In the living room of dear friends, I once heard the most startling and honest confession I have ever heard.
Our friend told us, when he first started following Christ, he thought the deeper he got in his faith and the more knowledge he gained from the Bible, the easier it would be to open it daily. To my astonishment, he said, his experience was quite the contrary.
He said, somedays it would get away from him and the business of life would distract him from the time he set aside to be with the Lord. Some days, he said, he would sit down and as he opened the word it was just like going through the motions.
In light of his confession, my heart sank. Here was this man which I viewed as a spiritual rock confessing his weakness. He showed us his scars so we might have hope in our own sufferings.
This week, as I recalled this story, I turned to a fellow sister in Christ and asked her if she can relate in her experience as a Christian.
As she agreed that she has had a similar experience, she reminded me of a critical piece to this puzzle.
We are engaged in Battle.
When we open the word and we are faithful in having that time with the Lord, we are advancing.
The enemy quickly loses ground on those days because, we have The Word as our weapon to defend ourselves from his distruths and to renergize us for the fight.
The enemy is keen to this. He is so sneaky and deceptive; a master of distraction. On these days when we feel hesitant to open the word or we are weary from life, we have to remember this is where we find our rest.
Oh that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of the rains in early Spring. Hosea 6:3
In the face of the adversity and the distraction of the enemy, we have to remember to press on. Keep leaning into His understanding, to strengthen us in our weaknesses.
It is crucial to keep seeking from his endless wisdom and grace.
We have to remember that we have a faithful and reliant God.
The things of this world are fleeting and the circumstances we are in aren’t permanent. It is a small window we pass through, we have to live in light of eternity to experience the true rest of the Lord.
Friends, I encourage you to press on today. Open the Word, plant it in your hearts. As your roots grow deeper, the battle may become harder, but it is only because you are becoming more of a threat to the enemy. A worthy adversary against his schemes.
Don’t lose hope.
God thank you for being steady and consistent. Thank you for being more than the shifting sands of this world. God protect us from the schemes of the Devil. Do not let us succumb to temptation in weakness, instead let us run to your truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Reason 2911 