Stumbled Yet?


How are you doing on your New Year's resolutions?  Slipped up yet?  Maybe ate 
that ice cream sundae that wasn't on the diet or let the devil tempt you back to 
that sin you promised to abandon?

I read a story recently that is worth sharing.  

It seems that a farmer was sitting out under the shade tree, looking rather 
idle.  A passerby sought to make friendly conversation by asking, "How's your 
cotton coming?"

"Ain't got none," the farmer replied.  "Didn't plant none.  'Fraid of the boll 
weevil."

"Well, then, how's your corn?"

"Didn't plant none of that neither.  "Fraid o' drouth."

"How about your potatoes?"

"Ain't got none.  Scairt o'tater bugs."

The passerby finally asked, "Well, just what did you plant?"

"Nothin'," said the farmer.  "I just played it safe."

While this is a humorous story, I think it contains a great lesson.  Old adages 
say it well.  "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."  "If at first you don't 
succeed, try, try again."  Wise King Solomon said it this way, "Whoever watches 
the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap" 
(Ecclesiastes 11:4). While a few boll weevils might have lessened the farmer's 
cotton crop, surely he would have been left with some measure of harvest.  A 
drought would certainly stunt the growth of corn but the likelihood of no rain 
at all is minimal.  'Tater bugs can be shaken off and stomped!  And, who knows, 
none of the feared disasters may have come to pass, bringing him great crops 
after all!

The story of the fearful farmer is fiction.  The Old Testament tells another 
story, a true one, of failure and success. Remember the Israelites?  They had 
wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, unable to enter the Promised Land.  In 
spite of God's assurances, the people of Israel had been stymied with fear of 
the strong people occupying the land they had been promised.  Their fear led 
them into rebellion against God.  In fact, their rebellion kept the generation 
that originally left Egypt from entering the Promised Land.  In the first few 
verses of Deuteronomy chapter 9, we find the next generation of Israelites about 
to finally cross the Jordan River toward the goal their nation had sought 
for so long.  They are dispossessing nations that are greater and stronger than 
they are-nations with a reputation no one was willing to challenge.  Scripture 
says that the Israelites were able to overtake the stronger nations because GOD 
went ahead of them.  Listen to the verbs describing the action God took- "went 
ahead, destroyed, subdued, drove out, annihilated!"

Wow, what awesome power!  Would you like to have that kind of strength helping 
you reach your goal?  It's there. Scripture reveals that the Israelites REACHED 
THEIR GOAL ONLY AFTER RECOGNIZING AND OBEYING GOD AND ALLOWING HIS POWER TO WORK 
IN THEIR LIVES.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Romans 8:37

Don't let fear of failure keep you from conquering those extra pounds, breaking 
that bad habit, or trying for that new job.  The nation of Israel stumbled 
numerous times in their 40 years of wandering but, with God by their side, the 
Promised Land finally became theirs.  

Be sure you and God are on the same team.  Then keep your eyes on that goal!