Now Turn North
[Shelley], you were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn’t come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don’t toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment. ~Galatians 5:7-10, MSG
One evening I was reading a wonderful list of “Faith Confessions” from a friend. In parentheses, it said to put your own name there. As I did, and read the passage, a door of understanding opened up for me! Here’s why: I realized that as we go through life, there will be people along the way who see us and see what we do as an opportunity to try to trip us up. People who try to cut in on us, cut us off, detour us, and upset us in such a way that it throws us off course. These are the people that we must try to separate ourselves from.
I’m not saying that we should not try to minister to them. Because quite frankly, there are people in my life whom I have witnessed to, who know where I stand, and yet who still go out of their way to trip me up every time they see me!
There will be times in our lives when a certain person, or maybe more than one person will get at you. But you must keep your footing and run your race. Whatever that race may be, it is yours and no one should have permission to knock you off course.
It’s like running a relay race, and as the gun goes off the guy next to you bumps you off your footing, causing you to stumble, thereby allowing him to get ahead of you. Or maybe it’s that someone waiting for you down the hall who, when he sees you walking by, carrying your load of books, sticks his foot out at the last minute, tripping you and causing you to stumble and drop what you’re carrying. Does it make sense now?
God sees where you are and where you are going. He also sees those who are upsetting you, and you can believe that He will take care of those people, whoever they are. We shouldn’t let the opinions of others, or the words or actions of others, cause us to stumble. If we keep our focus then we will stay on course. Sometimes it is just necessary to turn north and keep moving!
Staying around those who cause you to stumble is like putting yeast in bread. Just a little bit causes the dough to rise. Often, staying around negative people, or those who are offensive, can cause you to make wrong decisions, or not even think clearly. It can get bad in a hurry and before you know it, you are in a mess.
Look at the verse below. As you say this out loud, put your name in the brackets and say it to yourself.
[_____________], you have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north! ~Deuteronomy 2:3, NASB
When God healed my mind of all those years of mental and emotional abuse, I knew right then that He was telling me, “Shelley, you have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north!” Let me tell you, going north opened up a whole new adventure for me! It doesn’t mean that I don’t love the people who pick at and lash out at me. I just don’t place myself in that position anymore. I left the redundant circle they would have me stay on in order to keep control and make themselves feel better, and went north.
You have circled your mountain long enough, too. It’s time to turn north! Focus your attention on Jesus and let Him lead you through the mountain and into the plan He has for you. Because I guarantee that His plan is a whole lot better.
