Shifting Sand
Psalm 118: 8
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”
Christian life
So many ups and downs…
Living the life of a Christian can be one of the hardest journeys we will ever endure. Why you ask? Because following God feels like we are always being deprived of our fleshly wants and desires. Just like when mother told us not to eat the cookie right before dinner, but we wanted it anyway. She knew that it would spoil our appetite and we wouldn’t want the great dinner that she prepared for us, but at the time, we didn’t know that, and as usual, she did.
Mothers watch over us the same way God does. He knows the beginning from the end; the situations that He can see and we can’t. As we walk with God and as each year passes, we continue to grow and learn more about why God does what He does. We will never get it all figured out in our lifetimes, but as we continue to grow, we will gain enough wisdom and knowledge to make the right choices and stop stumbling over ourselves. Knowledge is the key to everything. It will unlock every closed door.
A House to be Built
Are you stable or falling through the sand…
When the bible talks about building our house on a solid foundation, it isn’t necessarily talking about an actual home you live in, but the Spirit that dwells inside of you. You must teach yourself to get stronger in faith, therefore enabling your spirit to rule over the flesh (earthly desires of the heart). It can take a lifetime to learn these skills, and in the beginning, we think that it is an impossible achievement.
The reality is, that the longer we continue our relationship with God, the easier it becomes. At first, we struggle and fight God, whining and complaining about this or that. It’s a natural process to react this way and God knows we will question and argue about everything, trying to do it our way. But in time, we start to realize that all of the persecutions and testing we have gone through, have and will develop our character in such a way that, when we look in the mirror, we see more of Jesus and less of ourselves. That is the ultimate goal.
Navigating through life is difficult and we listen to all the wrong voices at times and can even delay the journey God has for us. It takes time to mature as an adult and as a child of God. Learning, growing, failing, missing opportunities, trusting in this person and that person, etc., can be exhausting and can take years from us. God says not to trust in men and only in Him, because they will disappoint us continuously.
We have all made this mistake at one time or another. When we fall (for some, it feels like daily) we must get back up and start over again; trust in God completely and allow Him to take you places you couldn’t dream of on your own.
Miracles all around us
God is not a Magician…
He is the God of miracles, and He knows everything about you and all of your dreams and desires. He isn’t taking anything away from us, just replacing the wrong choices with the right ones. He is always protecting us from the slings and arrows that are thrown at us constantly from the enemy. Put your spiritual armor on and know that God goes before us to get us through what we are currently dealing with.
When you feel as if the world is shifting underneath your feet and your losing control, go to God and ask what He wants you to do. Trust in Him, not in the situation and not other people. They don’t know what is best for you, only God does. He can get you right back on track and build a solid foundation underneath your feet. My mother used to say, “Don’t go around the mountain, go through it”. She was absolutely correct because we want to conquer the mountains in our lives, tear them down; not leave them standing to come back and do us more harm.
When a door closes on you, STOP trying to open it again. Walk away and never return. God closed it for a reason, just like He did with the Garden of Eden. Once Adam and Eve sinned, they could never return and God was forced to put an Angel at the entrance of the garden to prevent them from trying. Door closed, go another way, so they had to trust in Him to lead them out of the mess they got themselves into. We too, do the same thing and cry out to Him to help us.
Run towards God
If the world is closing in, God will protect you…
If you feel like you are standing on shifting sand and your world is shaky and unpredictable, run to God, read His word and He will steer you in the right direction on solid ground. Even when we don’t understand anything He is doing, if we keep going and keep trusting, we will get to the end of our destination.
Can you imagine being the Israelites that Moses just delivered from Egypt and all of a sudden, the road they were traveling on ended with nothing but the sea in front of them, nowhere to go and Pharaoh and his army were charging right behind them? It seemed like utter destruction, but God did what He does best, He provided a miracle, split the sea in two and they crossed on dry ground away from danger to the other side. What seemed like a complete impossibility to them, became an easy task for God.
This was an unprecedented moment and one that I doubt anyone else has ever encountered or will ever again. As always, He knows the end from the beginning. There is nothing in your life that is too big for God. If He split the sea for Moses, He can deal with any situation in your life.
“Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.”