Jesus Is My Joy Ministries!

Obstacles to Waiting on the Lord

Psalm 25:1-5

Having committed ourselves to a lifestyle of waiting on the Lord,we

need to guard against three things.

The first is the temptation to resume following our own schedule.

Remember, pursuing our plan apart from God leads directly to a path

outside of His will. Impatience may cause us to run ahead of Him, or

insecurity may keep us lagging behind; either way, the result is that

we get off track.

The second area to watch is pressure from others. People tend to press

their opinions on us, and they can be hard to resist. “This is the

right choice,” they will say. Or, “I’m positive this idea will work.”

While their certainty can be extremely convincing, it is God’s

viewpoint alone that matters. Does this mean we are not to take godly

counsel from others?  No, but we cannot move forward until the Lord

confirms their advice.

The last thing to guard against is the fear of failure. Mistakes can

cause us to feel badly about ourselves and question our judgments,

abilities, or even intelligence. We think, If only I were smarter or

more talented, things would have turned out differently. We might also

become anxious that people will think less of us or criticize us for

what we do or say.That can result in our trying to figure out how to

please them—or in our refusing to act so that we can avoid their harsh

comments.Trusting God and waiting on Him is the only solution.

A lifestyle that encompasses stillness before the Lord will bring us

greater intimacy with Him. Isn’t that the desire of your heart and

mine?

Written by Dr. Charles Stanley

2009 In Touch Ministries

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