Get Moving!

I have a question for you. Do you think that God can do anything? I do. But I also believe that we often hinder God by our own passivity and inactivity. I’m sure you’ve heard of the story of the man who is drowning and yet refuses help. This man finds himself struggling to stay afloat in a huge sea. He calls out to God for help and before long a big ship arrives to save the man from drowning. He refuses the help because he is praying to God for rescue. He continues struggling to stay afloat. He cries out to God again asking for His help and another boat arrives. “No, thanks, I’m praying to God to save me.” The boat moves on. Now desperate for help, the man cries out to God, “Please, please, save me Lord. I’m drowning.” One last time a small boat arrives to rescue the man. He turns this boat away too because he is waiting on the Lord to save him. He drowns. When he sees Jesus face to face in heaven he asks the Lord why He allowed him to drown. After all, he’d prayed intently for deliverance. The Lord answers, “My child, I sent three boats to come and rescue you, but you turned each one of them away.” Wow! That speaks volumes. It tells me that “Yes” the Lord is ready, willing, and able to do anything; however, He often invites us to participate in our deliverance. In fact, more often than not, our participation is required! I call that “active” faith. Passive faith sits back and does nothing. Nothing of course, except maybe pray. Pray that God will take care of it all. Sometimes there is a place for that sort of prayer. Things are out of our control, out of our reach. But often there is something that we can do. I believe Jesus is saying, “Come on, let’s do it together.”

I recently listened to a sermon by Joyce Meyers that profoundly struck me. She proceeded to say that God promises to turn things around in our lives, but there is action we must take. The first thing we can do is change our mind. The second thing is to change our attitude. Simple yet profound! We must ask God what we can do to make our situation better. And then we just need to do what we can do, and let God do what we can’t do. Did you hear that?

JUST DO WHAT YOU CAN DO, AND LET GOD DO WHAT YOU CAN’T DO!

I just love that. It shows us that God is waiting on us. We should not just kick back and do nothing, yet expect Him to undo what we’ve done. Take for instance the drowning man. He obviously got himself into the water somehow. Now he’s begging God to undo the dilemma he got himself into. Maybe there is a relationship in your life that has gone awry. Could there be something that God wants you to do to rectify it? Or are you asking Him to take care of it all?

In John 5 a story is told of an invalid man who was waiting to receive healing at the pool of Bethesda. Many blind, lame and paralyzed were there expecting the healing waters to cure them of their ailments. Jesus came up to the man and asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The man made up excuses that he had no one to help him get into the pool and when he tried someone else got in ahead of him. I love Jesus’ response. He didn’t just tell him, he ordered him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured. The ironic thing about this story is that usually faith in Jesus is essential to the cure. In this case, the man thought the curative power was in the waters. He did not even know who Jesus was. This explains that while Jesus usually heals in response to faith, He is not limited by a person’s lack of it. Praise God! He has mercy on all of His children.

A change in your attitude can truly change your life. Change is vital for growth. Furthermore, it only comes because we confront the fear in our lives. My challenge for you is to Get Moving! Does something need to change or do you need to change something? Don’t sit around and be a victim. Pity is not power. Believe that with God you can do anything. God will grant you favor. Stop telling Him what you’re not and start looking at who He is! Be courageous. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear but the will to move forward in spite of it. Don’t allow Satan to keep you in defeat and discouragement. Take back what he has stolen. God has a wonderful and abundant life waiting for each one of His children. Will you settle for mediocrity and sit idly by doing nothing to make your situation better? Or will you Get Up and Get Moving? The choice is Yours to make.

“Do you want to get well?...Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” John 5:6, 5:8

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deut 31:6