Are you struggling to focus on what God has planned for your life and business? Do you find yourself comparing your accomplishments, marriage, strengths, weaknesses, skills, and abilities against others? If so, staying in your lane can help; what does it mean?
If you’re a driver, yikes! I’m sure you’ve had to yell countless times, “Stay in your lane,” to drivers drifting over the lines into your lane. Well, this post is doing just that, but in a loving way that will help you long-term as it has spiritual benefits.
I must ask you to stay in your lane because too many Christians get caught up in the attention-craving of likes and views through content creation. It’s dangerous to the soul. We are programmed to look at the numbers too much, which is unhealthy and causes us to take our eyes off what God wants us to focus on individually.
Statistics and numbers are smack dab in our faces on social platforms, YouTube, and email marketing accounts.
Therefore, it’s easy to covet, get jealous, and desire someone else’s audience, purpose, gifts, and talents—but what does God require from you? Soulful, if it’s challenging to concentrate on what we should do, we won’t finish the race God set before us excellently.
Walk by Faith to Stay in your lane
To walk by faith means to follow the path God has laid before you, no matter how uncertain it may seem.
Faith trusts God to lead you to the destination He proposes and has considered the best outcome to bless you. Christian business owners, leaders, visionaries, and entrepreneurs can stay in their lane instead of being led by emotions, algorithms, and how the world defines success.
Remember, the Holy Spirit is leading you, right?
Most of us are guilty of not staying in our lanes because of the temptation to know the numbers. We want the results instantly, so we drift and lose focus.
If you’re an athlete, farmer, church planter, author, investor, marketer, accountant, business owner, publisher, or are involved in anything involving numbers and growth, your training is to look at the statistics. Numbers help you to pivot and tweak areas that cause a deficit so you can do more of what’s working for a successful outcome.
Knowing where you are is essential in most industries, and although important—be careful not to gauge spiritual success through an inaccurate metric. Be careful not to link your identity with reasonable or unpleasant measures.
AN INACCURATE MEASUREMENT OF SUCCESS
Inc. Magazine in 7 Ways to Measure True Success, defines success in these factors:
- Profitability
- Customers
- Satisfaction Level of Customers
- Employee Satisfaction
- Your Satisfaction
- Level of Learning and knowledge
- How You Spend Your Time
Although these are excellent measurements in the business world, they help us work diligently unto the Lord.
However, God can also tell you to start a business, and it fails. This can happen because God knew you needed this collapse to grow your character and test obedience as a measure of success—not the numbers.
He may want to use that business only as a testing ground to sanctify you in areas where you need to grow spiritually. God chooses the low and poor things that don’t make sense to us to bring Him glory.
When you pass His test, you move on and rejoice.
Don’t get down in the dumps because the numbers that display to the public appear low. What seems low in our society is not the bottom spiritually. Watch my Testimony video; in it, I share how my ambition for success left me empty, but through Christ, I’ve overcome. Since writing this post, I’ve published my book The Acceleration Cure | 28 Biblical Principles to Get Unstuck in Life and Business. I encourage you to check it out because I believe it will bless you.
STAY IN YOUR LANE FOR GODLY SUCCESS
As God’s beloved children, looking at things outside a spiritual lens and hearing through spiritual ears can cause you to lose focus and give up. But James calls us to remember every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17). Therefore, if your data isn’t where you think it should be, don’t give up and get weary don’t start crying about the attention everyone else is getting. Pace yourself and make sure you’re in alignment with God’s will. Discipline requires patience and resilience. Continue to meditate on the goodness of God and work to glorify Him. Thank Him for what you have and all He’s allowing you to steward.
The Relationship Between Your Ministry and Your Occupation on Bible.org says, We often engage in the numbers game, counting attendance or conversions. God is not impressed with the results of a ministry. Often they are deceiving, and even when they are accurate, they only reveal the power of God (1 Corinthians 12:6). The basis for the measure of a ministry cannot be the judgment of men or the tallying of numbers. The measure of a ministry is God’s business, not ours. God does not compare our ministry with that of others, nor should we (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:11).
Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Serve the Lord, for He recognizes the attitude with which you contribute to your work. The good works you perform carry spiritual rewards.
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5 Dangers of Drifting from Your Lane
Yes, there are spiritual setbacks and dangers associated with broken focus, inconsistency, and lacking productivity for the sake of things not turning out the way you imagined them.
1. WASTING TIME
When you spend your precious time looking at what others are doing, you waste valuable moments, seasons, and years away from what you need to do.
The lost time adds up and multiplies!
If you’re squandering valuable hours focused on unnecessary things, it will create a deficit in your progress in the following years.
The Bible teaches us that God’s people must be sensitive to following God’s instructions. We must be Holy Spirt led. It’s a continuous theme in the written Word.
Isaiah 30:21 KJV, And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Redeem the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16).
2. INFLUENCE
Too many Christians are trying to build a brand for themselves. They are taking the culture’s worldview out of balance because the world throws its vanity in our faces. Some businesses we start, and some careers are brands, but that’s not what I mean.
I’m speaking of the Christians who secretly want to be well-known as investors, tycoons, millionaires, influencers, and accomplished individuals so they can sell you something. Possibly even use God’s name as a grift to manipulate you.
Influencers have tons of followers on social platforms and YouTube; if you’re not careful and discerning, you’ll get dragged into trading your time to become successful by their standards while spending all of your hard-earned money on their products. If you stop at nothing for success by including manifesting, unethical practices, breaking your word of integrity, and witchcraft, who is the glory really for?
I do not knock proven business systems of success. It’s wise not to ignore all the world can offer if it doesn’t interfere with godly principles.
There is nothing wrong with achieving financial success. God made Abraham, Isaac, David, Solomon, Esther, Job, and Joseph successful in their work. He’s also made many other Christian business owners successful and skilled in generating massive income.
Nonetheless, you can’t fall for everything you see—use wisdom.
3. JEALOUSY
Comparing your assignment to others is sinful. Discontent comes across as if you are not satisfied with the job God asked you to complete.
God calls you to take on things to test and perfect you in Him. Father God wants to conform us to the image of His Son—Christ our Lord.
You believe you deserve something the Lord does not want to provide currently. And if you’re expressing jealousy where you are now, you can see why He hasn’t elevated you.
We don’t want to be jealous of what’s happening in other people’s lives. When our brothers and sisters prosper, we should thank God for it. Continue to pray for God to use them and expand their territory of influence for His glory. If sound brethren in the faith win—we all win! We are all on the same team. The body of Christ is for His church.
4. PRIDE
God hates pride and arrogance. Therefore, you must humble yourself and be faithful and obedient to the assignment and season God has for you. The best encouragement I can give is to read the Scriptures and meditate on what God did in the lives of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Joseph, Esther, and Ruth. They were obedient where they were before taking on their ultimate callings.
You’re Christ’s disciple—so follow Jesus—the Good Shepherd! The Good Shepherd will never lead you astray. He has nothing but the best in mind for your life and business.
Don’t fall away from what is best for you. If you aren’t in your position now, you will stay stuck, and God will use another to carry out what you aren’t ready to do.
When you trust God as your source of provision, purpose, and needs, you’ll realize how great a blessing stealer pride is. Refuse to let a haughty mindset and envy rob you of trusting God’s plan for your life. We all must check our pride at the door daily because it can easily creep into all we do.
5. COMPLAINING
When the spirit of complaining stirs up within, I want you to remember how Israel complained and grumbled in the wilderness. They rebelled against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. What God was doing for them didn’t make them happy. Their constant complaining angered God and mainly caused an entire generation to die. Only a few Israelites from that generation made it to God’s Promised Land because they couldn’t obey and trust God as a nation. How sad. Please resolve to never let complaining steal your joy and blessings.
How can you stay in your lane when complaining?
6. LOOKING BEHIND YOU
The Israelites kept looking behind and held onto the memories of slave life in Egypt. They didn’t appreciate everything the mighty hand and power of the LORD did in delivering them. He performed countless miracles in their presence and set them on the path of promise.
But, they were rebellious and stiff-necked people.
A personal and intimate relationship with the only wise God wasn’t enough. By their standards, the blessing that awaited them was not respectable and timely. They wanted to go back to Egypt to feel comforted.
They desired the bondage and conformability afforded by oppression. Israel found it dreary to be with their God and trust His plan in the wilderness. They didn’t want to stay in the lane as God’s holy and chosen nation.
7. FAILURE
Unfortunately, many of us do precisely what the Israelites did in their testing season. We fail over and over again daily in some seasons.
We fail miserably countless times. It’s easy to criticize their sins. The Holy Spirit documented the Hebrew wilderness experience to train us in righteousness because we’re prone to wander easily.
Only when we surrender to the leading of the Spirit of God will we move forward and have success.
Complaining and looking back thwarts us from God’s presence as fast as the sound of wind when driving 65 mph on the freeway.
Please repent of complaining and stop relishing in bondage, soulful. God has a plan for your life if you stay in your lane.
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8. DISTRACTIONS
You cannot stay in your lane when you’re easily distracted. You’re easily distracted if you’re constantly scrolling through TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook or texting and checking your phone when you haven’t completed your work.
Distractions, even good ones, rob us of pursuing the call of God for our lives.
Be cautious of distractions.
A good thing doesn’t mean it’s a God thing.
Just so we’re clear, just because someone invited you to partake in a panel discussion or make an appearance at their event doesn’t mean God wants you to be a part of it.
Declining doesn’t mean their request is wrong, but it’s not lining up with the lane God has you in this season.
All people’s connections and opportunities are not for you and will cause you to drift from your lane because their requests can be distractions sent from the enemy of our souls.
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CONCLUSION
I hope this post helped you to see the importance of staying in your lane. Your lane is a gift from God to protect your purpose and His plans for your life. Please make the most of your time by ensuring you’re doing what God wants you to and where you should be.
Resist the urge to check the stats of everyone else’s progress and success without prioritizing staying in your lane and obedience. Your Christian life and the condition of your soul are not a marketing campaign or YouTube video.
You’re a living soul made in the image of God.
Statistics, numbers, and likes will never define your success in Christ. Therefore, pay attention to the spiritual things that matter, for your rewards are in heaven.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Soul Actions:
Stay in your lane by being clear on what that looks like for you.
Pray for the spiritual successes of your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Trust the Holy Spirit and let him lead you down your lane by faith.
As always, I appreciate you sharing this article with two friends. Thank you graciously for helping to spread the word.
