MOVE FORWARD

My momma told me one time, “The only time you fail is when you stop trying.” I remember these words often because when you really think about it, they’re true. Many times, we count failure as something that didn’t go as planned. You didn’t see the results you hoped for. You didn’t get the answer you prayed for. You didn’t receive the opportunity, or an open door suddenly became a closed one. We measure things by the outcome, and we’re always tempted to see the fruit of our labor quickly.

But when we’ve planted a seed and still haven’t seen a green stem, we automatically think something went wrong, and we tend to close up shop. What if I told you the true failure is giving up too quickly? When you tell yourself it’s not going to work and push the vision aside, you stop giving God the chance to show His power and bring about what He has promised. The Bible says in Habakkuk 2:2–3, “Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’”

I love the ending of this verse. It begins by saying that even if the vision seems delayed, we should wait. Then it declares that the vision will surely come and will not delay. It might seem as if God is contradicting Himself, but He is not. What looks confusing has everything to do with our perspective and our faith. When your mind, soul, and spirit are determined to see the hand of God in every season, you will see it. God promised that the vision will come to pass.

Whatever God-given vision you are working towards, your perspective must rest on His promises and your faith must remain firm in Him. God is not asking you to create the way. He is asking you to take the step. Can you still believe and move forward when you do not see anything happening? Can you walk forward when the Red Sea is right in front of you? Can you hold on to the truth when everything inside you is telling you to stop and quit?

If you stop trying, how will you see the sea split in two? If you stop trying, how will you see manna fall from heaven? If you stop trying, how will you see the miracle? If you stop trying, how will you see the impossible become possible?

The key is to keep moving forward. Believe the Word and act on it by faith.

You may be thinking, “Where do I start?” Here are some practical ways to take the next step: sow the seed. Share the gospel. Write the book. Open the business. Finish school. Apply for the job. Write the song. Pray for that friend. Speak life over yourself. Discipline yourself. Do the work of becoming healed. Forgive them. Be faithful in the little things. Keep showing up even when it gets hard. Ask the hard questions. Have the hard conversations. Serve others without expecting anything in return. Do not look back at your past. Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul. Let go of selfish desires. Pick up your cross. Submit fully to His will.

These are some steps that can help you move forward. Trust that God will guide you as you keep taking one step after another. You can trust that He will never leave you or forsake you.

This is your sign to keep going. You will reach what God has appointed for you as long as you do not stop. You will not fail because God never fails.