A detour is defined as a long or roundabout route that is taken to avoid something.
A self-initiated detour happens when you avoid doing things God’s way. These kinds of detours only lead to delaying you from fulfilling what God called you to do.
Jonah’s Tarshish Detour
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah 1:1-3
When God-ordains your detour it’s because He knows you’re not yet ready for what’s on the path ahead. The detours He leads you on are to prepare you for the heavier weight of glory that you will carry when your spiritual maturity matches the call of God on your life.
Israel’s Wilderness Detour
When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.
Exodus 13:17-18
During this 28-Day Lifestyle Reset Challenge, God has challenged me to let go of certain things. As I’ve been obedient to let go, He’s led me back to the things He once called me to do that He has now called me back to.
Looking back, I can see how I took a detour from doing the things God called me to do when things got too hard for me personally.
My detour was a little bit of both, self-initiated and God-ordained.
You can watch my full teaching on YouTube here: The Purpose of Detours
I wasn’t ready to pay the full cost of the call that God has placed on my life which He knew. But I, like Peter, did not recognize that I was capable of turning back when faced with the total surrender of my will. (See Matthew 26:31-35 and 69-74)
Trying to avoid the pruning that happens when God calls us higher, I took a detour and settled for doing good things even though I knew deep down I was avoiding doing the God-thing.
I was avoiding the internal work of allowing God to take me through the process of healing my broken places. But one cannot move on with God with the weight of wounds however buried they may be.
Instead of dealing with my brokenness, I busied myself with good works God had not called me to do to avoid the hard work that the upward call of God often includes.
However, God by His grace called me back from my detour.
The thing is I still have to face the hard things and do the work it takes to truly heal those broken places.
But it will be so worth it to get back to the work He called me to do and do it from an authentic space.
When we give God our brokenness He uses our process as a witness to lead others through their healing journeys.
His promise is this:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me
Isaiah 61:1-4
to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
Beloved, whether you caused your detour or God led you into a detour, His grace is sufficient to help you find your way back to the path He chose for you.
If you are willing to let go of the things He did not call you to do, commit your way to Him once again, and allow Him into your broken places God will restore you.
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