Milestones – Walking In Power with Nate Ortiz

Hey everyone, thanks for listening to another episode of Walking in Power and today I want

to talk to you about milestones.

Now we think about milestones or maybe different things that come to your mind.

Maybe it is something you accomplish or something that you know in your life that they've accomplished

something great.

Modstones are just an amazing thing to behold that maybe someone has the stamina to be

able to hit some wild bench mark in athletics or business or whatever it might be or just

even living their life right the milestone of you turning 100 years old or whatever it

might be.

But I want to talk to you about milestones in this biblical example.

And when we think about the different times people hit someone hits a milestone right

there's an element that's inspiring to us.

But there's also this idea that what they've done you just want to honor that feat that they've

accomplished.

And in Joshua chapter 4 verse 8 it's a very commonly used story when it comes this idea of milestones

or these markers right it kind of sends us this bench mark for the new standard or something

that we can aspire for something that we can maybe surpass depending what it is.

But in this story Joshua was leading the Israelites in the desert for 40 years and gets

this point where they get to the Jordan River and they are able to walk through because God

helps them.

And to remember what God has done he tells one person each of the 12 tribes to grab a stone

for the middle of the Jordan River that they can take it out and have this milestone

right that could really remember what God has done for them in the midst of their journey.

And for us in our lives I think it's important that we take moments to remember the milestones

in our own spiritual journey with God.

It's amazing the time we have this spiritual amnesia where we forget how good God has been

or we go through a difficult time and we feel like God has never helped us out before

or not that he removes what's in front of us but the time that he just walks with us

and brings people around us and that we're able to feel that hope in the middle of something.

So having this remembrance of what God has done is very important no matter where you are

that you can look to something and point and say I remember when God did this I remember

when he spoke to me I remember when he brought me through and when spiritual markers they're

important for these three reasons.

The first one is it reminds how far we've come.

I like to tell people you may not be where you want to be in life there's maybe things

to improve or things that you're just embarrassed of or you feel like I'm not where I want

to be.

Listen you may not want to be you may not be where you are or want to be but you're definitely

not where you were and I think that's something that reminds ourselves that in this faith's

journey there's always going to be this idea of not that you're trying to obtain or

just you're just never going to measure up to God's desire that he has for you but

this idea that we don't want to settle we don't want to feel like well God I'll come

this far I'm good here but who knows what God was doing in life don't just settle don't

just shrink back but be encouraged you know even times you fall stumble get back up

duchess of thought keep moving forward with God and flipping his chapter one verse six it

says he you started good working you as faithful to complete it the good things that

God started to he's not going to let's just fall he's not going to let go to waste he's

not going to say well I tried all right the things that he started within you he wants

to complete with you so in this life listen you need the mile markers think about times

your life that maybe it's the first time we accept a Christian life or maybe you

re-dedicate your life to him or maybe there's just something that happened in your life

that you fight while God's faithfulness in this moment was just amazing so think about

those you know take a moment writing your bio writing right somewhere put it in your

phone because you will need those reminders for yourself to I think creates space for

appreciation if you're always going and you're moving and not stopping you're saying I

accomplish the next thing the next thing and the next thing and you don't take time to

acknowledge God's goodness in your life oh ever it will really be hard to fill contentment

and the things that he gives you you'll always feel like this is great but there's more this

is thank you God but I'm going to the next thing you have to learn to stop and have this

moment of appreciation and take it in because at those moments it's really going to settle

in your spirit to say yeah God you are good and I know you're going to be good wherever

lies ahead of me so don't feel like you always have to move so quick onto the next thing

when God really want to speak something to you and encourage you in that moment because

sometimes in those moments is what he's going to give you to succeed in the next moment

so slow down have appreciation for the things that God is bringing you to and through

clotchish have the three verse 17 that says whatever you do whether in word or deed do it

all in the name of the Lord Jesus give you thanks the Father through him learn how

to be thankful learn how to be just appreciative for what is in your hands don't you'll let envy

or don't let greed or don't let any of that stuff take away from this feeling blessed

for what God has given you and the third thing we have milestones in your life it creates

hope for people after you when you think about your life what story is going to be told

about you what's going to be left behind if you've ever had to go through a loved one's

possession that maybe has passed and you start looking through pictures you start looking

through items and what does it say about that person right you go down memory lane and

it's like these milestones of some sort right what will be left behind in your life what's

the stories that people tell about you their interactions with you now what you valued

in life you know in and he reached up to 12 verse 2 says Jesus is the author and finisher

of our faith and when you're writing the story with God out there's any other great story

that could be written that when you say God use my life may it be something that's worth

retelling because my life is going to point to you and I believe when you live that way

you'll be made the eventual take you on you'll may just what you'll do but in all of this in your

spiritual journey your faith journey remember it's not just about you both people coming after you

giving hope to them it's giving encouragement to them at the same time it's also reminding you

the current moment you're living in of God's goodness so I pray and I hope that you are able to

identify some milestones in your life but also it would give you encouragement to look ahead and see

what other things God has a story for you don't be discouraged don't lose hope God is faithful

he is and anything that he started and he's gonna bring to completion so I hope you all are blessed

have an amazing week and may God continue to do great things in your life