Learn to obey and enjoy his commands in the process to your destination

“Then we set out from Horeb, and went through that entire great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the LORD our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea” (Deuteronomy 1:19).

In life it is not the destination and place where we want to go or where God is taking us that matters the most, but the process that we go through to get to the destination and the power that will sustain us when we have achieved our desired goal or place.

This is so because if we only desire to get to a certain point without having the knowledge of how we will continue or retain that place of victory, success or achievement we will lose what we have worked for. So the process matters. It is in the process of reaching our goals that we learn the pain of disappointment, distrust, being let down, rejection and abandonment.

We learn to wait with patience, and at times facing temptation to quit and walking away from the very thing that you know that you have been called to. The process teaches you how you should respond to and handle every setback. The process teaches you endurance, trust, perseverance and strength in weakness. But one thing is needed in the process and even after achieving our goals, obedience to the God’s commands or specific instructions and his presence. His presence that has been with you in the process should accompany you and live with you in your achievement.

God wants you to enjoy the process just as much as the destination. For example, God provided for the children of Israel in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. When they lacked water, he gave them water. When they were hungry, he fed them. All this happened while they were in the process of getting to the Promised Land passing through the ‘terrible wilderness’ (Deuteronomy 1:19). As a result, they learned that God was a provider, deliverer, sustainer and comforter.

Knowing who you are and your values in life will help you in the process and seasons you find yourself in. Your values must align with your activities without which you cannot achieve happiness or be at peace with yourself in the process and seasons. You must identify the power and presence of God in your hardships. You must know the resources he has made readily available for your use.

Applying the right resource gives you the strength to go on. Every choice you make is based on your values, and all disappointment and lack of peace or joy come from believing and valuing one thing over others and yet finding yourself doing another. You must believe that you are not alone, that God has your back; that it is him leading you and not you leading yourself or you trying to lead God.

So what are the resources we have as children of God to help us in every situation during the process? We have the Holy Spirit of God, the word of God, and the comfort of the brethren in Christ or the body of Christ. Paul in the book of 1 Corinthians 10:13 puts it this way “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it”.

We need balance in the process. This comes when we stop and think on what is important to us as a children God. It is having eternal values and priorities; values based on the principles of the word of God. Priorities and values will help us in finding that balance. Do not ignore or overlook setting goals and priorities. Carefully decide which things you are going to stop doing so that you can have enough time to focus on your values.

It is easy to be so busy running from one activity to another back and forth forgetting who you are and why you are doing what you are doing. Most of our frustrations in walking with God even when we know that his presence is with us is that we do not practice his presence or we just ignore him. The other reason is that we have misplaced priorities and wrong values that lead to unaccomplished projects or objectives.

An unbelieving heart is normally the source of all this. In the process of getting to where God is leading us to, we need balance without which you can be so overwhelmed with things that you lack the joy and happiness that is needed in this process. As a result, we stop enjoying the process and get frustrated. To get the balance needed calls for tremendous self-discipline and persistence to develop or implement it in your life.

The reason why we were not ruptured into heaven the moment we said a sinner’s prayer is that we need to learn the character of God through the things we will go through in life. We must also be persistent and consistent in what we believe in, do and say. We must be single-minded and concentrate on the goal or objective. God never wants you to retreat before the enemy, but to learn the song of victory in the process of battle and in the battle so you can overcome.

If you are in San Jose area we invite you to our weekly meeting every Tuesday evening. Also, you are invited to our monthly breakfast meeting held every second Saturday of the month. The next one is scheduled for September 10, 2011. For more on these meetings and other ministry’s information visit: www.vesselforhonor.org

By Evangelist Isabella Mwango

Learn to obey and enjoy his commands in the process to your destination