ROAD TRIP! Are you starting to get car sick?

Road Trip!

Are you starting to get a little “car sick” on your journey to the Promise Land?

                                    

                God has promised me (and you) through His Word that I can be healed and fruitful—but as I travel on my “road trip” to my Promised Land, I often find myself “car sick” with worry, discouragement, and just feeling restless.  I was worried about the noises my car (body) was making or the bumps and potholes in the road.  I was constantly checking my gas tank thinking, “Am I going to be able to make it?”  I knew God wanted me to “be still”, relax, and enjoy the “road trip”, but how can you do that when you want something so bad?  How can you just relax?  How can you just “be still”? I was constantly asking God for peace not just because I wanted it, but also because I knew that is what He wanted for me.  But despite all of my “asking” I still never had peace--- that’s when God asked me three questions… 

            The first question He asked me was, “Whose radio station are you listening to?”  I thought about this for a minute and realized every time I was worried, discouraged or feeling anxious I was listening to the lies of the enemy and relying too much on my feelings.  I was letting the enemy remind me of my doctor’s diagnosis and that because nothing “seemed” to be changing that I should just give up.  But I needed to quit channel surfing and keep the dial set on God’s radio station.  What feeds you, affects you.  The doctors have their report but God’s report is the only one that matters.  I need to always listen for His voice and feed on His faithfulness, His willingness and ability to care for my every problem and remember that He is always good. I also need to “sing” the same songs He sings.  The greatest weapon I have against the enemy is speaking, singing, and meditating on the Word of God because I stab the enemy and wound him every time I speak the Word out loud.

The second question God asked was, “Are you reading the road map?”  My response was, “Of course I am!”  But then He asked, “Whose road map are you reading?  Mine or yours?”  Many times I would find myself on “rough roads” or even in wrong towns (situations) and blame God for my miserable road trip.  But I was the one to blame because I was reading MY road map and not His.  God’s word is your road map in life and Joshua 1:8 says that when you study and obey it, you will be prosperous in ALL that you do.

            Even if you are reading God’s road map, it will not do you any good if you don’t obey His road signs (commandments).  I have learned that just reading and knowing God’s Word will not do me any good if I am not in obedience to them.  I knew what the Bible said about gaining peace, but I wasn’t obeying the road signs to obtain it.  For example, I kept ignoring His YIELD signs whenever I began over analyzing my situation or crying out, “Why, God, Why?!” I was ignoring the YIELD to God’s wisdom sign in Proverbs 3:5 in which He tells me to trust in Him and not lean on my own understanding or Proverbs 3:7 which says to not be wise in my own eyes.  Part of trusting God is having unanswered questions so I needed to learn to get comfortable not knowing the answers to all my “why’s” and just trust that God is handling my situation.  Releasing the “why’s” has brought me more peace than I could have ever imagined.  

Another YEILD sign I kept ignoring was the sign that said YIELD to God’s timing.  If your road trip has been anything like mine, you are probably thinking it will never end and you are becoming weary.  You might be crying out “When, God, When?!”  1 Peter 5:6 says for me to humble myself under God’s mighty power and He WILL lift me up in the RIGHT time.  This verse tells me to first humble myself.  Humbling oneself means to yield or surrender. I would say that I had humbled myself under God but every time I worried, became anxious, or began planning my own steps without God’s guidance, I was telling Him He wasn’t capable of doing it for me.  Secondly, the verse tells me that once I have humbled myself (example: surrendered my idea of “perfect timing”), He WILL (not maybe) lift me up in the RIGHT time (remember this is His right time and not mine).

There was one more YIELD sign I kept ignoring.  I believe as humans we just want to “do something” whenever we have a problem.  We want to take control and make our own plans on how to “fix it”.  I kept noticing that I was becoming anxious and weary from all of my excessive planning, thinking, and “doing” in order to solve my problems.  Feelings of anxiety or weariness are not from God; therefore, I knew He was not in my plans and that I must be ignoring another important road sign.  Jeremiah 29:11 is a road sign that says YIELD to God’s plans.  I knew and even had memorized this “road sign”, but because I was constantly finding myself feeling anxious and weary, it became obvious to me I was in disobedience to God’s will for my life.  I have NO CLUE what my future holds, but Jeremiah 29:11 says God has plans for me to have an awesome future.  So why is it hard for me (and maybe you) to let him handle everything? I am not smart enough to run my own life or make my own plans (and neither are you) so when I am facing a problem, I just need to stop frantically planning, thinking and “doing” and just say, “I trust you God completely, there is no need to worry” This trust and faith will release His power to change my problem because I have given Him complete control.

            I am stubborn and sometimes I ignore every YIELD sign I see and therefore thoughts of doubt and worry plague me to the point of sickness…not just sick emotionally but physically with migraines that last for days.  God’s road sign to STOP worrying is found in 1 Peter 5:7.  It says that God doesn’t want you to worry!  He wants you enjoying life while HE fixes your problem.  What an awesome deal God has provided for me.  I can go minute by minute of my life and God is willing and able to take care of all my worries; but yet I still worry thinking it will bring results.  I often drive right through this STOP sign and then wonder why I have crashed with thoughts of doubt and feelings of hopelessness, fear, and misery.  I drive right through and wonder why my body is physically sick with exhaustion, colds, and migraines.  Worry even causes harm to others in the car with me because I am so grouchy, irritable and negative. My worry will even cause others to doubt God’s promises for their life.  But I have learned you can’t just “stop” worrying but you have to also STOP and pray.   I have to pray and release the problem into God’s hands.  It has been said that worrying is like a rocking chair because it is always in motion but it never gets you anywhere.  Worry does not change ANYTHING but prayer has the power to change EVERYTHING.  So why do I waste my time by not praying? (Beware when you pray and then worry, your worry nullifies your prayer.)

God holds up many different warning signs at different times in my life, but He is always holding up the ONE WAY sign.  There is only ONE WAY to having true joy and peace during my road trip and that is by trusting and obeying Him.  I have to humble myself by trusting God and obeying His road signs and only then will I see His blessings flow in my life.  The God, who created everything with just His words, also knows every single hair on my head.  He loves me more than I could imagine and He desperately wants to care for my problems, but He can’t start until I stop.

You may be in the same situation in regards to always feeling “sick” with worry while traveling to YOUR desired Promised Land, so ask yourself the same three questions God asked me.  First, whose radio station are you listening to? Second, are you reading God’s road map (Bible)? Lastly, are you obeying the road signs?   I can’t tell you when you will reach your final destination, but I can tell you that you will be miserable if you don’t learn to enjoy the road trip.  All of God’s promises are “yes” in Him and the “amen” (so be it) is spoken by us.  Believe His Word, believe your promise is coming, trust that He is fixing your problems and enjoy your “road trip”.  And while waiting, make use of your time by getting to know the Promise Keeper (God) better and help someone else struggling with hope.  It may not bring blessings into your life faster, but you will be so busy enjoying life that when the blessings do come, it will seem like they didn’t take long at all.