There are 78 days until 2020. A new decade is right around the corner.
I challenge you to give the rest of 2019 to Christ. But first, you need to figure out what that lookslike for you personally. It’s different for everyone, and I can’t tell you what to do. But I am here to help you think through this process!
Step 1: Pray and ask God what is keeping you from Him. Even if you’ve been super good about having daily quiet times, praying throughout the day, and loving on others, there’s probably something that you’re still struggling with. You don’t have to do anything at this point except ask God to show you your stumbling block. Sometimes we don’t even know what it is until we really sit down and think.
Step 2: Write down why this is making you stumble in your walk with Christ. Is it simply taking time away from the time you should be spending with Him? Is it making you “too busy” to be in community with other believers? Is something keeping you from willfully praising Him because nothing seems good right now? There could be any number of reasons. Don’t be shy and don’t be afraid to get real with yourself - write down all the ugly that might come up. Jesus wants your sadness, shame, anger, and confusion.
Step 3: Ask the Lord for guidance on how to move past this distraction and focus on Him. This is the last and most difficult step, and one you might want to ask for help with. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy - if you’re struggling with finding time to be with friends in Christ, you don’t have to make plans with people every single day. You don’t have to suddenly start waking up at 5:00 in the morning for quiet times if you haven’t been good at building that habit. It’s okay to start slow and ask your accountability group or your big or a close friend to hold you accountable.
Focusing on and trusting in Jesus is something that we all know we want to do. I have such a strong desire to be that type of person that is present in today and doesn’t worry about tomorrow, because I know He’s got it under control. But the reality of the situation is, we want to be in control. I want to know when I’m graduating, how easy that will be, where I’m going to work, where I’m going to live, and all of that good stuff. I want a road map laid out in front of me and I want to be behind the wheel.
However, I don’t have a map. This isn’t my car. In fact, I don’t even know how to drive in this situation. Do I really want to let myself behind the wheel if I’d be driving blind and making poor decisions? I know it’s better to let a more experienced driver take the lead, especially because they already know where we need to go.
Let go of this preconceived notion that you can do it all. Some things need to take a backseat in order for you to get closer to God. It’s hard to make these sacrifices, trust me, I know. But more than you can trust me on that, you can trust Jesus to get you through any and all things. In the good times as well as the bad, focus on Him, and the rest will follow suit.
There are 78 days left of this decade. How are you going to spend them?
