Everyday Step with Jesus

In my previous post (Committed), I talked about what it is to be committed, my journey with commitment, and how I’ve been struggling with commitment myself. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to go back and read that post because this post is about how we take the steps to being committed again.         

We don’t need to wait until we are fully ready to take the steps. The beautiful thing about the Lord is that He comes alongside us as we are getting back up. He will help us take small steps to the finish line, even when we feel like we can’t make it. The question becomes how do we take these small steps and the leap of faith? Keep on reading…

Committing to something is a step by step process that can be hard at times. Sometimes it requires sacrifices that we know about and sometimes it requires sacrifices we don’t expect. Regardless, commitment requires dedication and consistency even through moments that are difficult. When we have trouble committing, we need to analyze and identify what is holding us back, we need to pray, and we need to take action knowing that God will be with us leading us along the way.

Analyze and identify those things that are preventing you from committing

When we stop to analyze what is going on in our lives and what is truly going on within ourselves, we will need to ask ourselves some hard questions that might make us uncomfortable. But be rest assured that you do not need to do it alone..we have the Holy Spirit that is our Counselor and our Helper. When analyzing our situation, we need to be careful to not do it based on our own understanding but rather relying on God’s Word. This means that we seek His presence and His Word. We line up our lives and circumstances to His Word. The Holy Spirit will help us identify what is stopping us…it could be anything from our mind like doubt, fear, frustration, or all of the above. It could even be a lack of discipline, consistency, or effort. What does His word tell us about those things that are stopping us? 

For example, if we are doubting… What does His Word say? His Word tells us:

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:6-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Doubt leads us to being unstable in ALL of our ways, with everything that we do. And in this same verse He tells us why…because when we doubt, we are being tossed around.  Being tossed around is not a good feeling because it leaves us exhausted and dazed. Once we identify, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the thing that is stopping us, we are able to take action. His Word is so beautiful that He tells us what we need to do…ask in faith. His Word is clear, when we doubt we cannot receive. A double-minded person can’t receive because they can’t commit to one option or the other. Once you identify the thing that is stopping you, in this case doubt, you can take the necessary steps to move forward and commit. 

Pray

Seek His presence in prayer. This may seem obvious but this is an essential part to taking the necessary steps. We need to pray for His guidance, in order to know when it is time to make a move or when it is time to wait still. There is a season for everything and, when we pray, He will show us what we need to do in the current season that we are in. When we seek His guidance He will give us peace. His Word tells us:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This is one of my favorite verses because it reassures me that, no matter what situation I am facing, when I seek Him in prayer He will give my anxious heart the peace it seeks. Even when there is no logical reason to be at peace, His peace surpasses all logic. 

Take action

Once we have identified the thing or things that are stopping us from being committed and we have seeked Him in prayer, we will have peace. Having His peace will allow us to think clearly and move forward. Then, it is time to take action and get back up little by little, trusting Him along the way. We may not feel fully ready to start back up but He will help us along the way. Start off with small steps and He will come along and push you through the rest. His Word tells us:

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In this verse, God was talking to Israel, His people, and letting them know that HE would be their help. The same applies for us that have believed and accepted Him, we are His people and He is our help. He even tells His people that He will hold their hand along the way: 

“For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

He is a very present help that is not far off but close and near to those that are also near Him. When we abide in Him, He will abide in us and He will help us and strengthen us. He will help us through the moments when we don’t feel motivated to keep on going. 

Taking small steps means starting back up with one thing at a time. If you haven’t been able to commit to several things, don’t try to start back up doing it all at once. This will become too overwhelming. But also don’t wait until you feel motivated to do the things you have committed to. Being committed is not about motivation but rather discipline and consistency. That is why it is better to take small steps than no steps at all. 

I mentioned how I had been struggling with commitment myself, I had my previous post almost all written for over a year, but I just couldn’t seem to post it and the same applied for various things in my life. It’s like I was almost there ready to take the leap but I was frozen…and that is why I encourage you to make a move. Once we start moving and we keep on seeking Him for guidance, He will be there to fulfill the area in which we are weak. For me it was the lack of discipline and consistency along with doubt and fear. But once we identify these things with His help, pray and surrender to Him, it takes faith to make the leap. 

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

‭‭James‬ ‭2:26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In this verse, James is making the point that when we have believed in God, that faith will produce works, actions that show our faith. Not that we need works in order to be saved but rather that our faith and what we have believed will inevitably produce works. Therefore, we are not saved by our own good works but rather for good works. So faith and works go hand in hand. Our faith will lead us to take action. I encourage you to seek Him and pray to help you identify what is stopping you so that He may lead you to take action when it is time to do so. Don’t stand in your own way by trying to do things on your own strength or not doing anything at all due to fear. There are moments when God tells us to be still but there are also moments when we need to take action. We will only know which to do when we seek Him for guidance.  So seek Him and take action when He leads you to, even if you are not fully ready…the Lord will not take you somewhere where His grace and strength will not be sufficient.