Galatians 6:7-8(NLT)
“7 Don’t be misled–you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”
I had a conversation with a woman who said she loves the Lord but doesn’t have the concentration needed to read His Word. She said if she reads a verse a day, that is all she can manage. Placing her hand on the Bible each night, she prays to God and told me she wants very much to be closer to Him but studying His Word she believes is out of the question for her right now. As I thought about her condition, the on-the-job training and the tests she is required to pass for her profession came to mind. She told me not long ago that she’s up for a promotion. Because of this, I had to wonder if her issue with concentration was selective, or could it be that what she’s really dealing with is spiritual warfare against her own mind.
Christians are not exempt from trials and tribulations, and many of us are feeling exhausted from mental pressure. The situations and conditions surrounding our lives are tumultuous, and many are not handling this as well as others. Some think of life as one long trip of despair, and they want to curl up like an infant in a corner somewhere.
When life feels unmanageable and unstable, some people say that they struggle to keep their minds anchored in God’s Word. We must make room continually for the reality that God’s Word is the solution and not the problem. Life without God’s Word is an incredibly bumpy ride, so if we choose to go that route, we have no choice but to buckle up. God commands us in Colossians 3:16(ESV) to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” This isn’t a suggestion. It’s necessary to walk the path God has set before us.
We want to be happy and feel good again. We want the hopelessness to go away, but God created us to walk by faith and not by sight. Our commitment to have faith in God comes first, not second or last. Our emotions should not have governing authority over our lives, so when our commitment to trust God is first, our emotions will follow. Reading and studying God’s Word trains us to make our faith in God our highest priority. This isn’t always an immediate change. It’s takes time and we must be as patient with God and ourselves as we are with all the other aspects of our existences.
Hebrews 4:12(ESV) says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God’s Word is alive. It sanctifies us. It is the helmet of salvation and it protects our minds. We make a huge mistake in thinking that we can live without God’s instruction in His Word. We can’t. We want to do things our own way, but we’re God’s children, and we need to do things His way.
God is the One that established the path of life. The psalmist said in Psalm 16:11(ESV), “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” You might think it’s too hard to feel good and have a sense of purpose, but Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. He has authority over our lives, and we must learn to look to him rather than focusing on our feelings. We can’t set the path of life for ourselves. God is the Giver of life. He set the path of life way before we were in our mother’s wombs, so we must look to Him and seek Him in all things.
Contrary to what we might think, the path that God has laid for us isn’t bumpy. We don’t need to buckle up because Jesus Christ is in the driver’s seat, and he knows exactly where we need to be, and he knows how to get us there. Now, if we’re trying to do the steering ourselves, it’s going to take more than seat belts to help us, and we’re not going to go anywhere fast. So, in any and every situation of life, the answer is the same, put Jesus Christ in the driver’s seat and have total faith in God. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV), The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“Buckle Up”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!