Stay Flexible & Keep Moving
The Psalmist writes,
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
God’s True Nature
In these two verses, we can see God’s wonderful true nature and character:
1) He always delights in the fact that we are willing to step out in faith and trust Him, even when we don’t see the whole picture. Now that’s faith!
2) He doesn’t guarantee us that we won’t stumble, but, He promises that to all who trust in Him, they will never be left “desolate” or crushed (Ps. 34:18 NIV). Instead, they will be delivered out of each and every “affliction” (Ps. 34:19 NIV).
3) When we feel like we can’t go on, He will always uphold us, strengthen us, and show us how to move forward again and again by His guiding hand. What more can we ask for?
Just Take A Mulligan
Now let’s take a look at the analogy of a “Mulligan”. You may ask, what is a mulligan? Well, it’s a term used in the game of golf and it means this: A mulligan is a second chance to perform an action, usually after the first chance went wrong through an unknown mistake or a personal blunder. Its best-known usage is where a player is informally allowed to replay a stroke, (without any cost to the person), even though this is normally against the formal rules of normal competitive golf. This term has also been applied to other sports, games, and to other situations in life when things go wrong, but we can take another free go at it without any penalty.
Now after we mess up in life, which inevitably we always do, isn’t it just God to say to us, “Hey you, don’t worry. Learn from your mistakes and just go on and take another mulligan!”
Zero Results….? Look At Changing The Game Plan
See, God never changes, but life does. So we must be ready to change and adapt to unforeseen circumstances and everyday situations. Sam Walton, the founder of Sam’s Club and Walmart, was credited with being named in the Time’s List of Top 100 most influential people in the 20th Century. His dream was to provide value and consistency to his retail customers in order to improve their lives.
However, Sam was well known for changing plans and ditching strategies that didn’t work. Sam’s youngest son Jim Walton, who in 2016 was ranked #15 on the billionaire’s list, admitted, “We all sniggered at some writers who viewed my Dad as a grand strategist who intuitively developed complex plans and implemented them with precision. Dad thrived on change, and no decision was ever sacred.” What good is a well-planned strategy if it doesn’t yield good results?
Those Sacred Cow’s Have To Go
As we know, sometimes those sacred cows just need to be sacrificed; otherwise, change can’t happen and growth gets stifled! God is a God of forward momentum, not stagnation. Can’t see the fruit? Then change the root…. So ask God to show you how.
Winston Churchill once quoted: ‘However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.’
New Season Can Mean New Direction
As we can read in Psalms 37, God is far more concerned and committed to the vision and destiny calling He’s given you to fulfill, than you are. And so when He leads you into a new season and direction, you must be ready to follow Him and make the necessary changes to walk closely in unity with Him and with His timings. Like Israel in the wilderness, when the guiding cloud moved by day and the fire by night, they had to move with it (Exodus 13:21-22 NIV). And now, as a New Testament believer with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, He is inside of you showing you how to live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28 NKJV). So today’s encouraging word to you is— Stay Flexible & Keep Moving!