The First Step Is The Hardest

Deuteronomy 2:31, “And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.”
In every life there will come difficult circumstances and task that we all have to deal with. At first glance many may appear overwhelming and daunting. Our first impression is to put off dealing with what lies before us, hoping God will miraculously take of it. After forty years in the wilderness Israel was now faced with a crisis. The Promised Land lay before them. They saw a might king and his army who did not appear too happy or wanting to give their home over to Israel. Moses had to remind the people that God would provide a way all they had to do was to “begin to posses the land”. After Moses died and the Nation of Israel stood on the banks of the Jordan River God told Joshua to have the priest to step into a flooded river and He would provide a safe passage. Again nothing was going to happen until the first foot of the priest stepped off dry ground and into the raging river.
The hardest step any believer ever has had to make was to step into an aisle at alter call and to accept the gift of salvation. That first step in very difficult, with white knuckles we all gripped the pew and it would appear as if the only way to get to the front was to be dragged; taking a deep breath as the first food stepped into the aisle the rest was easy. Why? The first step was ours the rest were God’s.
In Deuteronomy 2:24 we see that all Israel had to do to get rid of king Sihon was to begin to possess the land and engage him in battle. Could God have taken care of getting rid of all that stood in Israel’s way from taking possession of the land He was giving to them? Sure He could, but He commanded His people to take the first step.
The same is often true with us. We are faced with difficult situations and relationships that appear to be a road block to blessing God has for us. These difficult situations and relationships seem to defy solution. Maybe we feel there is just no way to get around or over what is blocking us. But the Lord says, “Take the first step begin to possess the land.” In damaged relationships we might have to make the first move--- speak a kind word, ask for forgiveness, pay a debt we owe. The first step could be ours to make. To receive the gift of eternal security we have to take that first step toward the cross. When we do step out asking for God to forgive us He begins to work miracles in our lives. Joy not only lies in attaining a goal but also in walking with our loving savior who says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Take the first step and leave the rest up to the Lord. Nothing can be accomplished until we take that first step.