No Shortcuts

 

Have you ever really studied a map that shows the journey the Israelites traveled from 

their exodus in Egypt all the way to the river Jordan and finally into the promised land? It’s 

not a straight line – it is a north, south, east, and west route. Their journey took them all 

through the wilderness before they finally reached their destination. Seems to me there us a 

principle here: With God, there are no shortcuts.

It took only one day to get the Israelites out of Egypt, it took 40 years to get Egypt out 

of the Israelites. In other words, after years and years, generation after generation of 

paganism, idolatry, and the worship of false gods, it required a long time to get all of that 

out of their hearts, and to teach them monotheism (the worship of only one God). That 

being Jehovah God, the Almighty (Deuteronomy 6:4).

It takes time to develop a close personal relationship with the Lord. There are no 

shortcuts. We cannot skip time alone with Him, time in His Word, and time in prayer. I have 

led many lost people to Jesus and after they received Christ, I’ve always asked them if they 

had a Bible. Most of them would say, “yes”, then I would write on one of the blank pages in 

their Bible a few basic things to help them grow in their Christian life.

1. Read your Bible (that is how God speaks to you)

2. Pray (that is how you speak to God)

3. Find a Bible preaching (God calls us to BELONG to a fellowship of other believers. 

That’s God’s plan and it helps you grow)

4. Give (this is God’s plan to bless us as we learn to share of our time, talents, and our 

resources, to further the Kingdom of God)

5. Witness (learn to share your testimony with others, God will use your story to speak to 

them about Jesus)

 Now you might be thinking this is basic stuff. Every Christian does these things, right? 

The truth is many do not, they think there is a shortcut to a deep personal relationship with 

God, but we can’t skip the basics and get where we need to be with the Lord. How long has 

it been since you sat down and read a page or two of God’s Word? How long has it been 

since you spent time alone with God and prayed?

See what I mean? I fear too many of us are trying to walk with God and yet we are 

skipping the basic things that draw us closer to Him. Remember, there are no “No Shortcuts” 

to intimacy with the Master. God still requires us to take the long route to the promised land.


The Pastor's Pocket

Pastor Bruce Freeman

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