Many things may hinder a person from attaining their goals and vision. Many things will fight your progress. There are times when the only option seems to be to quit and give up, but giving up is never what God desires for your life, because He isn’t done with you yet. He still has you in His plans. His plans for you are good and not evil; His plan is to give you a well-deserved future and hope.
“ The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward!”
Exodus 14:15.
God knew there would be a Red Sea on the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land before He told the Israelites to go forward. So, whatever is hindering you from moving forward, God has already made a way to overcome it. If only you can believe and trust Him, you’ll see His glory.
In this post, we’ll be looking at 8 keys to moving forward. Relax, be still, and you will see the salvation of the Lord.
1. Release Your Past
“ Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old.” Isaiah 43:18 AMPC.
Those who fail to let go of their past can’t move forward. The past is already past, and there’s nothing you can do about it now, but there’s much more you can do about the future. You can’t control the past, but you still have full control today to determine the outcome of your future, if only you release the past and move forward.
2. Enlarge Your Vision
“ And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by. For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. [Heb. 10:37, 38.]” Habakkuk 2:2-3 AMPC
Vision is very important if you know who you want to become and where you are going. It will be a gamble without a clear vision of who you want to become. And if you don’t know where you are going, everywhere will look like it. Don’t just settle for a small vision of who you want to become or where you are going; enlarge it in order to keep yourself moving.
3. Activate Your Faith in God
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10 NIV
Faith must be activated and must remain active. Without faith, it will be impossible to move forward. But when faith is activated, it will overcome all opposition and obstacles.
4. Ignore the Noise
“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Nehemiah 4:1-2 NIV.
Noise isn’t necessarily a loud vehicle horn or a loudspeaker beside your ear. Then what’s noise? Noise is anything you hear that hinders your performance and results or discourages you from moving forward toward your goals and vision. If you must move forward in life and destiny, you must ignore the noise; pay no attention to it, so it doesn’t stop you from reaching your destination.
5. Stay Focused
Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.” Nehemiah 6:2-4 NIV.
Anyone who is not focused will face serious hindrances to moving forward. To move forward in life and destiny, you need serious, undivided attention. Distractions will always come; they’ll fight your focus and gaze, but it’s up to you whether you respond or not. You must be determined to stay focused, because the moment you lose focus, your progress will be limited.
6. Be Courageous
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV.
Being courageous doesn’t mean there’ll be no fear or challenges; despite all these things, you still move forward and achieve your goals.
You’ll always see fear, hindrances, and discouragement whenever you’re embarking on a fruitful vision, but if you don’t have the strength to be courageous, you’ll give up. But if you’re courageous, you’ll be victorious, and you will
7. Be Thankful
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Psalms 136:1 NIV.
You must be thankful to God for your past, present, and future. Anyone who is not thankful can’t see the best of God in the next phase of their life. If you did not give God thanks for your past and present, don’t expect Him to assist you in moving forward. The Israelites were murmuring and complaining instead of giving God thanks; in the end, they perished because of unbelief and ingratitude.
Gratitude can help you reach the utmost heights in life; failure to give thanks is failure to move forward. Give thanks and see God move on your behalf, to make rough paths smooth and crooked ways straight.
8. Keep Moving
“And David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” 1 Samuel 30:8 NIV.
Regardless of who or what you see, think, hear, or face, just keep moving; make sure you don’t quit, because quitters never win. It doesn’t matter how you’re moving; just make sure you’re moving. Do something every day that takes you a step further toward achieving your goals and vision. After all has been done, trust God to play His part, and you’ll rejoice. Stay blessed.
