Direction -Staying on track

Vision sets direction, something to aim for to head towards. You may know what the end looks like (Vision) but what about the direction? Vision sets direction because it gives us the way forward.

But - Which way are we going? How do we stay on track?

When we are walking we may know where we are headed but we may not know how to get there. Direction enables us to get where we are going.

Abram set out with a vision to follow, but he had to head in a direction to make it happen. The vision was that he would be the Father of a nation and that God would give him the land that he was going to. He had to set out from where he was so that he could get to where he was going. How did he know where he was supposed to go?

We can’t say for sure, but he certainly took his direction from God. Directions along the way mark the path for us to follow. Sometimes there are multiple paths to follow which would seem to lead to the same outcome, so which do we follow, does it really matter?

1. Know your starting point
This is the key to knowing the direction to take.

If I’m travelling and I want to go to a certain place.
I need to find out where I am right now, because I need to know the options I have to follow to get to where I need to be.

Many years ago when Liz and I travelled, we needed to know where we were, before we could decide how to get where we needed to go.The “You are Here” arrows on maps help us know where we are.

Google Maps has a function where you can track where you want to go. The first question it asks is: Where are you now? It needs to know where it is starting from so that it can tell you how to get to where you want to go. The train apps are the same. They want the destination, but it can’t do anything unless it has where you are starting from.

These things tell us where we are and sometimes what route we need to take to get there. I love maps. I love not only looking at where I am but visualising it, keeping it in my head. It helps me know where I’m going.

Abram set out from Haran and went to Canaan. To get to Canaan, he had to know that he was in Haran. In Gen 12 Abram is told to leave what he is doing – so he departed and took his household with him.

Gen 12:1-8
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram travelled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants. And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram travelled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord.

He wasn’t a lone ranger wandering around. He had his directions and he followed them. How did he know to go to Canaan? Gen 11 may supply the answer. His Father Terah set out for Canaan, but only got as far as Haran and stayed there.  I think that Abram knew that he had to complete the journey. Terah had set out with a vision, but had stopped along the way. He hadn’t completed the journey.

We also need to look out for sign posts on the way that mark the stages of the journey. These may be aspects of the vision or goals that we have set. Sometimes we think, why bother with goals, but they are indicators along the way that help us to move further on. They are the update of "where am I now?"

When I travel I look for landmarks that help me. I use my map to set a route if I need to, but it’s the land marks on the way that really help me know where I’m at, and how far I’ve come or still have to go. This is why goals are helpful; they are the landmarks on the way.

When Abram arrived in Canaan God appeared to him and told him he would give him the land but a famine caused him to go to Egypt. So God sent him back to Canaan.

Egypt was not the land promised to Abram and his descendants. God brought him back from Egypt, and renewed the promise, the vision and direction. He was to walk through the land.

Gen 13:14-18
After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.  I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.  And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.

Abram was told to walk through the land, to get a feel for what it looked like. He needed to know the landmarks on the way. As we seek God for vision and direction, he will also give you goals, land marks on the way. There arevsome useful questions we can ask ourselves.

Where am I now?

Where am I going? Am I listening to him and seeking his direction?

What goals or signposts will help me know I’m sticking to the right path?

2. Don’t travel alone
God never calls us to do any journey alone. This is true of life in families, in business, in ministry and with friends. That’s why networking and the like are so important. Whilst they can help us get more customers, it’s also about not going it alone. It’s why there are interagencies for so many things. Organisations realise that together we are better.

Jesus went everywhere with his disciples – and he sent them out in twos. Paul always went with someone else. Barnabas and Silas were his main travelling companions but he had other people.

When we are working together and heading in the same direction we can achieve a great deal and encourage one another to stay on track.

Amos 3:3
Can two people walk together without agreeing the direction.

God says don’t do it alone, but if you are working together you better know where you are going and stay walking in the same direction – otherwise you end up with a tug of war.

We all need people who will encourage us to keep walking, to get to that next signpost, achieve that next goal. Even if they are not in the same business, if they have the same heart they will help you on your way.

Ecc 4:7-9
I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun.  This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

When we “walk” together we can help one another out. Life’s difficulties will come, and struggles will happen. We will “fall down” so to speak. Those who do the journey with us, help us stay on track, help us through the tough times and encourage us to get to where we are going, to win the battle and not be defeated.

God is always with us. If we will allow him to be part of the equation, we will be strong and not lose direction. A three strand cord is incredibly strong. We often talk about this in the context of the marriage relationship, and it’s true, a marriage with God in the equation is strong, has vision and direction.

But it’s true of anything we do in life. God gives vision and he gives direction. Let’s follow his guiding and his leading. He provides the map and the signposts for us to follow. Some questions we can ask ourselves?

Who is encouraging me on my journey?

Most importantly, am I walking this journey with God?

What guidance and direction is God giving me, and what am I doing about it?

3. Plan well, but be flexible
Staying on track – keeping direction – develop a plan. It doesn’t have to be anything grand – but something that reminds you of what your dreams and visions really are all about.

That’s why we did the life plan at the beginning of the year. It’s a reminder of where we are and where we want to go. You have your goals – so plan to carry them out and do what needs to be done.

When we are coaching, we develop goals and an action plan. Having an action plan helps us to stay on track and to know what we have to do and by when.

Good planning leads to success.

Prov 21:5
Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty short cuts lead to poverty.

Proverbs 21:5
The Message (MSG)
Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run;
    hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

Good planning is essential to staying on track. Sometimes planning can seem like a waste of time – we’d rather be out there doing. But planning is important. We need to plan the way forward, to know what we want to take.

When we head out on a track, or a walk or a holiday, we not only need to know where we are starting from and where we are going to, but we need to make plans about what to take, how we will get there, what wecwill need.

But we also need to be flexible. Sometimes God will nudge us about doing something a bit differently, making adjustments and we need to be ready to listen and act.

Proverbs 16:1-3
We can make our own plans,
    but the Lord gives the right answer.
People may be pure in their own eyes,
    but the Lord examines their motives.
Commit your actions to the Lord,
    and your plans will succeed.

God has plans for our life – we can get on board with his plan and work the plan.

Ps 40:5
O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
    Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
    You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
    I would never come to the end of them

When I plan a day out, I think about transport, what to take and so on. But I need to be flexible. There may be an unforseen problem, and I may have to get a bus, go by car, make some changes to the plans. It doesn’t mean we don’t keep going with the journey, we just make some adjustments and keep going.

Paul had to make adjustments. In Acts 16 we read of Paul’s second missionary journey. They intended to continue working in the province of Asia, that is what they had planned, but God adjusted their plans. They ended up going to Macedonia. But the plans for Asia were not lost. It just happened a bit differently.

We make plans, but God can change them. It doesn’t usually mean a complete change in direction – if we are clearly listening to God. Paul and Silas had a different physical outcome but the direction to preach to the gentiles remained the same.

Good planning leads to success.

Do I have a plan? How well have I planned?

How flexible am I?

So to conclude
-Know your starting point.
-Don’t travel alone
-Plan well but be flexible