Keeping Your Drive Alive
Judges 1:21
“And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.”
One of the greatest battles of your life is to not lose your drive. It doesn’t matter what area of life you consider, keeping your drive will determine the degree of your success. Keeping your drive in the business world is important to your existence in the marketplace. Keeping your drive in the sports world is important to your competitiveness. Keeping your drive in the spiritual world is important to your impact upon your world. Keeping your drive alive is the only thing that will keep you moving forward towards your goals.
The children of Israel lost their drive when they came into the Promised Land. God promised them the whole land of Canaan. They should have continued going forward in their quest to conquer Canaan, but you can see that they “did not drive out” the inhabitants of the land. They didn’t drive them out because they lost their drive. I believe there were five reasons why they lost their drive, and those same reasons you will have to fight if you want to keep your drive alive.
First, they lost their drive because of fear. In the verse above, they did not drive out the Jebusites. Jebus was a place of natural strength. They became fearful, and the fear caused them to settle with these people. Fear will take the drive out of the best of people. You must realize that if God commanded you to do something then you have nothing to fear. Fear will cause the greatest of people to lose their drive. Watch out that you don’t let fear cause you to lose your drive. God says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” God has given you the power to overcome whatever you face, so claim His power so that fear doesn’t take your drive away.
Second, they lost their drive because of compromise. When they fought for the city of Luz, they compromised with an inhabitant. God told them to completely destroy all the inhabitants, but they compromised because they didn’t trust God. Compromise will steal your drive, because compromise causes you to lose your identity. If you want to keep your drive, then you must never compromise your principles and morals.
Third, they lost their drive because of complacency. In verse 28, the children of Israel realized their strength, and that realization caused them to lose their drive. Always be careful that you don’t become complacent with how far you’ve come. Instead of looking at how far you’ve come, always look at how far you need to go. Complacency has stolen the drive of many people.
Fourth, opportunity caused them to lose their drive. They saw the opportunity for getting money from the inhabitants, and that opportunity caused them to lose their drive. Don’t let opportunities pull your drive away from what you are supposed to do. The Devil will present you with many opportunities so that he can pull you away from what God wants you to do.
Last, they lost their drive because they became weary of the battle. Scores of people have lost their drive because of the battle. The battle is wearisome, and if you are not careful it will take your drive away. Don’t become weary of doing good. Daily get strength from God’s Word so that you can keep your drive alive.
Christian, keeping your drive alive will be the greatest battle you fight. Don’t let these five things steal your drive. Daily ask God to renew your drive so you can do your best for Him.