Why Are You Still Where He Met You?

You started your walk with Christ. But have you kept moving?

Elijah was on his way to Jordan.

He knew he was leaving, but Elisha was determined to go with him.

At Gilgal, Elijah told Elisha to stay behind because the Lord had sent him to Bethel.

But Elisha refused.

“As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.”

So they went together to Bethel.

When they arrived, Elijah again told Elisha to stay behind. Again, Elisha refused.

Then they continued to Jericho.

At Jericho, the same thing happened.

There was always another place to go.

Gilgal was not enough. Bethel was not enough. Jericho was not enough.

Each place had a purpose, but none was the final destination.

Eventually, they came to Jordan.

And that journey carries a message that goes beyond the road Elijah and Elisha travelled.

 Every Place Had a Purpose

In Don’t Stop Here!, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome uses this journey to show us spiritual progress.

Gilgal was the place of beginning.

It represented a new beginning and the start of a new life.

Many of us remember what it felt like when we first came to Christ. Everything was new. We wanted to know the Word, pray, and understand this new life we had received.

But Gilgal was a beginning, not a place to settle.

The journey continued to **Bethel, the place of the altar.**

Here, there was commitment. You had moved beyond simply beginning your walk with God. You were giving yourself to Him and His work.

But even Bethel was not the end.

There was still more.

From Bethel came Jericho, where Elisha encountered the Holy Spirit and learned to depend on His strategy rather than human ability.

The journey became deeper. You learn to fellowship with the Holy Spirit, become active in prayer and the work of the Kingdom, and grow in spiritual understanding.

Yet even Jericho was not the place to stop.

There was still Jordan.

Jordan was a place of confirmation, deeper spiritual understanding, hearing God’s voice and greater maturity.

The journey kept moving.

What Happens When We Stop?

Perhaps the uncomfortable part of this story is not that there is more ahead.

It is that sometimes we become so grateful for how far we have come that we stop expecting to go further.

You remember when you first came to Christ. You remember what God taught you, the changes He helped you make, and the years you have served.

And all of that is worth celebrating.

But somewhere along the way, the hunger can become routine. The desire to learn can become familiarity.

And without making a conscious decision to stop, **we can simply stop moving.**

Not because we no longer love God.

We just become comfortable.

That is the danger of spiritual complacency. It can look perfectly normal from the outside.

You Can Be Grateful and Still Go Further

There is nothing wrong with looking back and thanking God.

But gratitude should not become a reason to stop growing.

**You can be grateful for where you are and still refuse to stay there.**

You can appreciate what God has taught you and still desire to learn more.

Don’t become satisfied with your present level of spiritual growth when God is calling you forward.

Maybe the thought is not, Everything I have done is not enough.”

Maybe it is:

“God has brought me this far. What does He want me to learn and become next?”

Growth is not about despising where you are. It is about refusing to mistake where you are for where you must remain.

 So, How Do You Move Forward?

Start with what God has already given you.

Go back to His Word with fresh hunger.

Strengthen your fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Put what you learn into practice.

Become more available for God’s work and look for opportunities to help others grow.

Once you recognise that you may have stopped somewhere along the way, the next question is simple:

**How do I move forward?**

This is where *Don’t Stop Here!* by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome becomes valuable.

Through the journey from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel to Jericho, and from Jericho to Jordan, the book helps you look at your own spiritual journey, recognise where you may have stopped, and understand the importance of continuing forward.

You may discover that you have become comfortable somewhere along the way.

But recognising where you are is not the end.

You can move again.

There is more of God’s Word to learn. More fellowship with the Holy Spirit. More maturity to develop. More opportunities to be useful in God’s Kingdom.

So don’t look at where you are with condemnation.

Look at it with honesty.

Then take the next step.

You have come this far. Don’t stop here.

Read Don’t Stop Here! by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome on the LoveWorld Publishing eLibrary and continue growing in your walk with God.

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