blue, black and red. This red Bible is from Pete and it is a special gift for me. Many years ago, I had a Bible which was so old it didn’t have a cover on it anymore and a lady covered it for me but it wasn’t very good and Pete saw my Bible and he gave me his Bible (this red one). I look after this Bible because it was a special gift that I will never forget. The actions we do, we can forget them but the recipient will never forget them.

Proverbs 3:1-6, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

In all your ways acknowledge him and direct your paths. Today’s message is about “Staying on track”. We hear people say all the time, “I’m on track”. The first thing in life that keeps you out of the track is discouragement; that is the first enemy. Discouragement wakes up with you, when you have a shower it’s there with you, someone had a hot shower before you and now the hot water is gone and you feel discouraged. You have a hot coffee and it didn’t taste good. Doing your make-up, you are discouraged; I don’t look really good. When eating, you are discouraged; this isn’t the food I was expecting. Even wearing your clothes you can feel discouraged and change them several times. Discouragement can push you off track when you allow it to be your twin brother.

If you want to be a good Christian, you have to fight against disc. When it comes, tell it, “no your place is not here, there is no seat for you here, you stay away from me”. Discouragement will listen. It won’t fight back.

Sometimes when I look around and I can see weak people or evil doers as David in the Bible calls them, they get all the blessings without praying, fasting or even thinking about God and all their business is blessed, they have victory and suChrist Churchess while me who prays strongly and shout and cry to God…God won’t allow it to happen to me but he gives it to other people who are evil doers.

Psalm 37 reminds us that we don’t have to envy those people or put our mind or trust in the result of what they are getting because shortly it will be cut off. Those who are evil doers feel fine, they have no need to go back to God, I don’t need him I have everything that I need: a wife, children, money, job etc. Do I really need God? I can tell you those blessings will be cut off very soon. Verse 7 says to wait patiently for God for him to intervene. Sometimes when you are asking for something you want it to happen immediately. You tell God, “now not later because if you don’t give it to me now….such and such thing will happen or won’t happen”. We put God aside while He knows better what is going to happen. We tell God if you don’t heal me now I will die and God looks at you and says, “I am the one who determines death”.

The second thing after fighting discouragement is patience. Patience is the best tool to stay on track. By not being patient the prodigal son in Luke 15 wanted his blessing now from his father because he wanted to do his own life. Maybe I have prayed like the prodigal son in my life telling God I want it now. The father said, do you really want this, do you think this is the right time? The son said, give it to me now. The father was so kind and gave it to him. Some Bible theologians will tell you it was a big amount of money, gold and silver around $50M today and the boy packed everything and said goodbye, this is what I was after and I have to go. When God blesses you and you receive from God, isn’t that the time you tell God, good bye now because I don’t need you anymore, I have to take my own direction.