Milestones: Turn Obstructions into Opportunities - Part 3

Milestones indicate that a significant change is taking place for an individual or family. Milestones are benchmarks that identify personal objectives and values of a person or group. These benchmarks help us test the true values of others who intercept our lives. Milestones can occur by carefully planning and eloquently executing a particular objective.

Whether a milestone proves to be a moral high point or a disaster depends on the ethics and spiritual fiber of those involved. A spiritual milestone occurs at the moment of conversion and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. This choice serves as a reference point indicating that a new walk, purpose, and direction for one's life is taking place.

Infants begin the process of perfecting their ability to walk and run as well as learning to speak and communicate like their parents. We as Christians also must be committed to perfecting our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ by growing and maturing in faith and loving God’s word. This helps us procure favor with God and man.

Turning Points for New Beginnings - Part 2

Turning points are moments in time when an opportunity is presented for making a significant change. Directional change may not be a turn toward good, but toward sin or evil. Everyone has made wrong choices. Jonah was directed by God to go to Nineveh to preach God’s message of repentance, but turned his back on God and headed out in the opposite direction.

Under duress, Jonah changed his mind and reluctantly followed God's calling. Do you remember how the story ends? Nineveh repents and is saved from destruction, but Jonah becomes so angry and depressed, he wants to die. The story ends with Jonah’s refusal to rejoice in the great miracle God provided.

Insight, which God furnishes through the Holy Spirit, his word, and any circumstance or experience he chooses to employ, gives you light so you can see clearly where he’s leading. God provides faith and motivation for pursuing his purposes for your life. Isn't God good? He turns defeat into victory, and victory into a higher purpose for living.

Never Give Up! God Will Send Help - Part 2

Character flaws are present in everyone and can cause even the strongest Christians to feel like impostors. An impostor permits character defect to gain control his or her life. A newspaper told of a pastor who led a charge against the president of a seminary, which resulted in the president's being fired. That pastor later resigned his church because scandals plagued his own personal life.

This illustrates how God's gift of leadership can become abusive. The carnal side of human nature goes after selfish pleasures which insist on being satisfied. The apostle Paul warns us to refrain from deceiving ourselves and others because God will not be mocked. Whatever we sow, that we will reap.

Godly resilience nudges us back to higher ground to walk with Jesus and be a blessing to others. All people are capable of drifting into sin and temptation because we never lose our old sin nature. But with Christ in us, we have a new nature which gives us power to establish boundaries on our old sinful nature.