One Step Ahead – Paula Hill
“A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24).
ave you ever asked someone how they were do- ing and heard them say, “I’m just staying one step ahead”? It recently dawned on me that we don’t
even realize how many times God allows us to stay “one step ahead” of so many things in our lives. If we could look back over our shoulders and watch our lives being played out on a big movie screen, I’m convinced that with our spiritual eyes we would see the many times we were just one step beyond the Enemy’s grasp.We don’t even know what’s really going on. We don’t perceive that it’s even happening. We just think to ourselves, “Oh, I just don’t want to do that,” or “I just don’t feel like it today.”
Many times we have felt a little nudge, or maybe a big shove to go this way or that, or to do this thing or that thing, or go here or go there. But way down inside it just doesn’t feel right. It’s the prompting of the Holy Spirit to go or move in a cer- tain direction or make a certain decision. Sometimes, we feel prompted to postpone or delay a decision, only to realize later, it was not God’s time yet for us to act on that particular thing.
Sometimes, we feel like a failure if we are not far ahead of things or ahead of everybody else.The truth is, we need to be only one step ahead to be out of the way.A runner wins a race by being one step ahead of the runner behind him. A race car driver needs to be only a fraction ahead of the car behind him to win. A football player has to stay only inches away from the player trying to tackle him to make a touchdown. I hope you
get the point.
Our heavenly Father is standing in that little gap between us and fear, distress, discouragement, anxiety, and disappoint- ment.You may hear Him speaking to your spirit saying,“Don’t worry, all you have to do is stay one step ahead to allow Me enough room to get in between you and the Enemy.”