2 REASONS YOU ARE RUNNING AWAY FROM SOMETHING.

Have you been running away from something? What have you been running away from? You know it is easy to pretend that you are doing something because you want to. But let me ask you again, where you are now, is it a result of something you have been avoiding? Maybe because of rejection, you have allowed yourself not to try again, whether it is a relationship or even a certain opportunity? Have you been convincing yourself that where you are is okay yet deep down you know it is not? When you are running away from something, you are still bound to the same thing that oppressed you.

Jacob ran away from his father’s home because he did not want to face Esau after stealing his birthright. He was afraid of Esau killing him. Years later as he made his way back home, he tried to appease him by sending him gifts when he heard that Esau was on his way to him. All those years Jacob had the thought of Esau killing him looming over him. So what have you been running away from?

Jacob thought that suppressing the thought and wishing it away would make it okay but that wasn’t the case. Years later he still had to encounter the same problem he ran away from. Just like Jacob we all have situations we have been running away from. Whether it is a relationship with family, career, or even business, we do have something. What is your Esau and what have you been avoiding? What has caused you to think so low of yourself that you prefer to live in bondage because you are afraid to face Esau?

Jacob lived with his uncle Laban who mistreated him because he thought that that was the better option compared to what Esau could do. It is almost as if he felt like he was receiving the penalty for his sin of deception. Imagine his shock when after all the turmoil he had gone through the whole night because of the fear of meeting Esau only for Esau to meet him with arms wide open, having fully forgiven him. All those years Jacob had struggled with the thought of Esau’s vengeance. Imagine his turmoil, fear, and maybe the endless condemnation.

Have you been going through something similar? Maybe what your Esau is, is a consequence of your action just like Jacob. Have you given room for condemnation, guilt, and shame to loom over you because of what you did? Or found yourself settling for less because you do not think you deserve any better after what you did? Are you afraid of Esau so much so that you’ve held yourself back? Have you lost the confidence and boldness you had in the past because of your mistake? Have you allowed fear to inhibit your growth?

Let me ask you this if your Esau situation wasn’t holding you back, who would you be? What do you want to become? Indulge with me for a while, what if what you feared the most never happened, and it is just a thought in your head? Can you imagine how bad you would feel if after all these years you realized that the giant you feared was simply an anthill? Or worse still nonexistent? Why am I telling you this? Many times we allow our thoughts to control us. Thoughts of all the things that could go wrong if we took that step of faith. The thoughts of how undeserving we are because of our pasts.

And the sad reality is that even we Christians who know that God has forgiven our sins still indulge in those thoughts that remind us of our sins to keep us stuck in the past. God says that when we repent our sins, He gives us a clean slate and He never gives us the penalty we deserve so why do we condemn ourselves? Why dig up a past the Lord has forgiven and forgotten? He says that as far as the east is from the west, He remembers our sins no more. Isn’t it funny that we still struggle with this truth?

Ways that show we are running away from something

Failing to apply for a job when God is calling you to do it because of past rejection is a sign you are running away from something
Choosing to never be in a relationship because you are hurt is a sign you are running away from something
Building up walls because you do not want to let people in is also a sign that you are running away from something
Fear of failure is also another sign
People pleasing
Changing your identity and lack of authenticity all stem from a desire to run away from your past

The problem with all of this is that, regardless of how far you run, the thing you are running away from will catch up with you. And not only that, you will remain a slave to the very thing too.

Why?

One of the reasons is the fact that we have been conditioned to think that we should earn everything. And nothing is for free. We thus end up thinking that even when we do wrong, we deserve to be punished . And when God extends His grace we reject it because we feel undeserving of it. The reason we keep running away, then becomes because we do not think God has forgiven us.

We do not understand the concept of Grace.

We cannot earn the Grace of God. You and I can only receive it. You and I do not need to do anything to receive the grace of God. We have been given for free through the finished works of the cross. It is important to realize that since you became a believer, you gained access to God’s grace. And all you need to do is receive it. The mercies of God are new every morning. So every day you wake up you have the opportunity to receive His mercies and forgiveness and try again. God is not looking for perfection all He wants is a surrendered heart that He can use. You do not need to allow shame, guilt and condemnation to wear you down.

God called David, His friend, and a man after God’s heart. This is the same David who committed adultery and murder. Yet despite all that God still called him His friend. David realized that he was human and thus prone to sin. So what he did was continually live with a repentant heart. The good news we have is that we have access to even more because of Jesus’ death, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Let us embrace and receive everything Jesus died for us to have.

Lack of faith too can be another cause.

It can be difficult to believe that God can fail to punish our sins having grown up in an environment that shows us He does. It is so easy for us to see God forgiving others but difficult when it comes to us. Why do you find it easy to accept that God has forgiven another person but don’t when it comes to you? Why do you have a hard time believing that God can forgive you too? Could it be that maybe you feel like you have messed up too many times to receive His forgiveness and Grace? What if I told you that Jesus paid the price for all your sins, past, present, and future, would that help? It is true, He died for all your sins not just some but all.

Jesus does not want you to live life afraid of the consequences of past mistakes like Jacob. He wants you to walk in freedom and wholeness and realize that He sent His Son to set you free and redeem you. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. It doesn’t say partially free but free indeed. So stop burdening yourself with something that God did not call you to carry. He tells you to cast all your cares, worry, burden, and shame to Him for He cares for you. Just imagine the burden that must have been lifted off of Jacob when Esau chose to forgive Jacob for what he did. Esau was a human being just like you and me and yet he chose to forgive.

Why then would God who is forgiving, merciful, and compassionate not do even more than that? He wants to free you from the bondages. He is love and He says that while we were still sinners, He died for us. Jesus says that there is now no condemnation of sin for those who are in Him. He goes ahead to say that He paid the handwriting of requirements. Why then can’t we receive it? Imagine if Peter would have chosen to dwell on the fact that he had denied Jesus, he would never have walked into his calling.

Conclusion

Sometimes our Esau situation could hinder us from walking into our destinies and callings because we are embarrassed by our past. Sometimes it could be that we think that if we only tried harder, and punished ourselves more, then maybe God will accept us. Child of God, God already accepted you. You are His child and because of your faith in Jesus, you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Light. Your good works will not qualify you because you have been qualified already in Christ.

Beating yourself up because of your mistakes will not help either. All you need to do is repent and forgive yourself. The enemy will use the mistake to torment you and if you do not silence that voice, it will torment you for the rest of your life and paralyze you. You will not even have the strength or confidence to be who God created you to be. God does not want you to dwell in the past. It is time for you to move forward.

If you are having a hard time moving forward just look at the story of David, he did not let his sins keep him stuck. He repented and through his union to Bethsheba, Solomon was born and became known as the wisest king to date. And if that does not motivate you look at the story of the Israelites of how God took them out of situations they got themselves in case in point is the story of Gideon.

God in His compassion and mercy will never give us the penalty we deserve. Just like Jacob, God will take us back to the places that caused the most pain so that He can deliver and redeem us. Do not allow your past mistake to keep you stuck. thus hindering you from moving forward. Let the truth that you have been forgiven, you are loved, and have been accepted sink in. No amount of gifts will ever earn you God’s grace and no sin is great enough to disqualify you from His mercy, grace, and love.

You are loved, chosen and cherished. Yes even you who does not feel like it. As Jesus hung on the cross, He was thinking about you too!
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