{"id":1305,"date":"2017-04-26T21:23:48","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T21:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/immanuelpracticum.com\/book\/?p=1305"},"modified":"2017-04-26T21:23:48","modified_gmt":"2017-04-26T21:23:48","slug":"every-step-closer-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/immanuelpracticum.com\/book\/every-step-closer-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Step Closer To Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/immanuelpracticum.com\/book\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Running.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1306\" src=\"https:\/\/immanuelpracticum.com\/book\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Running-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Running\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/immanuelpracticum.com\/book\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Running-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/immanuelpracticum.com\/book\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Running.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Every Step \u2013 Closer To Home\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was out for a run this morning (let\u2019s go back and count how many times I start a blog with that phrase\u2026).\u00a0 It seemed like I was getting farther and farther away from my house and I was getting tired.\u00a0 I just couldn\u2019t wait until I was able to turn the corner and start heading towards home.\u00a0 Just as that sense came across, I felt the Lord stop my thinking and make a gentle correction.\u00a0 He said, \u201cEvery step you take is another step closer to home.\u201d\u00a0 I knew by how He said it that it was about way more than just my run\u2026<\/p>\n<p>What He was showing me was that every step, every moment, every breath of my life is a step closer to Home.\u00a0 It may feel like I am running away from home, but even those steps are towards Home.\u00a0 Life can sure be hard (understatement alert!).\u00a0 It may feel like a difficult season.\u00a0 I may feel tired.\u00a0 But those steps taken in distress (or should I say especially those steps), even though it doesn\u2019t feel like it at the time, are still taking us closer.\u00a0 Proverbs 16:9 says, \u201cA man\u2019s heart plans his way, But the\u00a0Lord\u00a0directs his steps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many times I feel like I need to turn the corner to start heading for home, but He was saying that <strong><em>every <\/em><\/strong>step I take is towards Home.\u00a0 It feels like when I finally turn for home that I am in the \u2018home stretch\u2019.\u00a0 But there are still potential obstacles to face.\u00a0 As I turned this morning, I found that the wind was coming strongly into my face. It was hard!\u00a0 As I got closer to my physical home, I also was stopped by a traffic light\u2026Ughhh\u2026more waiting!\u00a0 Proverbs 20:24 says, \u201cA man\u2019s steps\u00a0are\u00a0of the\u00a0Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every time I looked into the distance to see my destination (an unseen destination at this point in the run), it felt like it would never end.\u00a0 Home felt so far away!\u00a0 But something happened as I connected with Jesus with me there.\u00a0 I looked to my right and He was there; running step for step with me; perfectly synchronized.\u00a0 Whenever I looked ahead and felt tired and overwhelmed, He gently directed me back to Him.\u00a0 Synchronized with Him.<\/p>\n<p>It felt a lot like Hebrews 12:1-2.\u00a0 \u201cLet us lay aside every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us.\u201d\u00a0 We have stuff that we carry.\u00a0 Those \u201cweights\u201d burden us down and have us longing for Home.\u00a0 In Immanuel we talk about the wounds, and lies, and sin that prevent our hearts from receiving Jesus\u2019 perfect, unflagging love.\u00a0 So the answer lies in verse 12:2; \u201clooking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.\u201d\u00a0 He knows our steps.\u00a0 Every day of our lives has been written by Him in our book (Psalm 139:16).\u00a0 He wrote out our steps and He knows how it ends.<\/p>\n<p>And the best news of all is that He doesn\u2019t do it begrudgingly, or reluctantly.\u00a0 He does it with a smile on His face!\u00a0 \u201cThe steps of a\u00a0good\u00a0man are ordered by the\u00a0Lord, and He delights in his way.\u201d (Psalm 37:23)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every Step \u2013 Closer To Home\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I was out for a run this morning (let\u2019s go back and count how many times I start a blog with that phrase\u2026).\u00a0 It seemed like I was getting farther and farther away from my house and I was getting tired.\u00a0 I just couldn\u2019t wait until I was able [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[22,41,28,25,27,29,23,13,16,14,26,20,19,24,15],"class_list":["post-1305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-immanuel-approach-blog-posts","tag-abiding","tag-bob-wieland","tag-calvary-way-international-fellowship","tag-dr-karl-lehman","tag-emotional-healing","tag-healing","tag-immanuel","tag-immanuel-approach","tag-immanuel-practicum","tag-immanuel-prayer","tag-inner-healing","tag-intimacy","tag-jesus","tag-pastor-patti-velotta","tag-patti-velotta"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Every Step Closer To Home - Immanuel: A Practicum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every step we take in life is another step closer to Home. 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