We Don't Pray to Inform God; We Pray to Involve God. God Already Know What's Going On In Your Life. You Are Never Without His Presence, His Protection, His Provision. Lord, I Am Exhausted And Empty. Please Fill Me Again!

 We are beginning the day in prayer! Father, Only You can satisfy the thirsty soul & fill the hungry soul with what is good, knowing that goodness comes from the manifestation of Your grace through Christ Jesus.

Let nothing that happens today, or has happened before, discourage you about tomorrow. Our words create things and tear things down. Pray that your words today would honor God and that the things you say might cooperate with what God wants to accomplish in you. God's plans for your life far exceed the circumstances of your day. Let God's promises shine on your problems.

I have learned that a closed Bible is no good. A word for today. You realize that the size of the situation and the size of the need does not change the size of your God at all! The size of your problem will never change the dimensions of your God! What may be too big for you will never be too big for Him! With Him, all things are possible, and they are likewise possible for you too because He's already told you that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! So, stop listening to the words of your adversary, and start listening to the terms of your Advocate! He is fighting with you, and for you, you will not lose! He ALWAYS Causes Us to Triumph!

We Don't Pray to Inform God; We Pray to Involve God. God Already Know What's Going On In Your Life. At Some Point, You Got To Stop Thinking God Didn't Hear You, And Ask Yourself Did You Hear God?

Our Inspirational Reading For Today:

Lord, I am Exhausted And Empty. Please Fill Me Again! You Are Never Without His Presence, His Protection, His Provision. Do Not Dare Let The Presence Of This Storm Indicate The Absence Of God! No Matter What You're Going Through, Here's What God Promises To The Overwhelmed And Depleted Person.

Isaiah 40:28-31, "Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." (NLT)

Many of us are still driving along, not realizing that we are Directionally Challenged and Heading For a Crash because we will not slow down.

Shut Everything Down. Like Our Computer Our Life Gets Fragmented: One situation tugs on our emotions while trying to concentrate on something else. We want to accomplish everything that needs to be done, but our minds will not stop, and our bodies will not start. Sometimes we are scattered, restless, and a half here.  We need to pause from Time to Time and reflect on the condition of our hearts and lives.

I often defragment my computer; it needs a tune-up now and then. Then I had a thought: Prayer can help to defragment our lives. When we cast our cares on the Lord, He will show us what we need to do and what only He can do.  Many of us need some defragmentation going on right now.  We need prayer the most when we have the least time to pray. Take time to defragment your life today. Shut everything down and go to God in prayer. Is it time for your checkup?

God May Be Trying To Get You To Slow Down Or To Stop Right Now So He Can Show You Some Things That You Are Never Going To See If You're Constantly On The Run From One Project To The Next, One Fight To The Next, One Battle To The Next. But how can God show you anything when your focus is always on everything else?

It could be that you have been running ahead of the Lord's timing, or you have been pursuing what you want instead of what He wants.  Many of us are still driving along, not realizing that we are Directionally Challenged and Heading For a Crash!

Maybe you have been neglecting the regular timeout that God calls a "Sabbath"; you are all Accelerator and no Brakes, you are violating God's created order of taking normal rest! You're daily bypassing all the signs that are God's messages to you for your safety: 'Stop, Do Not Enter, Yield, Dead End, One-Way, Wrong Way, U-Turn, Speed Limit, Caution, Bump, Bend, No Passing Zone, Bridge, Slippery Road, Falling Rocks, Road Work Ahead, Detour, Under Construction, Don't Walk, Slow Down, Hazard, and even Hospital, just in case you decide to ignore all the other signs!"

God may have been trying to say some critical things to you, something that would bring sense to your swirling world, but you cannot hear Him because you are running so fast, in so many directions, with so many people, to so many places, on so many projects, to do far too much! Whatever the reason for your non-stop pace, I know there must be someone listening right now to whom God is saying, "It's time to take a break… it's time to hit 'pause.' It's Time for Time Off, Time Out, and Time Away!" Do not ignore His call to "be still and know that He is God."

Because the truth is, if we do not choose to slow down, He will, as the 23rd Psalm says, "…MAKE us lie down in green pastures..." And the truth is, many times, the only way I took my time Off, Time Out, and Time Away were by God's Force! It was not until I was flat on my back sick that I received the much-needed rest I should have been getting all along. And I had to learn how even to force myself to take better care of myself!  I did not want God to 'MAKE me lie down flat' anymore. So, I had to start taking a hard look at all the things I was involved in and see where I needed to make some better arrangements and adjustments for my life.

God asks us to pause or ultimately makes us wait, not to punish us, but to refit us. He wants to slow you down for work that needs to be done, for refueling that you desperately need, for retooling, or for redirecting you back into the center of His will. And He's wired us to do what His Son did at the beginning of His unbelievably busy days here on earth - to spend quiet time with Him. To hit 'pause' each new day so we can hear our Master's voice before we hear any other, appropriate our Master's resources, experience our Master's healing touch, and receive our Master's orders for the day. Therefore, you must take time Off, Time Out, and time Away! He is our reserve, but we are running so many times on empty, we do not realize that God is our reserve.

A good friend named Earl recently picked up a used pickup truck for a friend of ours. However, it is when Earl started up the car that the trouble began. You see, Earl (everybody's friendly neighborhood mechanic) was taking the truck out for a test drive for Jim, who had just bought it. And as he backed it out of the new owner's garage, it suddenly started sputtering and stalling. He could not keep it running no matter what he tried. He got to a phone and called the old owner and said, "What's the deal with this truck you just sold?" Well, the man who sold it is an honorable man, and he was distressed about this suddenly dysfunctional truck. Then suddenly, he asked Earl, "Did you happen to mess with the radio at all?" Yes, he had. The previous owner told Earl to check these two switches that are right next to the radio. You see, this truck has a beautiful feature, especially for the country roads that it travels so much. It has what they call a reserve gas tank. Earl had unknowingly turned off Tank 2, full of gas, and turned on Tank 1, empty. But the good news is that as soon as he switched from the empty tank to the reserve tank, Mr. Pickup Truck ran and ran and ran.

I am assuming that your life runs fast and hard, much like mine. You have family, work, church, friends, schedules, children, business, school, leadership, health, financial checklists, and the like. And because of it, there are times when your tank is empty. You are exhausted; you have nothing left to give. But there is good news that gets delivered Right when your tank has nothing Left!

Isaiah 40:28 says, "Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow tired or weary. His understanding is beyond human reach." (CEB) Now, if you did not know, the God you belong to, the God who lives in you, is inexhaustible! And that wonderful word "inexhaustible" is defined as: "of a never-ending supply; incapable of being used up because of its continual abundance; tireless; incapable of being wearied or worn out. This is talking about the God who holds you together when you are ready to fall apart!

His resources and wisdom just never, ever run out, but yours do, and do not feel bad because mine does as well. But as for God, He is never tired or weary! He is the One who created the ends of the earth (and still He is never tired or weary). And no matter what the problem or struggle is, His understanding of it is still beyond human reach. There is nothing we can bring to Him that so perplexes us, will ever stress Him! He can handle anything and everything now; if only we would stop thinking we can as well! God never runs low or runs out, but we do. The good news is that when we do, we still have our connection to Him!

And here is where the reserve tank kicks in. The passage continues, "He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak. Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up." (Vss. 29-30 TLB). By the way, any words here that sound like you? "Weary, weak, tired, worn out, exhausted, feeble, faint, no might, stumble, fall?"

Furthermore, what is so attractive about this text is that even the "young" and the "selected" will not be exempt! You would think the young would have nothing to complain about, but the truth is told, life hits hard, and it does not care about your age! Even the youth will be exhausted, and young men will all give up. And we cannot judge them either. Because you never know what someone's struggle is. You may be 60 and battling diabetes, but believe it or not, there's six-year-old battling cancer and 16-year-old battling addiction. No one is exempt from running on empty! Not even the "select"!

Even those who are physically strong, in good health, young, at their best possible level of quality, in excellent condition, are still tired, weary, need rest, stumble and fall, get weak, and trip! So then, why are you so hard on yourself? Do not attempt to 'fake it till you make it.' Be honest with yourself; if no one else, admit that you are exhausted; however, do not get stuck there; remember you still serve an Inexhaustible God!

You see, much like Earl, who got inside the pickup truck and immediately went to pressing buttons, by the way, we do the same thing. Pressing an unnecessary button (the radio) caused a necessary button (the reserve tank) to be switched off. Sometimes in life, we think we know what we are doing, but we do not. And like Earl, who had to contact the person who owned the truck first and therefore knew it best, we need to go to God who created us first and knows us best to ask Him, "God, what's wrong with this?" This means our lives, family, finances and health, choices, decisions, marriages, churches, ministries, and businesses. "God, why is this not working?" And as silly as it sounds, I am sure we will get a response much like Earl did, "did you mess with the wrong button?" And if we are honest and humble enough, we will admit that we did. Then we can have God tell us what to do next to fix it. And like Earl, it will be the same answer, switch to your reserve tank. And what is your reserve tank?

Well, Here's What God Promises To The Overwhelmed And Depleted Person: "But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift their wings [and rise close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired." (vs. 31).

When Earl's Tank 1 on that truck was empty, the fuel in Tank 2 made all the difference! I cannot tell you how many times I have reached devoid in my tank, and God's never-empty tank has kicked in, and it has likewise made all the difference. After an exhausting week, I wake up and say, "God, I'm so tired." He says, "I'm not." I say, "I'm empty, Lord." He says, "I know, but switch on My power. I'm not empty."

Now, I know we are "supposed" to be solid and handle anything and everything. But can I tell you how untrue that is? You are to be god-like, but you are never to attempt to be God. You will get tired and weary and worn out and exhausted. And none of that make you a "weak person." What makes you a "weak person" is when you think your source of strength and power comes from you!

No Matter What You Are Going Through, God's Grace, Loving-kindness, and Mercy are Sufficient More Than Enough and Always Available REGARDLESS OF THE SITUATION! There is nothing you can bring to God that He cannot handle in your life! Nothing that weakens you can weaken Him! His power is more evident and effective IN YOUR WEAKNESS! That is why we can boast because no matter what weakens us, God will always be our reserve of strength! Whether it is divorce, debt, death, or diabetes, God can handle any situation that is draining you! But you must contact Him like Earl had to get the previous owner of the pickup truck. God is waiting for you to stop trying to be strong and hold it all together. He is waiting for you to slow down and come to Him for Help!

Now, I do not know about you, but when I go to someone for advice and help, I like to see that they have already sat where I am sitting. And who better to talk to about our weaknesses than one who has experienced weakness and overcame it?! This is our God who so desperately wants us to bring our failures, hurts, discouragement, disappointments, stress, and struggles to Him. He wants us to bring Him our weaknesses and emptiness to Him. He desires that we cast every care on Him!

Remember, You Have To Slow Down, Even When you are Exhausted, Never Forget Your God is Inexhaustible! When You Need to Refuel, He is Your Reserve. Today, Don't Complain About Being Empty, Just Switch Tanks! Take Your Empty Tank to God in Prayer and Watch Him Pour in Fresh Power to Keep You Pressing Onward, Going the Full Distance to Destiny!

Who knew that GRACE is the GAS we need to REFUEL?! And all we need to attain it is honesty. "Lord, I'm Exhausted And Empty, Please Fill Me Again! Help me to slow down and rediscover Your reserve tank of strength, just for me!"

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.org

You Need To Ask Yourself Today: Who Stretches Me?; Who Listens to and Encourages My Dreams? Who Protects Me? Who Shares My Tears? Who Rebukes Me? Who Seeks God With Me (and for me)? Who Does This For You? If You Don’t Have Them, FIND THEM!

 

Ecclesiastes 4:9, “TWO are better than one…” (NIV)

Edward Farrell said, “Listening is rare. THERE ARE CERTAIN PEOPLE to whom we feel we can talk because they have such a deep capacity for hearing, not just our words, but hearing us as a person. They enable us to communicate on a level we have never reached before. They enable us to be as we have never been before. We will never truly know ourselves unless we find people who can listen, who can enable us to emerge, to come out of ourselves, to discover who we are. We cannot discover ourselves by ourselves.”

Note the words: “THERE ARE CERTAIN PEOPLE…who enable us to be as we have never been before.”

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU NEED THE MOST!                        

With that said, consider the following questions to help you discover whether you have found your “CERTAIN PEOPLE…” or NEED to Find Them:

1.    Who Coaches You? What older, wiser, and more experienced brother or sister stands on the sidelines of your life and watches with the big picture in mind? Now keep in mind, coaches do not run the race for you, THEY SIMPLY SET THE STANDARD FOR THE RACE AND MAKES A JUDGMENT ON YOUR PERFORMANCE! So, who does this for you? Who mentors you? Who guides you? Who makes sure you do not go outside the boundaries? Remember This: “A good coach will make his players see what they CAN BE rather than what they ARE” (Ara Parasheghian). Therefore, find yourself a coach that can see your successful future even in your present failures!

2.    Who Stretches Your Mind? Who makes you wince as they expose the many faces of your ignorance; who will not let you get away with spiritual and intellectual superficiality? Who makes sure you do not just play church? Who makes sure you do not become complacent and lazy? Who makes sure your streams are always flowing (since stagnant water stinks!) Which makes me think of a quote I love that reads: “Too many people confine their exercise to jumping to conclusions, running up bills, stretching the truth, bending over backwards, lying down on the job, sidestepping responsibility and pushing their luck” (Author Unknown) You need someone who will give you a more beneficial exercise plan for your future! You need someone who refuses to let you settle when they can stretch you to soar!

3.    Who Listens To And Encourages Your Dreams? Dreams are not intellectual propositions that must be proven. They are the work of visionaries; they are out-of-the-box, frequently awful, and occasionally good. These are the folks who, when others laugh and say you are trying to build castles in the air, remind you that God “…calls things that are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). Another translation says: “…God…gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not”. These are the people you need! People who make you see the house while in the apartment. People who make you see the church with no license to preach. People who make you see the car with no permit. People who make you see a fruitful marriage while contemplating divorce. These people share your heart's desires with you and even when they seem a little far-fetched, they still believe. Do you have people like that? Another quote I love says: “All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible” (T.E. Lawrence). You need people in your life that will awaken you from daydreaming and push you to make your dreams a reality! If you do not have encouragers like that now, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? The birth of your dream is at stake!

4.    Who Protects You? When the Christians in Jerusalem wanted nothing to do with the newly converted Saul of Tarsus, Barnabas acted as his advocate. Your voice alone is not enough! You need others to speak up for you. And this does not imply weakness! “You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.” (Galatians 6:2 CEV). You need people in your life that will protect you from critics, gossips, back-biters, and liars. People who protect all that you are in God, flaws, and all. People who know your mistakes, but also know the price of forgiveness that was paid in Blood on your behalf. Therefore, they will not sit around idly and let others use your past to abuse your future. In other words, locate your Barnabas who will encourage you, stand up for you, support you, and protect you. “The antidote for fifty enemies is just one faithful friend” (Aristotle). You do not need the Tree to protect you from the heat of the sun, all you need is the Shade of the tree! Therefore, find you a Barnabas who you can stand in the shade of when the heat is on, they will stand before you and be a friendly protection.

5.    Who Shares Your Tears? Mary was close enough to share Jesus’ tears in His most painful, life-draining moment. Who is close enough to you to pick up on the signals (even the silent ones), to sense when fears and tears need to be shared? Yes, there are times when we need a pep talk or a shot in the arm, but there are also times when we need to be encouraged to lie low and realistically process our emotions. Who does that for you? Who cries with you, but has enough discernment and wisdom to know when you have cried enough? “Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it” (Albert Smith). Which is why it is so vital that you learn to surround yourself with people who will not allow you to hide behind your name, your title, your position, your gifts, your anointing, your skills, your talents, your familiarity or comfortability, your business, your church, your ministry, your image, etc. You need people that will say “Let it out!” People who know when to cry with you, for you and those who know when enough is enough and they hand you a tissue and say, “Clean it up and get it together!” These are the mentors who send you back to your wife or husband (whether the hurt was on their part or yours)! They do not however entertain you being lustfully messy with someone else because you are caught up in your feelings. These mentors let you pour out your tears, but they also know how to help you turn off the waterworks and get a beneficial plan together so you can bounce back! If you have not found this mentor yet, locate them fast! And trust me, they will be easy to recognize! They will be the one who knows how to give you a healthy balance between your break-down and your break-through. They are the ones that know how to discern when you need a listening ear, and when you need a verbal rebuke. They know when you need a pat on the back, and when you need a swift kick in the behind. They know when to help you resolve a conflict, and when to let that conflict beat you down because it was never your battle to begin with. Whatever you do, find this mentor!

6.    WHO REBUKES YOU? Even with 20/20 vision, one pair of eyes is never enough! You have blind spots! We all do. And Satan is always standing by ready to remind you of your good qualities. Why? Because pride is his expertise! And even the devil knows, “First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” (Proverbs 16:18 MSG). But a true friend exposes and challenges your self-seeking, self-pleasing, and self-dependence, and helps you to restore to God the authority you have robbed Him of! Who is bold enough to do that for you? “Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it’s addressed to someone else” (Ivern Ball). You need a person that confirms that the writing on the wall is addressed personally to YOU! You need what David had, a NATHAN! Someone that will tell you to your face, “IT WAS YOU”! Someone who does not care if you get mad, or stop speaking to them, someone who cares more about you being in right standing with God than right standing with them. Who does this for you? Who gets right in your face and rebukes your wrong? If no one, you my friend are in grave trouble!

7.    Who Seeks God with You? Praying together keeps us honest! Yes, it is only in the honesty of shared prayer that we draw closer to God, and to one another. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: “Confess your sins to each other…pray for each other so…you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with…” (James 5:16 MSG). You need someone in your life that is filled with the Word of God, saturated with a Prayer Life, and Disciplined Enough to Fast Consistently! Someone who daily seeks the Face of God, and will therefore, provoke you to do the same. Someone who makes you want to live holy, live right, and live honestly (someone who will confront you if you are not). Someone who helps you come clean with God and others. Someone who helps you be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you were today. Who does that for you?  “When you knock, ask to see God – none of the servants” (Henry David Thoreau).  You need people in your life that help you get past seeking clergy collars and simply seek God instead! People who will not let you simply hold hands in a prayer circle, or wail and fall out at the altar, or wait in long lines for someone to lay hands on you. No, you need partners who will say sit and read the Word until the Word speaks back! Keep your eyes focused until you see God! Sit quietly until you hear God’s voice! Surround yourself with those who are not hung up on the Servants but on the Savior! Stick close to those who have little desire for seeking anything outside of seeking God! Do you have someone like that?

8.    WHO PLAYS WITH YOU? Does this sound Unimportant, even Carnal? Well, it is NOT! You must never let the seriousness of life override your need for recreation, a word that is only understood when it is hyphenated ‘RE-CREATION’. Ever notice how energized we are after some Rest, a walk in the park, a movie, or an evening out? In essence, the stress we endure daily has a way of breaking down and destroying our creativity, therefore we need time to focus on something less time constraining and mind exerting. Fresh ideas always flow after some playfulness. So do not get so caught up in schedules and projects that you do not take time out to enjoy life. “A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.” (Proverbs 15:13 MSG). Who makes sure you never miss recess? “Human beings need pleasure the way they need vitamins” (Lionel Tiger). Just as recess is a part of a child’s day, make it a part of yours! Include people in your life who challenge you to fly a kite, run a race, go to a museum, a theme park, a picnic.  Surround yourself with people who interrupt your 9-5 with a silly joke or an out-of-key song that you sing to the top of your lungs, or a hideous dance move that will send your children seeking for help! Play a board game, walk on the beach, play dodge ball. LOL! Imagine how much fun you will have when you take a break and DO THEM? I remember a really good friend of mine from high school had 2 theme barbecues several years back in the day and one of the themes was you had to come dressed in 1970’s attire! I am still praying those pictures never make it to Facebook! LOL! Her other barbecue was a pajama theme! Sounds ridiculous, but the fun was unbelievable! Peggy is one of my dearest friends because we always make each other laugh and she makes sure that I take a break in life, and LIVE! Think about it: After ALL, Job went through…what does it say in the closing chapter? “AFTER THIS, JOB LIVED…” (Job 42:16 AMP). YES, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AFTER ALL, THAT JOB EXPERIENCED, THAT OTHER FOLKS WOULD’VE KILLED THEMSELVES OVER…HE ENDURES IT…AND IN THE END…JOB LIVED! In its entirety it reads like this: “AFTER THIS, JOB LIVED 140 YEARS, AND SAW HIS SONS AND HIS SON’S SONS, EVEN TO FOUR GENERATIONS. SO, JOB LIVED, AN OLD MAN AND FULL OF DAYS” (Job 42:16-17 AMP) If you do not have a Peggy like me, find one! She is the key to many fun-filled days in your life! Someone Who Knows All That You Have Endured and At The End Of It All, They Make You LIVE! Today, put your name in this Scripture and then LIVE! “After this, _____________ LIVED!” (Thanks to Bishop James R. Chambers!)

You need to ask yourself today: “Who Coaches Me? Who Stretches Me?; Who Listens to and Encourages My Dreams?; Who Protects Me?; Who Shares My Tears?; Who Rebukes Me?; Who Seeks God With Me (and for me)?; Who Plays With Me?” Because all these components are vital to a healthy and happy you!

In addition, this will cause you to do a thorough search of those in your life and cause you to make necessary adjustments. You will begin to remove negative and pessimistic people. You will get rid of critical and judgmental folks. You will say goodbye to dream stealers and dream killers. You will discard unnecessary people who only pat you on the back and give your overly inflated ego more air. You will strike out those who do not stretch you. You will pull away from those who do not push you, protect you, or play with you. You will become unsatisfied with those who are seeking people instead of seeking God. You will then begin to search for people who mean you well, Body, Soul, and Spirit!

Now, that is What You Call Living A Blessed and Well-Balanced Life!

So, Who Does This For You? Who Helps You? Because it Matters! If you can list them, CELEBRATE THEM, if you do not have them, FIND THEM!

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.org

Do Not Miss Your Turn By Missing Your Turn. We Do Not Need Faith For What Has Happened Already, We Need Faith For What Is About To Happen. Prepare For What God Is Going To Do, Not What He Has Already Done! You Have Stayed Here Long Enough. TURN!!

 

Do Not Miss Your Turn By Missing Your Turn. We Do Not Need Faith For What Has Happened Already; We Need Faith For What Is About To Happen. We Must Prepare For What God Is Going To Do, Not What He Has Already Done! "You Have Stayed Here Long Enough. TURN…" (Deuteronomy 2:3 TLB)

God Wants Today to Be the First Day of The Rest of Your Life, Not Just Another Day of What Your Life Has Already Been Up to Until now. This Can Be Page One of a Whole New Volume or Just Another Page of The Same Old Story.  Either Way, Your Choice!

Isaiah 43:18-19, "Do not remember the things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now. Will you not know about it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (NLV)

I have been to my fair share of amusement parks both as a child and as an adult. And honestly, I have enjoyed quite a few of the rides. However, I am not a fan of the roller coaster! Oh, I will watch you on it and will scream when you scream and will laugh myself silly, but I will do every bit of that on the ground! You see, my rides on roller coasters are very few and far between! But there is this amusement park that I visited many years ago, and they had two roller coasters side by side and two lines to get to them. Over on one line was a sign that said, "Forward." Over on the other line, a sign said – yeah, you guessed it – "Backward." Either way, it was your choice. You could ride looking forward or looking backward. But you had to pick one!

The older I get, the more I realize there are two lines in life and two cars you can ride in. One says, "Forward," and the other says, "Backward." Either one you pick; it will be your choice. Frankly, I do not want to ride looking back at where I have already been. No, I would rather ride looking ahead to where I am going. I hope you do, too.

And that is what God wants for you. Do you not believe it? Just listen to the Bible: Isaiah 43:18-19; here is what it says, "Do not remember the things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now. Do you do not know about it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (NLV)

Maybe you have been riding too long looking backward. You keep rehearsing and reliving the hurt of your past, your failures, the painful losses you have experienced, and the regrets over what you have done or what you should have done or what was done to you. But that is the past, and none of it can be changed. But if you do not move beyond the pain, the anger, the bitterness, the self-pity, the grief, and the self-condemnation – if you keep dwelling on that, you will miss the part of your life that can be changed – the future.

Think about it: If you choose the roller coaster ride where you are facing backward, all you will ever see is where you have already been. And haven't you been facing that way long enough? Every time you tell a story, it is always past tense because instead of your past being a reference, you have allowed it to become a residence; my dear, that is not the purpose of your history. You are not to live in the prison of your past confined to all the people, places, and things that did not go right. Living like that is wrong! You are at the amusement park, enjoying the ride, but with no new attractions to see because you continue to choose to face the wrong way deliberately. All you see is "been there, done that, got the t-shirt." All you see is what they said and what they did, and what you did not accomplish. But that was then; this is now! And what does God say about Now? "…See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening NOW…" (NLV)

Just imagine what you are missing because you are facing the wrong way?! You see, when you ride the roller coaster ride, and you are facing forward, there is always something new to see! Whether you go up or down, and in life, you will experience both, still you will see it in a new view. Imagine going low, but the anticipation and expectation of what you will know when you come up again! You will always be in constant excitement about what is next! Not, "oh, I saw that already, or I knew that was coming."

One of God's great representatives, Paul, said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).

No more back-peddling, no more staring in the rear-view mirror as if we can go back and undo what we have done or what has been done to us. No, today is the day that we stop hesitating, stop procrastinating, stop remaining stuck and stagnant. Today is the day we move Forward, Toward and Upward! Today is the day we change direction and face the right way!

We Do Not Need Faith For What Has Happened Already; We Need Faith For What Is About To Happen. We Must Prepare For What God Is Going To Do, Not What He Has Already Done!

This Means You Must Do Quite A Bit Of Self-Examination. You need to test the people, places, and things in your life and see what needs to be restored and what needs to be replaced! It is time for new, not just the same old, that you keep slapping patches on in hopes it will 'this time' hold itself together.

Jesus is the Lord of new beginnings, of fresh starts, of clean slates. You need to come to Him and let Him release you from being tied to the people who have hurt you by getting His grace to forgive them. You need to ask His help to begin to define your life, not by what has happened, but by what is going to happen; what can happen because of Jesus in your life. Yes, it is Jesus alone that still makes the difference!

Think about it: The lame walked because of Him; the deaf heard because of Him; the blind were able to see because of Him; the adulterous were forgiven because of Him; a 12-year-old girl was brought back to life because of Him; the woman with the issue of blood was healed because of Him; the four friends were able to get their friend delivered off that mat because of Him! The testimonies are endless regarding the change that Jesus makes in the lives of people! And if you dare to allow Him to help you get past your past, He can do some wondrous things in your life too! But you cannot stay stuck in the same place! You cannot keep turning backward. It would be best if you moved forward. It would help if you changed direction. It would help if you did something different.

Can you imagine if the woman at the well stayed there; can you imagine if Lazarus would've ignored Jesus call; can you imagine if Mary said, 'sorry God, but this is just too outrageous for me to be a part of'; can you imagine if Ruth said, 'Nope, I'm going back to what's familiar'; can you imagine if Abraham said, 'leave my family and go somewhere without a destination in mind, I don't think so?'; can you imagine if Esther said, 'oh well, at least I made it to the palace, hope the rest of y'all survive somehow'; can you imagine if Deborah said, 'Barack I don't have to go with you, so I'm not'; Can you imagine if Gideon didn't listen to God but kept all the useless people he had with him? These people had to do something unfamiliar, uncommon, and uncomfortable to see something new and different. And my friend, you will have to be put in the very same position!

Yes, that means you may have to work on an auxiliary you never have before; yes, that means you'll have to go back to school and finish your education finally; yes, that means you may have to accept that, that particular friendship and relationship has run their course; yes, that means you may have to take a job in a field you know nothing about; yes, that means you may have to take this next journey alone; yes, that means you may have to break out the box by reshaping your inner-circle; In other words, you can't expect to see something new if you keep staring at something old. You cannot expect to experience something new when you keep hanging around something old.

It would be best if you forced yourself to face the challenge of doing new things, so you do not die with the same ole, same ole.

"Do not remember the things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening NOW. Will not know about it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (NLV)

Your new thing is trying to happen NOW, but do you see it? No! Do you know it? No! Because the old has your undivided attention! And the most expensive thing in the world is paying attention to people who do not value you! Enough is enough!

God is trying to do such remarkable things that you have never seen or heard before, and you are missing out on all of it because your eyes have a distorted vision of the past only and no insight of the future that cannot wait to be revealed!

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside, it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times; the lavish celebration prepared us. There is far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever." (MSG)

As hard as your past may have been, it is but small potatoes compared to the coming good times! There is so much greater ahead of you if only you would stop focusing behind you!

No! today is your day to change position and direction! We are not going over that old history any longer!

No more settling for what you SAW; it is time to SEE!

Get out of your past into your Present and preparing for your future! You have been focusing behind you long enough; today, decide to Face Forward and enjoy a Better Ride with a Better View of the Better Things Coming Just for You!

"If you think your best days are behind you, they are. If you think your best days are ahead of you, they are." (Jon Gordon)

"Don't fall in love with what God did for you yesterday." (Bishop T.D. Jakes)

 "You'll never see all the awesome things ahead of you if you keep looking at all the bad things behind you. Sometimes you must turn around and give a little smile, throw the match, and burn that bridge! Live, learn, and don't look back!"

As hard as your past may have been, it is but small potatoes compared to the coming good times! There is so much greater ahead of you if only you would stop focusing behind you!

"The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd, you are no longer a sheep; you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom." (Osho)

In focusing on our text, there came the point where to enter the Promised Land, God said to Israel, "You have traveled around this mountain long enough. Now TURN…" (NLV). Please understand that you must say yes to God when you reach this point and be willing to step out in faith! Whether God is directing you or redirecting you, listen, heed, and immediately obey!

Think about it, and let us be honest, we can all admit that we have stayed in places longer than we should have. And to be even more brutally honest, many of us have stayed in stuff we should have never been in, in the first place! But how much longer do you intend to miss God? God said to them, "You have traveled around this mountain long enough…" I do not know about you, but I have never seen a "small mountain." In other words, mountains are Big! It is defined as "a mass of land rising abruptly and to a large height from the surrounding level." That does not sound too tiny to me! Can you imagine traveling around "a mass of land rising abruptly and to a large height from the surrounding level"? A mountain is massive! And the word "massive" means "large and heavy; solid; exceptionally large, intense, or severe." So, people of God, I say to you, as God said to them, "You have traveled around this mountain long enough…" Or better yet, you have traveled around this massive, significant, heavy, intense, and severe situation long enough…WHEN DO YOU PLAN TO HEED GOD'S DIRECTION AND TURN?! It has been a burden; it is weighed you down, it has caused you to lose sleep, weight, hair, and peace. How much longer are you going to endure self-inflicted suffering? God, Himself is permitting you to go in another direction, so what are you waiting for? Why are you still facing a dead-end? Why are you still standing by the cliff? Why are you stuck in the park? MOVE! Better Yet TURN!

I love the definitions of the word "Turn": "to move into a different position; to go in the opposite direction of where you are currently; to change in nature, state or form." However, my favorite is: "a place where a road meets or branches off into another; a turning point." Another favorite: "a time when one period of time ends, and another begins." And that phrase "turning-point" is another favorite of mine: It is defined as "a time at which a decisive change in a situation occurs, especially one with beneficial results." Now, please tell me, with all of that said, why have you yet to TURN?! People of God, it is time for you to stop blaming, pointing fingers, complaining, having good intentions with no plans, a long list of "one day I'm going to…" and "I promise…" and finally, you make a deliberate decision to do something! Based on the above definitions, it is time for you to move into a different position, go in the opposite direction of where you have been traveling, make a change! In a nutshell: TURN!

The word "reposition" is a good one; it means "a strategic move to alter and adjust to a different position." In other words, no, I am by no means saying this will be easy, but I am saying it will be worth it for you to deliberately make a strategic move and alter and adjust to different people, places, and things! After all, the people, places, and something you have become accustomed to having not worked for you, so why not quit, and get work elsewhere?! You have been doing this long enough, putting up with this long enough, tolerating this long enough, suffering because of this long enough! So now is the time to Reposition and Turn! Remember: "turn" is also "a place where a road meets or branches off into another; a turning point." And a "turning-point" is "a time at which a decisive change in a situation occurs, especially one with beneficial results."

In a nutshell: This Turn Is to Your Benefit, So What Are You Waiting for; Turn!

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road…unless you fail to make the TURN" (Helen Keller)

During a famine, God said to the prophet Elijah, "And the Word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Leave here and TURN east. Hide by the river Cherith, east of the Jordan.  You will drink from the river. And I have told the ravens to bring food to you THERE." So, he went and did what the Word told him of the Lord. He went and lived by the river Cherith, east of the Jordan.  The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and the evening. And he drank from the river." (1 Kings 17:2-6 NLV).

God's PLAN for your life is always connected to a PLACE!

"…Leave here and TURN EAST…"; (1 Kings 17:2-6 NLV).

"You have traveled around this mountain long enough. Now TURN NORTH"; (Deuteronomy 2:3 TLB).

"The Lord said, "Ezekiel, son of man, TURN TOWARD THE SOUTH…" (Ezekiel 20:45-46 CEV).

"Moses…led the flock to the WEST…The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire…" (Exodus 3:1-2 MSG)

Are You Getting This? God's people are charged and challenged to make a TURN! EAST, NORTH, SOUTH, WEST! Likewise, it is vital for your life and calling that you are always in the Right Place at the Right Time! This week is an excellent time to look around at the people, places, and things in your life and see where you need to make a Beneficial TURN for yourself!

Think about it: Elijah would have missed his provision in the EAST if he did not TURN; Israel would have missed the Promised Land if they did not TURN to the NORTH; Ezekiel would have missed his ministry opportunity to deliver a prophetic word if he did not TURN to the SOUTH, and Moses would have cut the burning bush if he did not TURN to the WEST! What are you missing out on because you have yet to TURN in the direction God has commanded?!

Listen, Even Jesus "…HAD to go through Samaria…" (John 4:4 NIV). The Message Bible says it like this, "TO GET THERE; HE HAD TO PASS THROUGH SAMARIA…" (MSG). To get THERE, you must leave HERE! And why did Jesus have to go through Samaria? To meet a woman who was destined to reach that city with the Gospel. Can you imagine a whole town would have missed out on hearing the Good News of the Gospel if Jesus did not go through Samaria?! Believe it or not, but you are in the right place at the right time; it is not just about you! Some people will not receive what they need to until you get there! Some people will not take a turn for the better until you have finally decided to make a turn from the worse! Some will not get a turn until you make a turn! And do you want to be held responsible for a whole city missing God because you forgot your turn?!

And will all your turns feel good? Not! However, you cannot just go where you like; God honors you when you are where HE wants you to be! "Tell me," Samuel said. "Does the Lord want sacrifices and offerings? No! He does not want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey Him." (1 Samuel 15:22 CEV). So, whether you are being sent to the North, South, East, or West is irrelevant! What is important is that you obey the direction of the Lord when He tells you it is time to make a TURN!

God has promised to bless you, but sometimes He must reposition you for you to receive His blessing! Just ask Peter. He went from I will live and die with you, Jesus, to being warmed by a strange fire, with unfamiliar people, and lying about his identity to Jesus. However, it is never too late to make a TURN because he is later restored, repositioned, and preaching redemption to thousands! Paul went from killing Christians to speaking life and resurrecting them! It is incredible what just a slight TURN in the right direction can accomplish! In other words, it is not too late for you either! So, MAKE THE TURN…BEFORE YOU MISS YOUR TURN!

Think about this as well: It was when Ruth moved to Bethlehem that she met Boaz and married him; it was when Bartimaeus went to where Jesus was that he received his sight! In a nutshell: You Do Not Want to Miss Your Turn Because You Missed Your Turn! Make sure you are in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, doing the right thing! After all, to miss God is simply wrong!

In closing, can you imagine how Abraham's story would have read had he missed his TURN in Genesis 12:1? "Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you." The Living Bible says it like this, "God told Abram, "Leave your own country behind you…" (TLB). And the Amplified Bible reads, "…Go for yourself [for your advantage] away from your country…" (AMP). Abram had to leave some people, places, and things BEHIND HIM and FOR HIS ADVANTAGE AND TURN IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION ALTOGETHER! And what was the blessing for his obedient TURN? "If you do, I will cause you to become the father of a great nation; I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will be a blessing to many others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you, and the entire world will be blessed because of you." (Genesis 12:2-3 TLB).  And All Because He Refused to Miss His Turn by Missing His Turn! Verse 4 is the bonus, "SO ABRAM LEFT JUST AS GOD SAID…" (MSG). What Blessings Are You Missing Out on Because You are Still in the Same Place?! What Blessings Are You Missing Out on Because You Did Not Listen When God Spoke?!

And was this the only time Abram would have to make a TURN? Not! He would eventually have to TURN away from Lot, who was originally granted permission by Abram to go with him! However, Once Again, Do to Making Another Timely TURN, the Word of God Declares: "After Lot separated from him, God said to Abram, "Open your eyes, look around. Look NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST. Everything you see, the whole land spread out before you, I will give to you and your children forever. I will make your descendants like dust—counting your descendants will be as impossible as counting the dust of the Earth. So—on your feet, GET MOVING! Walk through the country, its length, and breadth; I'm giving it all to you." (Genesis 13:14-17 MSG)

Abram Made a Timely TURN, and God Made Abram a Timeless Promise! So, if You Do Not Want to Miss Yours as Well, Today, Determine to MAKE A TURN!

"No matter how far you go in the wrong direction, there's always a chance to TURN your life around." 

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.org