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Go or Stay?


Should I go or should I stay?   A common question.   How to determine whether to move ahead on something?    By nature we all have our tendencies.   Am I shy and retiring or bold and adventurous?   Do I fear change or welcome it?   How does my background inform these choices?   Am I coming off a string of disappointments or victories?  There are so many factors influencing how we make life's important decisions.

Moses recounts the story of the children of Israel coming out of slavery and into the promised land.  They were the shy and retiring kind.  God had given them clear and specific promises.  He would lead them into a land flowing with milk and honey. 

Deuteronomy 1: 21 "See, the Lord your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you.  Do not fear or be dismayed." (NASB95)

Even though the Lord Himself had told them to "Go" they decided to "Stay".

They were controlled by their fears.  The obstacles appeared too great.  They left God out of the equation.

   Deuteronomy 1: 26-32
26      “Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God;
          27      and you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.
          28      ‘Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there.” ’
          29      “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them.
          30      ‘The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
          31      and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’
          32      “But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God,

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Dt 1:26–32.

God's people focused on the problems and ignored God's promises and provision for victory.  This displeased the Lord, especially their lack of faith.  Ironically, if you read the account carefully you will see that when the Lord wanted them to "Go", they dug in their heals, but when he wanted them to "Stay", they wanted to move ahead!

Certainly we do not want to be like them.  How can we, as New Testament believers trust God more fully and embrace His will more enthusiastically?  We have a greater revelation of God in Christ, a complete Bible, and the filling of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower.

Here are a couple questions we should ask ourselves when we ask, "Should I go or should I stay?"

  1. Do we know the Scriptures well  enough to be able to discern God's will in a variety of situations?
    1. Which promises from God apply?
    2. What do we know about God's character which might inform us?
  2. Am I truly willing to do God's will?
    1. Are my personal preferences dictating my decisions?
    2. Is my flesh in control?
  3. How does this decision advance God's Kingdom?
    1. Does it help fulfill the Great Commission? (Mt 28:18-20)
    2. Is it motivated by the Great Commandment? (Deut 6:5)

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