Becoming a man of God is not a passive event. There is no easy button or well lit hallway that leads to a sign that says "You have arrived". It is a mountain climb. And just like climbing a mountain, there are ups and downs. There are bends and curves, twists and turns and dead ends. Mistakes can be made and backtracking is part of the journey. Sometimes life happens and your progress is halted or even completely stopped for some reason. If this sounds familiar, please know that you are not alone.
Maybe you have not ever climbed up a mountain, maybe you have just driven up one. Perhaps you have seen the signs that say "Detour". Meaning that to get to where you are going, you have to take the long way. I think that God puts these longer paths in our way so that we can be stronger mentally and in our prayer life when we arrive. I even believe that some of these detours will break us down in every way so that we start to lean in and on Him, and not on our own understanding or strength.
Lean in, not out. Man, that is a great visual. On this trip up your mountain, you may have to walk on a ledge that God has placed in your path to get to where He wants and needs you to be. We can almost get a sense of vertigo just thinking about walking on a narrow piece of rock, high above the ground. Leaning in and you are safe, but what happens when/if you lean away from Him? Even though your feet may fail or your balance falters, God has you in his loving embrace and He will never drop you.
Spend any time in the woods or climbing mountains and you know that having a good map is a very important. Some would say that it is critical. New to town, road trips weekend hiking, or longer trips, having a map is always good. Life is the most important journey that we have. God has left us with a map for this as well. As long as we are willing to open our bibles and read what He has for us, we cannot get lost and in doing so, we come closer to Him. Closer to becoming a Man of God.
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