Numbers 33:55
“But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.”
God warned the children of Israel not to lose their drive in conquering the Promised Land. God already saw a couple of the tribes settle at not crossing the Jordan River, and He knew that if they conquered a few cities in the Promised Land that they would be tempted to settle for what they had and lose their drive to take all of the Promised Land.
One of the greatest battles you will face in your lifetime is the battle to not lose your drive. Many leaders have lost their drive to continue only to be dissatisfied with themselves and their accomplishments later in life. Many Christians have lost their drive to serve the LORD only to become disgruntled members in their church. God warned that if you lose your drive that what you did not conquer would become “pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.” There are three things that will cause you to lose your drive that you must guard against.
First, you must guard against complacency taking your drive. Many people have become complacent in their past successes and lost their drive. They look at what they have done instead of what they need to do, and they lose their drive. Many churches have become complacent and lost their drive after building a nice building. Many men of God lost their drive and became complacent after achieving nominal success. Many Christians lose their drive after they achieve leadership positions in their church. You must be careful that you don’t allow past successes to take your drive and bring you to a point where you are complacent in life.
Second, you must guard against hardships taking your drive. It is so easy to get tired of fighting battles. When you serve in the Christian life, you can get tired of the battles and lose your drive. The battle of being separated from the world has caused many people to lose their drive. The battle of fighting health issues has taken the drive away from many people. The battle of fighting children who don’t like the rules established in the home has caused many parents to lose their drive. The battles that happen because of sin have caused many Christians to lose their drive. Hardships are certainly a part of life, but you cannot allow them take your drive from you.
Third, you must guard against age taking your drive. The older you get, the harder it will become to get stirred to conquer more. The energy is not there like it used to be. The knowledge of knowing what you will have to endure when you continue to drive can dampen the fire of your drive. As hard as it may be, you must never let your age take away your drive.
Friend, this world needs Christians who still have a drive to do great things for God. If you lose your drive and settle with what you have already done, you will regret that decision. Never lose the drive to conquer! There is always more to conquer, and in the Christian life we must continue to conquer or we will die. Don’t let anything take your drive away. Keep driving and the LORD will be there to give you the help you need for whatever is trying to take away your drive.
Allen Domelle is the editor of the Old Paths Journal which is more than just a Christian’s publication. It is an excellent place to learn how today’s headlines will forge tomorrow’s laws and statutes. Keep yourself in tune with what is happening around the world, as well as in your own backyard with our daily updates and devotionals.