Taking New Ground
Ata critical juncture early in my life, when I was trying to make sense of ajumbled situation, a wise Godly man said, “Sometimes you just have to take newground.”
Oneof our biggest challenges can arise in the tension between perseverance andtaking new ground. We don’t want to give up if God is calling us to persevere,but we also don’t want to hang back in fear if God is calling us to moveforward to a new place. It takes hearing from God and watching for Him toconfirm it. But for me, taking new ground came in a literal and spiritualsense. For me, it had involved a geographical move, but it also involved a movein perspective—allowing God tochange the way I thought. And that didn’t happen in one swoop. No one waved awand and made it happen.
It was as if my brain had to be reprogrammed and that came from daily focusingon God’s word and allowing him to change me from the inside out.
But that was only one time when I had to take new ground. Often and especiallyat the beginning of every year, I still need to ask God, “Where do I need topersevere, and where do I need to take new ground?” This continues to be one ofthe most difficult challenges I face. I like my ruts, my comfort, and myroutine. But God is all about pushing us out of those zones into areas that wecan only face with Him.
In an extreme example of taking new ground, I recently read this in a Springsin the Valley devotion, “After a long trying march over perilousAntarctic mountains and glaciers, a South Pole explorer said to his leader, 'I hada curious feeling on the march that there was another Person with us!'”
If we have given our lives to Jesus, we can be sure that there will beanother Person with us on any trek. This recalls the words God spoke to Joshuabefore he faced taking his own new ground in the promised land, “Be strong andcourageous. Do not be afraid do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God willbe with you wherever you go” (Joshua (1:9). Just as God was with Joshua, Hewill be with us. We will never be alone.
Many of you read Oswald Chambers, so you may remember a quote from theend of December, which always rings in my mind this time of year. I leave youwith it, “Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ. Leavethe irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Futurewith Him.”
var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-24260977-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.comTo sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX Beverly Varnado copyright 2023
