Real Life Stories

But What About My Dreams?

We all have dreams and aspirations for this life. For some, they are BIG dreams of wealth and power or to travel the world. For others, the dreams may be simpler, such as to be married or to be a parent or to own a house. As we get older, we begin to recognize that we need to say good-bye to some of our dreams, as they just aren’t going to happen. Some of us find this out when we are young.

Does God care about our dreams, our desires, and the longings of our hearts?

We know He does because He cares for us. And, in fact, Psalm 37 tells us He will give us the desires of our hearts. So is there a condition for this promise?

There certainly is. But before we look at what that condition is, I want to share the story of a man by the name of Samuel Pearce.

Born in 1766, Samuel was saved at the age of 16. He was soon on fire for the Lord and his heart’s desire immediately was to go on the Mission Field. He made plans to sail to New Zealand for this purpose but those plans fell through. And so he became God’s hard-working and faithful servant right where he was.

However, the dream to go on the mission field never left him. And when he met William Carey (pioneer missionary to India), they became great friends. Soon he was making plans to join Carey in India. It was his heart’s burning desire to join Carey there. Surely, God wouldn’t deny this godly man his dream?

But God said no. And Samuel Pearce never did get to go to India.

Why was this godly man denied such a godly dream? Why wasn’t he able to go to India?

Let’s go back to Psalm 37:4 and read the entire verse–

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

There is a condition and that is we are to delight ourselves in the Lord. This is the condition to receiving the desires of our hearts. That is because, when we do this, our desires naturally change.

And so, Samuel Pearce chose to delight himself in His Lord and he surrendered his dream to God’s will. There was no bitterness or rancor in his heart. Oh, I am sure he questioned God but He also trusted His heavenly Father to know best and gave even this most holy dream over to God’s Sovereignty.

Samuel Pearce suffered from illness and died by the age of 33, never seeing India or any other part of the world. But He continued to serve God until that day. He never turned from God because he trusted God.

And this leads us back to our own dreams. Is it wrong to have dreams for our lives? Well, not necessarily (more about that later). But we need to surrender any dream or desire we may have to God’s will for our lives. His will may be different than ours and we need to accept that without bitterness and without resentment.

This is easier said than done, isn’t it? But it’s our only path to the peace that God promises. And, in fact, it’s our only path to the fulfillment of all God’s promises. We must surrender to His Sovereign will for our lives.

Oh, as usual, this is so much easier to write than to live out! We get upset at the smallest detour in our mundane plans. Perhaps the best way to prepare our hearts for the loss of our big dreams is to practice submitting to God’s Sovereignty without complaint in the small, everyday things.

And let’s not forget to thank God for those wonderful blessings He gives us and for the dreams we have had that have been fulfilled. He is a God full of lovingkindness and mercies. Psalm 103:1-5 reminds us of this–

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.


So what about my dreams? Is there anything wrong with having a dream for my life? Well, that depends.

If our dreams and aspirations for our lives are completely self-centered and selfish, then…yes. God clearly tells us in His Word that when we are redeemed, our priorities change. We are living for Him and not for ourselves. But if our desires are not born out of our own selfish agenda, then…no. Nothing wrong with these.

But, no matter what it is we long for, we need to surrender this to our heavenly Father, trusting that He knows best and remembering that He loves us more than we can even imagine!

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly. 

O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!
(Psalm 84:11-12)


You can be encouraged by the life of Samuel Pearce and also by the lives of others godly Christians in the book Sound of Trumpets by Faith Cook. I highly recommend it.

The Place of God’s Appointment is the Place of God’s Provision

Have you ever talked to someone who insists that God’s Will is something that goes completely against His Word? Perhaps they are walking away from a loyal and loving spouse because they are infatuated with someone else. Or they are taking an outrageous and irresponsible financial or physical risk, insisting that God has sanctioned this decision. Perhaps it is a mom that is making her career a priority rather than her family or it is the pursuit of a dream at the cost of far too much. Whatever it may be, Christians often expect God’s provision and blessing upon them in these choices they insist are God’s will.

But is this how God works? Does God bless and provide when we are in a place where we were never to be in the first place? I guess occasionally He may–simply because of to His tremendous grace and undeserved mercy– but that should not be our expectation.

In I Kings 17, God told Elijah to go to the brook Cherith, assuring him that He would send the ravens there to feed him. Elijah obeyed the Lord immediately. Verse 5 puts it this simply: So he did what the Lord had told him.

That’s all the information we have so we do not know if this cost Elijah anything. Although, we can imagine it must have been rather strange for him to expect food from a bird, much less one that was considered unclean by His people. That alone would have been a challenge that we can’t really comprehend very well. But Elijah’s provision came because of His obedience. He was fed by the ravens at a specific place. Had he chosen to ignore God or go to a different brook, he would not have had God’s provision or His blessing.

I am currently reading a book by Will Varner called The Chariot of Israel and it is in there that I was reminded of this important truth yesterday. I have been thinking on this ever since and considering the truth of this in my life and the lives of other believers I’ve met.

The author puts it like this–

The place of God’s appointment is the place of His provision. In other words, you’ve got to be in the place God wants you to be if you expect to claim the promise that God will meet your needs. This is the Old Testament counterpart of a New Testament truth that’s stated in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” If I am seeking first the Kingdom of God, I can be assured that God will meet my needs. The place of God’s appointment is the place of His provision. Are you where God wants you to be? Then you can claim God’s promise that He will meet your need.” *

I think about this on my own life. I can think of one time, in particular, that my husband and I made an extremely difficult choice in order to please the Lord. We knew He wanted us to do a certain thing, although it was sure to cost our family so much. But we went ahead and did what we knew we had to do in order to follow God. And did it cost us? You bet it did. It cost us a LOT. It is one of the most painful times we have been through. BUT… looking back now, we can see God’s incredible grace and mercy carrying us through that time. And there were some amazing blessings that came because we chose to obey the Lord rather than rebel against His will.

So now when we look back at that time, it is with awe in our hearts at God’s faithfulness to us despite the difficulty of the path. We experienced His provision in a wonderful way because we were willing to travel the path He had made clear we were to go.

Of course, sometimes I stick my feet in the ground and just say NO, God, that’s too much. I just don’t want to. An example of that is the music I so loved. I’ve written about that often before. I told God, in no uncertain terms, that I would not give it up. I said this to Him for years and years. But as the battle grew more fierce in my soul, so did the conviction. It finally prompted me to ask God for help as I struggled with my unwillingness to do what I knew God desired me to do. And guess what? When I finally was willing to step out in faith and obey, again came tremendous blessing: God totally removed my taste for the music I had so loved. I still look upon that as a small miracle. I am in awe even yet when I think about it.

And, yet, I still struggle giving up certain things or walking the way I know God wants me to walk sometimes. Even after all of that. Isn’t that just ridiculous? Even as I write this, I can hardly believe my own stupidity sometimes.

The one thing I do know, though, is that the more we are willing to follow hard after God, denying self and turning from the world, the more blessing we receive. So that we don’t really miss what we thought we would miss. It really defies logic. God is so amazing! His grace is amazing and so is His provision! The same God that fed Elijah with the ravens is the same God still at work today in our lives!

Can you look back, as I do, and trace God’s amazing provision and abundant grace in your own life? If you have walked with God for any length of time, I am sure you can. His promises are not just empty words. They are proven true over and over again by those who are God’s own dear children. His provision is a very real thing to those of us that seek to love Him with our whole heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:30).

And so I want to encourage you this morning to step out in faith and do what God has called you to do. It may be something as simple as sharing the Gospel with a co-worker or reaching out in kindness to an elderly neighbor. It may be giving up an ungodly TV series or leaving a church that is headed a wrong direction. Whatever it may be, know that your choice to follow God will not go unnoticed by Him but will lead to His provision and blessing as you seek to serve Him. He is so kind and so very faithful. He will keep you and He will change you.

Psalm 1 echoes this thought and so I wanted to share a few verses here this morning of this precious Psalm. I hope you will carry these words with you as you seek to follow God and do His will today–

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.
(Psalm 1:1-3)

*The Chariot of Israel by Will Varner, p. 23

What Determines What You Believe About God?

A month or two ago, I picked up a short book by a favorite author on the subject of prayer. As I read, my mind became a bit confused. This did not quite match what I had always believed the Bible taught me about God. My mind mulled this over for awhile and reflected on it. I knew the Bible was right. So that was a non-issue. But it was quite disconcerting that this author, who clearly had a strong walk with the Lord, would end up at such a mystical place.

When I visited with my brother and his wife this past weekend, I took him a copy of this specific book to read. He turned it over in his hand and opened it to look at the table of contents. As we discussed it, he said this profound statement:

You cannot let a book determine your theology.

Read that again–

You cannot let a book determine your theology.

Theology simply means “what we believe about God”. And many people today are letting books written by fallible men and women determine their theology. But it is not just books. Christians are letting science determine what they believe about God. They are letting music, movies, and tv shows determine what they believe about God. They are letting their own experiences or the experiences of friends and family members determine what they believe about God.

Let’s look at a few examples–

–For the past several decades, books have been coming out that have completely changed how people think about God. Books like The Shack, Experiencing God, Jesus Calling, and a plethora of others have slowly eroded what Christians believe about God. Instead of comparing them against the Bible, they are reading them instead of the Bible.

But they are so engaging and they say really nice things that we like.

–For quite a while now, we have dealt with an influx of “Bible shows” from Hollywood. It started with “Passion of the Christ”, produced by a Catholic, and then it was the Bible series produced by a self-proclaimed new ager, and then it was The Chosen, produced by Mormons. When one compares what these movies and shows are teaching those who watch them to what scripture actually says, we can see that they are completely and utterly compromised. And, yet, people keep watching them. Christians keep watching them. And not only watch them but proclaim them as right and good. Their reasoning is often that it may draw people towards God and the Word. But is this right and good? Of course not. While God can use these things, He certainly doesn’t need them. He can have a rock talk to a person if He wants.

(Not to get too deep here but notice that this is where faulty Armininian theology affects the choices of believers. If we believe that the responsibility for someone’s salvation lies at our feet rather than at God’s then we must do all we can to save someone or they might not be saved. But God’s Word teaches that we must instead realize that we are simply planting seeds and it is the Holy Spirit that moves and works in the heart. God never needs fatally compromised entertainment to accomplish His purposes.)

And I firmly believe that these shows are doing far more harm in wrecking the theology of believers than they are doing any good in bringing people into God’s Kingdom. For how could they be doing much good, when they aren’t even teaching the truth about that Kingdom?

But this show or movie might be doing some good.

–For the past hundred or more years, a theory called “Evolution” has taken hold of the scientific world like it is based on proven and definite premises. But it’s simply not. Pretending it is science (when it simply cannot be, due to the fact that it cannot be observed), academia has put forth this theory as gospel truth. Christians, concerned about appearing nonintellectual, then took this theory and tried to marry it with the Bible. What resulted was a mishmash of ridiculousness that can clearly be proven false by any humble person that studies the Bible at all.

But they are intimidating and seem so knowledgeable.

–A friend tells you that God told them something very specific. Or perhaps they had a dream or a vision that came true. These kinds of things can throw us if we aren’t grounded in the Word. We don’t want to discount them and yet we cannot change our theology based on them. The thing that always comes to mind when I am told something that is puzzling like this is to remember that Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), seeking whom he can devour and destroy (I Peter 5:8). We know that he will allow a few to be saved in order to lead the many down the mystical path towards the coming antichrist system. What this means is that these experiences cannot be the basis for which we validate our faith. Our faith must be grounded in the Word alone.

But their testimonies seem so genuine.


These four examples all have one thing in common and that is that they take our eyes off of God and put them on sinful humans. We turn to humans for our answers rather than to God’s Holy Word that He has given us for just such a purpose. It is there that we find out Who God is. It is there that we find out how He works.

I know that there are those of you out there that won’t agree with me on this. So let me just share one more overarching principle that all biblical Christians must keep in mind as we travel in this world–

Satan has one goal in mind and that is that all of humankind worship him. And, as we can see in scripture, he has laid out a very specific plan in order for this to happen in the final days of this age. But these things can’t happen in a vacuum and he’s been working on his plan very obviously since the beginning of time. One of the main things he must do is move “Christianity” into the realm of mysticism.

Mysticism can be defined simply as allowing truth to be determined by our subjective experiences rather than by objective facts.

As soon as Satan can remove a professing Christian’s eyes from the Word of God, he has them right where he wants them. Even a true believer is rendered ineffective when they put aside the Bible in favor of other books, speakers, and experiences.

And so we must continue to judge all things by God’s Word. We must be as the Bereans were in Acts, when Paul came to town–

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11)

Instead of judging the Bible by what we hear subjectively, we must judge what we hear subjectively by what we read in the Bible.

Do you see how we’ve gotten this all backwards in this current Christian culture? But, we as an individual, can choose this very day to do the right thing. We can determine that we will test all things that we experience, learn, or hear against God’s holy, inerrant, inspired, and infallible Word.

We can stand, without apology, on the Bible and know that, no matter what ridicule, condescension, or antagonism comes our way from the world (and often the “church”) because of this, that we are standing on the Truth. In the end, the Bible will be proven true, as it has so many times in the past already.

So today, let’s remember that it must be the Bible that determines what we believe about God. For it is only there that we will end up with the right answers!

The grass withers, the flower fades, 

But the word of our God stands forever. 

(Isaiah 40:8)

What Chickens Can Teach Us

A year or two ago, we got some chickens. This past summer one escaped without us noticing and was found without her head just a few yards from the safety of her pen the next morning.

We googled what takes off just the head and then leaves the rest of the chicken (you’d be surprised at the answers!) and then filled in any gaps or places in the pen that would provide a way of escape.

Unfortunately, this was not our last headless chicken. The other night my husband went down to the pen and found a headless chicken inside the pen. He was furious. What in the world?? How had this happened??

More googling.

Did you know that chickens are very curious creatures? Apparently, this can get them into trouble.

Apparently, some animal (we are thinking a raccoon) put his paw in the pen at a place where it was dug out just a bit under the fence. When the chicken got close enough to see what was going on, he grabbed her head and pulled. Only there was not enough room to pull the entire chicken through. And so, yet another chicken lost its head.

Had that chicken curbed its curiosity it would still be alive today. But it just couldn’t resist and moved closer and closer to the fence until BAM!! Its life was over. In the course of a few seconds.

Oh, upon this experience, I couldn’t help thinking how much like chickens we are! In several different ways!

First, there are the chickens that stood by and watched that chicken approach danger.

Some of us are so curious. We just can’t resist getting as close to the fence as we possibly can.

And, as we approach danger, all of our “chicken friends” just watch. No one says a thing because–for goodness’ sake!–we might be offended. People care more about us being offended or mad at them than they do about saving our spiritual lives. Have you ever thought of that?

When it comes right down to it, if we are honest, our unwillingness to speak up against sin and false teaching is more about our own selfish desire to avoid any pain and suffering than it is about truly loving someone.

Warning that person that is steeped in false teaching or caught up in a habitual sin is taking a big risk. A risk that may cost us a relationship or even our reputation. For most of us, that risk is too high.

And so we stand by as we watch others approach real spiritual danger. Pretending we care but not caring enough to speak the truth.

And then there is that chicken that approached the danger. Let’s talk about her for a moment. Oh, how close to the world we want to get, thinking we can go just one more step to satisfy our worldly desires. But, in just a moment, the consequences for getting that close can destroy our lives. While it can never kill us if we are truly saved, it can–and usually will–wreak havoc in the lives of both ourselves and our family. Sin always brings destruction. Creeping closer to the world, being lured towards the edge by the raccoons of this world is always a bad idea.

And then there is the chicken-keeper. My husband. The guy who built the fence. Now, we are not perfect chicken-keepers. To say the least (I can hear my family laughing now!) But even as a non-lover of animals, he was downright angry about some wild animal killing his chicken and worked hard to protect the others by placing boards around the bottom and doing all he could temporarily until a more permanent solution could be put in place.

This reminds me of John 10, where Christ is our Shepherd and He promises to take care of us. He builds the fence of His Word around His sheep (which never needs mended) as our protection. But sometimes we seek to escape the boundaries of the Word. We disobey its commands, we love the world, we love a hidden sin, we are beguiled by a wolf dressed as a sheep…and, while we can’t lose our salvation thanks to our Good and Loving Shepherd, we pay consequences that are so very costly.

You know, pastors are supposed to follow Christ’s example and protect the flock in his care. They are to preach the Word, regardless of popularity and people-pleasing, in order to truly love their sheep.

So sadly, many seem to be so much more caught up in “building a business” than loving the sheep in their care. They seem to care much more about the numbers than they do about spiritually strengthening and protecting their congregation.

This is such a sad commentary on this even sadder church era.

How thankful we should be for the pastors out there who lovingly and selflessly care for the spiritual needs and protection of their flocks. There are still some out there and what a blessing they are to the true Church. And to the sheep that sit under their care.

So that’s what I’ve been thinking through after the unfortunate chicken incident. May we give as much attention to protecting the spiritual welfare of those we love as we give to protecting their physical welfare. The world is a dangerous place and filled with raccoons, owls, hawks, foxes, and minks. They are all after your heart. After the heart of your spouse. And especially after the hearts of the next generations– your children and your grandchildren.

We are charged to love them by protecting them. And this will never happen by letting them skirt as close to the fence as possible. Instead, we must teach them the boundaries of God’s Word and set the example for them of living by those same boundaries. And, through it all, realize that all of it is impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who have been saved through faith in Christ alone.

May we pray diligently for spiritual protection and monumental courage for ourselves, for our families, and for our pastors and other church leaders, in a mainstream church that’s so far gone it is almost unrecognizable.

 

 

 

How Studying the Bible Changes You

I was so perplexed and started to grow angry. Was she kidding? No, there was an unpleasant glint in her eye that gave credence to her words.

My daughter had been given permission from the guy at the top of the bridge to have her baby’s car seat in the plane. When we arrived in the plane, the stewardess informed us in no uncertain terms that this would not be possible. She condescendingly told us it was a full flight and she highly doubted there would be room for his seat. But the plane was far from full. So not only was she rude but she lied. We did question why permission was given at the top, which seemed to set her against us. She continued her churlishness with us throughout the flight. This same stewardess was quite rude to the rest of family behind us as they made legitimate requests. It’s hard to believe that someone like that has a job working with people.

A few moments before the flight started, a man came and very kindly explained that, due to Covid, car seats were no longer allowed on the smaller planes. While this didn’t make any sense to us at all, his calm and kind manner as he explained was comforting after the stinging meanness of the stewardess. (They all seemed to be rather confused as to protocol regarding car seats and the rules about them. It was very disorganized. It does seem like we now live in a world where anything and everything can be blamed on Covid. It’s actually very strange.)

As we taxied on the runway and then took off, I could feel myself growing angrier and angrier at this woman. I wanted nothing more than to be rude back to her. But about fifteen or twenty minutes in, as I started to settle down, it dawned on me that she was very likely unsaved and that I had a Christian testimony to keep. While I (to my shame) did not go out of my way to “kill her with kindness”, I did manage to hold my tongue and to mumble a “thank you” a time or two as she brought things by.

I do long for the day that I can overcome my flesh in these situations and actually be extra kind when someone is so incredibly rude to me (or my child.) But Sunday was not that day.

The next morning, I was reading in Matthew and I came across these verses in chapter six–

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

I thought about this lady from the day before and remembered the danger of holding grudges. I thought of how anger and bitterness shatter all relationships–whether it be with a stranger, a customer, a person at church, a friend, or a family member.

Unforgiveness and bitterness destroy everything in their path. It can never be allowed to set up residence in our soul. Even over the small matter of an extra-ordinarily rude stewardess. At that moment, I chose to forgive her. I wished I had been able to do that on the plane so that I could have been a better testimony. I will probably never see her again and that chance is gone.

So, honestly, I am not a big one for flying. Flying with masks is far worse. But the thing that had me the most worried was that all of the women, save one, in our family were on the same plane for four different flights. About two weeks before we had left this hit me and I grew incredibly worried about something happening to all of us at the same time. Enter Matthew, chapter six again. It was from the end of that chapter that I drew much comfort and chose to trust the Lord.

You see, in the Growing4Life Bible Reading Challenge we have been reading Matthew 5-8, which contains the Sermon on the Mount. There have been so many times that what I have been reading and studying over this past month have been practically applied to my daily life. I gave just two examples above but there are so many more. The scriptures have exhorted, reminded, encouraged, and rebuked me. They truly are life-changing.

Any good in me, any right response, is the Holy Spirit working through the Word to transform me and make me look more like Christ. It has nothing whatsoever to do with me or my efforts to be a “better person”.

I wish I could get every single person who claims to love Jesus to actually study the Word. It would change the world because it changes the individual.

If you’d like to study the Bible but aren’t sure where to begin, I’d like to invite you to join this year’s Bible Reading Challenge. It’s a great time to join because we will begin the book of Ruth on April 1st. You can find the details here. I would love to have you join me in studying God’s Word.

But any study of God’s Word is life-changing. The key is to get started. Paul tells us in I Timothy 3:16-17–

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If we want to be transformed by the Word, it will require study and meditation. Cursorily reading it isn’t a bad thing but it could be compared to a lollipop in its sustenance regarding our spiritual health.

Life happens. Every day we face various trials and challenges. Big ones and small ones. We face rude stewardesses, customer service reps, and clerks. We find out a company scammed us or cheated us or didn’t receive our payment. We learn that our child or spouse or family member did something very disappointing. We find out that someone passed away, is getting divorced, or has been diagnosed with illness.

God has told us how to respond to these things and so much more in His Word. But if we don’t know it, we are missing out on the greatest strength and guidance God has offered us. Let us not ignore this wonderful gift God has given us for this life.

 

 

Fighting Germs

The other week we flew down south to see our new granddaughter. On the way home, we had a stop in Atlanta and then we were finally on the last leg of our journey. On that final flight home, my husband and I looked around and noticed that we were surrounded by people that took virus protection very seriously. Three women scattered around us wore both face masks and face shields.

As we made our way off the plane an hour or two later, we stopped at the restroom. As I waited beside our luggage for my husband, I was quite amused (and a little concerned) to watch one of those women pull out disinfectant spray and spray it all over her husband, front and back. He then proceeded to do the same for her. Ummm…I don’t think that is what the spray is intended for.

It was funny but it was also sad. While protecting ourselves sensibly is smart, some people are so scared to die that they will go to great lengths to fight off and keep away from GERMS.

But while you have those extremes, you also have the rest of us. From those who wear face masks inside and outside of their homes 24/7 to those who are just using hand sanitizer a bit more, almost everyone is just a little more aware and concerned about germs.

I believe there is a spiritual parallel here that we shouldn’t ignore.

A few months ago a friend sent me an idea for a post. I had it at the back of my mind all summer as I’ve watched people obsess over their health. But the couple at the airport brought his idea front and center. He said this and I quote:

I was considering all that we have done to mitigate our exposure to a germ that is deemed dangerous to us. This germ is not unlike other germs that have been out there yet we have never gone to such lengths in our society. Even in the church we have gone to great lengths to limit our exposure to this germ. So while the church has went to such great lengths to mitigate its exposure to this germ that can harm our bodies, we constantly expose ourselves to “germs” of false teaching that can harm our faith. Even little issues (small germ) can cause great harm. Yet much of the church does little to warn people or even limit its own exposure.

Amen and amen!

Oh, how churches are spiritual germ-infested places. There is little concern for these spiritual germs that are infecting and killing off their sheep. One by one, many become sick as they read the books and listen to the sermons of false teachers and follow after false doctrines. And not a word is spoken. If someone dares to speak up to protect the sheep, they are viewed as divisive and unkind.

It is especially sad and concerning, given the lengths churches are going to protect the physical lives of their congregations. Don’t they realize that the spiritual health of the sheep is even more important than physical health?

But it isn’t only churches. It is true for us on an individual level, as well.

Are we as concerned about our spiritual health as we are our physical health? It is quite understandable to see those who have no idea what is happening to them after they die to be overly concerned about dying. That makes sense. But to see believers be more concerned about their physical health than they are about their spiritual health makes no sense at all.

Paul reminds us of what our priorities should be in I Timothy 4:7-8–

But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with giving effort to keeping our bodies healthy and protected from germs, our concern should be far greater for our spiritual health.

Is this what you are seeing in the lives of believers around you? Is this what you are demonstrating in your own life to those who are watching you?

These are questions worthy of reflection.

Satan is eating Christians alive because they are literally unconcerned about spiritual germs. He even has Christians believing that to point out those germs and to say anything negative about a false teacher is sinful. So now we have demonized watchmen in a crowd of earthly-minded believers.

Oh, dear readers, may we not be part of that “crowd”. May we pay attention to the watchmen and heed their warnings. May we be far more concerned about heavenly things and our spiritual health than we are about this life and our temporary, physical body.

For this is what scripture teaches us to do.

Colossians 3:1-3  If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

Romans 16:17-20  Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord [d]Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and [e]simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

 

How Do We Keep from Losing Our Kids?

I’ll never forget that moment I realized he was gone. Mom thought he was with Dad. Dad thought he was with Mom. And then there was that awful moment when we realized that no one knew where their two-year-old was.

In a panic, most of us started running towards the beach where we had last seen him. Our grandson isn’t a wanderer so we knew he hadn’t gone off on purpose and that definitely helped calm us a bit.

When we got to the edge of the beach, we looked all around and finally spotted him a ways down to the left, standing in a tidal pool. My youngest daughter took after him (I didn’t even know she could run that fast!) and heard him calling for his daddy as she approached. She picked him up, hugged him, and then brought him back to his worried parents. We all breathed big sighs of relief and thanked the Lord. I contemplated the rest of that evening and often over the next few days just how tragic that could have ended and thanked the Lord again and again.

We realized later that his mommy had told him to follow his daddy without his daddy realizing it. And, instead of following him, he had just continued on down the beach finally stopping when he reached the tide pool. I also found out later that there was a couple who was keeping an eye on him from a distance, just as many of us would have done in that situation. Somehow that was very comforting. There are still a lot of good and decent people around.

My dad mentioned to me the other day that there is a spiritual parallel to this story. As I thought about that, I realized that is definitely true. The only difference is that most spiritually lost kids are never searched for. They are left to struggle in the tide pool all alone or even drown in the ocean that is the world. Many times, no one even knows they are missing until it’s far too late.

One of my greatest sorrows in this life has been watching adorable little children grow up into worldly adults who have no care for God. I’ve seen them in the church nursery, in homeschool co-ops, and in Christian schools. I’ve watched them turn away from the beliefs of their parents completely or pretend to follow by going to church and putting on a show of godliness–all while living a worldly, ungodly life when they think no one is watching.

So what happens to these kids? Why do they choose to follow the world instead of God?

I’d like to suggest that it happens one step at a time. And that, as parents, we can never, ever stop looking out for their spiritual well-being. Unlike our grandson who was simply confused, our kids have a spiritual enemy that is actively seeking to lure them away from their Christian family–and from God.

As we reflect on this, there are some important considerations to think on as we raise our children (or support and encourage those who do)–

1. Set the spiritual health of your children as your ultimate priority. As I reflect on those who have lost their children to the world, I almost always see one thing in common–something took first place in their family that wasn’t God. Whether it was sports, academics, the arts, or a number of other things, it became the primary priority in the family. Sometimes it was just a passion for the child to be popular in school. As loving and serving God fell down on the list of priorities, so did the chances that the child would follow hard after God. After all, why would they believe it is important, if they were never taught or shown that it is important?

I am absolutely amazed at the grace of God on a family that makes this priority in the face of ridicule and unpopularity. God often will draw these kids to Himself in spite of their parents many sinful habits and abundant mistakes. He is so so faithful to those who desire nothing more than that their children walk with God.

I recognize this especially because we have been receivers of this abundant grace. With all four of our kids walking with the Lord, we fully recognize that we are utterly and completely undeserving of this. We were not awesome parents and there are a thousand (or more!) things we’d change if we could go back and parent all over again. And, yet, God has been so gracious and kind to us.

Keep the right priority and then watch God work in spite of your sin and mistakes. It’s a pretty amazing thing to watch!

2. Recognize that we, the parents, are responsible for our child’s spiritual well-being. If there is a second thing I’ve seen in families that lose their kids it is that there is little communication regarding the stuff of life that really matters. Instead of taking responsibility to teach children about God and discussing many of the hard things of life in light of the scriptures (which truly are a treasure that hold life’s answers), churches and Christians schools are often given that role.

But it’s not the church’s job nor the Christian school’s to guard our child’s spiritual health. This is our job, as parents.

If you’ve never had this modeled in the home where you grew up, then this may be a really hard switch to make. Most families aren’t comfortable when you get into the realm of “hard”. This is why boys find out about sex in the locker rooms and girls learn about it in trashy novels. It is why “Christian” kids fall away from their faith at a rate that is beyond alarming. It is why they have no answers for the Creation debate or any other hot topic that is taking the world by storm. They have no answers because they’ve been given no answers.

Instead they are being entertained and coddled.

Oh, this is such a tragedy. Our job as parents is not to entertain and coddle. Our job is NOT to make sure they never are troubled or ridiculed. We aren’t given the responsibility to make sure they never feel pain or frustration.

Our job is to teach them, from scripture, how to respond to these things. Our job is to nurture and train them in the things of the Lord. Our job is to talk about the hard stuff of life, always using the Bible as our guide. Using the Bible as our guide helps us parents, too, as we seek to understand what is and what is not important as we raise our children.

I like to tell the story of how I got into an argument with one of my girls over something that just really bothered me. I told her no and I was sticking to it. Finally, my husband looked at me and asked me if it really mattered? Was this something that was in scripture or was I standing firm on a preference? It hit me like a lightning bolt, for I surely was standing firm on something that I did not need to stand firm on. I relented and learned a hard lesson that day.

When we run everything through the grid of scripture, we can figure out what is and what is not important and it gives us the answers our kids need as they face the unfriendly, ridiculing world.  Of course, this can only be done by actually knowing and studying the Word first. And this takes work. But there is no more satisfying work in the world.

I might add here: Don’t be afraid of the hard questions. It’s okay to say you don’t know and then go hunt for the answer together!

3. Provide a secure, warm, loving home. As I have given some thought to this in my own life, I wondered why my brother and I were really never even tempted to stray? I remembered an incident in 7th grade during shop class. One of my friends had told me that she “guaranteed” that I would smoke a cigarette by the time I graduated high school. I laughed and firmly told her that would never happen, even more determined that it never would after our conversation. But, to be quite honest, it was never even a temptation. Why not? Why were drugs, drinking, and smoking never a temptation for me? Why was I willing to take the ridicule and derision of my classmates on many occasions? And even, often, of my public school teachers?

I think there is one reason– and it wasn’t that I was some spiritual paragon because I wasn’t! I believe it was because I felt so wonderfully safe and secure in the love of my parents at home. This gives a child strength to face hard things. No matter what happened at school, I knew my parents loved me (even if I messed up) and that they had my back (when I stood for the truth and ended up having consequences because of it).

When a child feels like they are on a family team that is seeking to do what’s right and will stick together no matter what, it takes much of the sting out of not being the most popular kid at school. I know this because I’ve lived this.

4. Stop worrying about popularity and if your child is going to hate you. How well I remember the time our daughter came downstairs in a short skirt. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Her dad took one look at it and told her to go and change. Our daughter was FURIOUS. She stomped back up the stairs, shouting at her father. My husband went to the bottom of the stairs and shouted back: “You are not going to wear me out! I love you and you are not going to wear me out!”

I will forever be grateful for my husband’s commitment to raising godly children and for his response in that moment. We thought for sure we were going to lose that daughter to the world and he wanted her to know that he was never giving up on her. Oh, that more kids would have dads like this.

We have got to stop worrying about if our kids will like us. We have got to put popularity at the bottom of the list or even move it off the list altogether. These things don’t matter in the long run. Remember–we have one goal and one goal only. If we are believers, we want our children to grow up to love and serve God. We must make all of our decisions–what our daughter is allowed to wear, what our kids are allowed to watch, where they go, who they hang out with–in light of this goal.

We should–no, we must–help our kids shrink their love for the world. We must help them see the dangers of the world rather than feed the world to them.

Sure, your teens will feel hatred towards you sometimes but they will forget. And, actually, will most likely thank you someday for your courage and willingness to do the hard thing.

A few years ago, I went over a few journals I had written as a teenager. I was so surprised to read of extreme anger that I had felt towards my father. I didn’t remember this at all. What I did remember was my parents willingness to guide and mold me in spite of the pressure to give in to the world. I remembered their willingness to say NO, our many discussions about hard questions, and their commitment to God. And I feel nothing but immense gratitude.

We have got to stop thinking about now and start thinking about the future.

5. It’s never too late. What if your child is now the teenager or young adult struggling in that “tidal pool”. Is it too late?

It is never too late! I remember a friend who struggled so as she watched her twenty-something son make bad choice after bad choice. But she stood firm and kept praying and eventually God brought that son to Himself.

No matter how old they are, keep pointing your kids to God’s Word in every conversation where you are given an opportunity and then pray, pray, pray. Never give up! God loves your kids more than you do.

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There is much wrong in the parenting of today and I shudder when I think about the ramifications. Many children are never told the word “no”. Parents passionately want to make sure their kids never feel pain or experience frustration. Smartphones are used as babysitters and if they aren’t being used as babysitters, mom and dad sit there scrolling through apps, while their kids play alone. Discipline is avoided or never used at all. Oh, the outlook for the family is not good. The future is indeed grim when we consider the fruit of today’s parenting style: Self-centered, godless kids who care for nothing but their own gain.

But we have an opportunity to make a difference–even if it is in our own family. And this difference will ripple out through the span of time, as your children touch the lives of others and then their children and grandchildren do the same and on down through the generations.

We know that only God can draw a heart towards Him. We cannot control this through a list of do’s and don’ts. But there are things we can do to create a thirst for God that supersedes their thirst for this world. Losing our kids is not inevitable! God has give us instructions and encouragement in His Word, He provides so much grace, and He is incredibly faithful.  

So be strong and courageous. Raising kids is not easy! But there is no sweeter fruit than knowing that your kids are following the Lord. It is worth every hard moment and every bit of ridicule. God will walk with you each step of the way!

 

Special note to grandparents: As grandparents, we have a special role. We are no longer responsible for the spiritual health of our grandkids but we can be a blessing to our kids by embracing our support role. I cannot even begin to tell you the tremendous blessing that our children’s grandparents have been to my husband and myself. Both his parents and mine took their roles seriously and spent hours and hours playing and talking with our kids. They provided a safe place for our kids to have fun and just be kids. They are godly people and so we were assured they would be pointing them in the right direction as conversations took place. They continue to do this with their great-grandchildren, blessing their grandchildren who are now parents themselves. I hope to be just like them.

We grandparents have been given an opportunity to bless and to be blessed. This is much more important and way more satisfying than passionately doing our hobbies or fulfilling our own dreams. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with these things, may we not do them to the neglect of the most special opportunity we’ve been given.

 

Those Deceptive, Capricious Feelings

In the past year or two, God has been showing me how much I have lived by my feelings. Oh, when I compared myself to the world, I looked pretty good. I didn’t live by my feelings so often that it was ruining my life. Not like some people. Or was I? It has been something that I have been thinking on for awhile but it intensified greatly when I started experiencing extreme anxiety during this past summer.

I became aware that I was most definitely living by my feelings. I was allowing them to control me. They were ruling my thought life, my choices, and…well…pretty much my entire life.

When I felt anxious or scared–which, at one point, was almost every second of the day–I became a different person. I was allowing these feelings to change me. To direct my path.

But I guess most of us do this in one way or another. We don’t “feel” like doing anything productive so we scroll through Facebook or mindlessly watch TV. We “feel” like eating that second helping or that third cookie and so we eat instead of practicing self-discipline. We see something in the store or online that we “feel” like buying so we buy it, even if we can’t afford it. We don’t “feel” like talking to that annoying person (who needs Jesus) so we walk the other way. We “feel” scared to share the Gospel with someone so we just don’t. We “feel” angry with our spouse or our child and this dictates how we treat them–whether through yelling at them or by giving them the silent treatment. We “feel” scared or shy or excited or frustrated or sad–and these feelings dictate our choices and responses.

It’s a very human thing to do.

But it is not godly.

Living life according to our deceptive, capricious feelings is a very natural way to live. But it is not a godly way to live.

Recently, my dear friend, Becky, passed away after a 2 1/2 year battle with cancer. Before she died, she wrote a post (find it here) for the “Changed Lives” series. One thing she wrote really struck me while I was in the midst of my battle with fear–

“Then one day while pondering all this, I started asking myself, “Do I really believe God is Who He says He is”? I grew up in a Christian home singing the hymns of the faith, hearing the Word preached, memorizing Scripture, and hearing of other fellow believers’ experiences of God working in their lives and carrying them through life’s storms. But now that I was put into this position, what was going to be my anchor? Do I really believe God about His character, His promises?

Then and there is when I made up my mind that I do believe God, and Who He claims to be in His Word. That is when I found peace, His peace the passes all our understanding! And along with that came the deep seated joy!”

Becky lived out this peace and joy. Oh, she had moments of doubt and fear. Life wasn’t perfect. But when I’d visit with her, I’d come away encouraged by her love for the Lord and her trust in Him, in spite of all of the hardness life sent her way during that time. There was genuineness to her joy that only God could have given. There is no other possible way.

As I thought of what she wrote, it became clear to me that Becky had to make a choice. She had to make a choice that went beyond what she felt about her circumstances.

We are called to do the same.

Satan would like nothing more than for us to be imprisoned by fear or anger or a desire for pleasure. He wants us clad in iron chains or to be so far down in a dark, miry pit that we are rendered ineffectual for Christ. And it’s easy to land there if we are controlled by our feelings. The power that sin and Satan have in our lives is directly correlated to the power we give to our feelings.

I am not sure that we can ever master control over our feelings on this side of heaven. In fact, I’m sure we can’t. But we can certainly make progress.

However, first, we need to be aware that we are doing it. I believe living by how we feel has been so thoroughly ingrained in us, so consistently lived out by those around us, so pushed in the media and entertainment worlds, that we may not be aware that this is a problem.

Feelings change. But the Word of God never changes. Feelings lie and deceive. But God’s Word is Truth. Feelings often lead us in the wrong direction. Scripture always leads us the right way.

May we think through our lives and reflect on what our many choices each day are based on. Are they based on the truths and commands and promises found in scripture? Or are they based on how we happen to feel at the time?

 

I’m Back (and Where I Was)

For those of you that follow Growing4Life only through social media or some other online avenue, you may have wondered where I disappeared to. A couple of weeks ago I wrote an email to my subscribers, explaining what happened to me. I don’t plan to give the same detail here that I shared with them, as it really isn’t necessary. However, I do feel like I owe you all a bit of an explanation before I start writing again.

Early in July, I entered into a major battle with fear and anxiety. What was going on in the world started to get to me and, instead of trusting the Lord, I fell into a pit of despair.

Needless to say, the last six weeks have been difficult. And interesting. And stretching.

You’d think, as a believer, you wouldn’t battle something like this. And yet, suddenly I found myself in a fierce battle. I had written about this topic so often. But Satan had found my weak point and he wasn’t giving up without a fight!

When I was in my darkest time and felt like God just wasn’t hearing my prayers, my mom reminded me that when I would look back on this later, I would see God’s mercies throughout this time.

God is already opening my eyes to some of the ways He has been caring for me so tenderly during this time. Some of His mercies came through some of you readers. I want to thank each of you that have been praying for me. I have no doubt that God has used your prayers to start me on to the path of healing. I also want to express my deepest gratitude to the blog subscribers who took the time to respond to my personal letter to you. Your emails of promised prayer, support, and encouraging words were a much needed and unexpected balm at a very dark period of time.

To be sure, my battle is definitely not over. The valley is not traversed. But at the end of last week, I began to see just a small glimmer of light in the distance. For the first time in weeks, I feel like I can think again. Like I can concentrate enough to write again.

I don’t know if I’ll fall back in the pit. Perhaps I am taking a risk to start up writing again. Let me tell you why I have decided to take that risk.

One of my greatest regrets during these past few weeks is the time I was wasting by not continuing the ministry here. So much is happening in the world and I knew I was letting so many of you down. I wasn’t encouraging you, informing you, or pointing you to God’s Word during this strange, confusing time in our world.

Not that you need me. And God certainly doesn’t need me. But I knew that my fear and anxiety were keeping me from serving God and from encouraging my readers and that deeply saddened me.

And so it is with that in mind that I am stepping out in faith to begin writing again here at the blog.

Some day I may share my journey with you. But, at this point, it is too fresh, too recent, and the journey incomplete. This is not the time.

Again, I deeply thank those of you who have walked alongside me during this unexpected and unpleasant journey. I am so incredibly blessed with a supportive family, wonderful and loving friends, and so many kind, prayerful on-line brothers and sisters in Christ (I can’t wait to meet you all in Heaven! I feel like I am friends with so many of you already!)

One of the biggest blessings during this time is being reminded of how much people care.

And, so, here we go. I am back and I have some work ahead of me. I want to tackle some tough subjects. There is much going on, not only in the world, but also in the church. If you’ve been praying, I’d appreciate your continued prayer. Thank you so much, dear friends!

 

Swimming Up a Waterfall

The other morning I was sitting out on my second-story porch for my quiet time. It is one of my favorite spots in the whole world. Below the porch is our little fish pond where both fish and frogs make their home. This provides much entertainment for our grandchildren.

That particular morning, as I sat on the porch alone, I took a moment to watch the fish, as they were doing something very curious. You can see from the photo below (which is a snapshot I took that morning), that the fish has its head into the waterfall. It looked like it was trying to go up the waterfall and then, discouraged, he would swim away. Only to come back again a few seconds later. This went on for quite some time.

I found out later from my knowledgeable husband that there is something about the oxygen at the bottom of the waterfall that the fish like and so they will congregate there. But, from my vantage point on the porch it really did look like the fish was trying to swim up the waterfall and failing every time.

It reminded me of my life as a Christian. We are all called to “swim up a waterfall” –or, in other words–do the impossible. We are to die to self and crucify the flesh and live only for Christ. This is as impossible–perhaps even more impossible–than swimming up a waterfall. And, yet, this is our calling as believers.

Mark 8:34 — And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Romans 6:6 — We know that our old self[a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Ephesians 5:8 — or at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Galatians 5:16-17– But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

I Peter 2:11 —  Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

So, we know that we are to leave our flesh and swim up the waterfall to holiness. This goes against our innately selfish nature which demands to be pleased and coddled. Our hearts demand we listen to our feelings and our minds work in creative ways to make excuses and to develop logical reasons why we can do what our flesh is demanding to do and still be guilt-free and “godly”.

But the Bible is very clear that we cannot do both. We cannot please self and God. We cannot love God and love the world. We cannot be obsessed with fulfilling our personal dreams of glory and fame while furthering God’s Kingdom. These things are mutually exclusive. They cannot be done at the same time.

There are only two kingdoms.

There is the Kingdom of Light. God is the light (I John 1:5) Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12) We have been rescued from darkness to light! (Colossians 1:13) Being rescued, we are now children of light (I Thessalonians 5:5). We are to walk as children of the light (Ephesians 5:8).

AND…

There is the Kingdom of Darkness. Satan is the head of this kingdom and the whole world lies in his power (I John 5:19). Natural man loves this kingdom (I John 3:19-21). Natural man is blind to the the light (Acts 26:18). As children of the light, we are to turn away from the darkness (Ephesians 5:11) and to never partner or commune with darkness and its children (2 Corinthians 6:14). This kingdom of darkness is represented by both the flesh and the world, which Satan uses to war against our souls and to keep mankind in darkness.

Every choice we make, every action we take, every thought we think, and every word we say furthers one of these kingdoms.

Now, with this in mind, let’s go back to our adventure of swimming up the waterfall. As children of light, swimming up the waterfall becomes possible. It is possible to live a righteous and holy life that is pleasing to God. Notice I didn’t say easy. It’s not easy.

But here are a few things to keep in mind as we strive to swim up the waterfall to holiness–

1. We must first make our way to the bottom of the waterfall.

We can’t be righteous without salvation. We can’t even get to the bottom of the waterfall without it. If we are not saved, we are unaware that the waterfall even exists. It is only when our eyes our opened, that we recognize which direction we are to go. And this direction is in complete opposition to the direction of the rest of the world. We will be mocked, viewed as odd, and may lose our reputation by going this direction. Remember, we can’t have the world and Jesus, too.

The old hymn puts it like this: Take the world but give me Jesus.

Too often, modern-day Christians would prefer to sing: Give the world and give me Jesus.

But it is simply not possible according to James 4:4. Swimming to the bottom of the waterfall means turning our backs on the world.

2. Not making efforts to swim up the waterfall indicates a serious problem.

Many are those who’ve said a prayer for salvation as fire insurance and they aren’t even making their way to the bottom of the waterfall. They are still swimming in the opposite direction with their worldly friends. They haven’t given up the things of this world and they are still focused on furthering their own kingdom. They are people who are living solely for themselves but think they are saved because they said a prayer. This person may very well be–and probably is– a false convert! (Matthew 7:21-23) I hate even saying this, because I know that describes so many that we all know and love. But we can’t mince words because their eternity is literally at stake. If you know someone who thinks they are a Christian but who is still swimming out in the pond, pray for them. Really pray for them.

3. We can’t do it alone.

As I watched the fish turn away again and again, I assumed he was just discouraged and tired. I found out later that he wasn’t, of course, but it was a great analogy for our own efforts to get up that waterfall. We try and try, using our methods and our self-discipline but we just don’t make it. That’s because we are trying to attempt it without the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to live a godly life without the Holy Spirit. We are to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). This is the only way to make possible a holy life that is pleasing to God.

4. We must discard distractions and secret sins.

So often, we get so frustrated that we aren’t making progress up that waterfall. But if we really examine our lives, we may understand just why that is…

We have either crowded our lives so full that we have no time at all to give any effort or intention to this calling of living a pure and holy life.

Or we are holding on to secret sins that we just aren’t willing to turn away from. It may be an unwillingness to give up a grudge against someone or a love for the world’s entertainment or style that causes us to compromise our purity. It may be laziness or gossip. But, oftentimes, if we are really struggling to make progress in our Christian life, there is some sin that we are nurturing and feeding and unwilling to give up.

Or, perhaps, we haven’t yielded to God’s sovereignty in the happenings of our lives. We try to live a godly life, but, inside, we are angry and discontent and upset about how things are going. This makes it almost impossible to get up that waterfall because we don’t trust God. Instead, we are wary and disbelieving. This lack of faith stymies our Christian growth severely.

5. We will never reach perfection on this side of Heaven.

One of the things that makes this such a hard thing is that we will never reach perfection. We, like that fish, are always trying, always trying, but we will never arrive at the top. This can be discouraging and sometimes we may think: Why even try? So let’s unpack that a bit. Why is it important to keep trying to get up that waterfall?

First, we keep trying because we are told to do this (I Peter 1:15). To live a life of obedience to our wonderful Savior, we strive to live holy and pure lives.

Second, we keep trying because we do grow and change and bear much fruit, through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Psalm 92:12-14). If we have been a Christian for more than a year, we can look back and see how we have grown and changed. This is very encouraging as we face new challenges and sins that discourage us. God is growing us to be more like Christ, be it ever so slowly.

Third, we keep trying because God uses our efforts to build His Heavenly Kingdom (Colossians 1:24-29). Our efforts to live a holy and pure life shine as a bright light in this dark world. We should look different in every way when compared with those around us. Remember, there are only two kingdoms: Light and Darkness. Children of light should never resemble children of darkness. This includes being loving and kind, but it also includes what we watch, how we dress, what we talk about, and every other little and big choice we make in our lives.

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So, my dear readers, keep swimming up that waterfall. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t try to do it alone because we are not alone! We have the Holy Spirit to strengthen, comfort, and guide us. May we cast off the things that distract and tempt us. May we intentionally live as children of the light, because that’s exactly what we are if we have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ alone!

 

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