We get to church on sunday and wonder why we are still at square one...
God has the answers to all our questions, but when we leave Him at church and His word on the shelf all week long, it is no wonder we are still struggling with the same things come that next Sunday. We find ourselves still at square one because we took no initiatives to change what we were doing. There was no walk demonstrated over the course of the week, not even an attempt, or else we would be on square 4 or 5, but instead we chose to just stand there all week. A youth leader of mine once told me, if you are not truly satisfied with something, then you will change it. There are many Christians who come to a point in their lives where they are struggling in their relationship with God, and can sense a disconnect, and instead of doing something about it, ignore it and hope the distant feeling will go away, and eventually find themselves at a point worse than where they started. The reality is that you do not have a leg up on everyone else, and you have to be honest with yourself if you are aware that you are in an unclear point in your relationship with God. I have encountered situations like these various times and i let my busy schedule get in the way of choosing to get it right, right away. The problem is that we need to get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Christ. For every time we allow it to be okay to sink into the common pitt and tell ourselves, 'a little confusion never hurt anybody,' we miss every one of the valuable opportunities, treasures, that were hard wired into those situations we let ourselves skip out on, but were intentionally designed to enable us know the Lord more. We seek no help, and get caught in the idea that the situation will fix itself. But it never does and yet we continue doing the same things over and over expecting different results. (By the way, did you know that is the true definition of insanity?) This is apart of the basics in pursuing God, but the problem is that this is a foundations issue and however well you get the basics down determines how well you get the deeper things. The root of the square one problem is in perception deficiency, in which our reality of cause and effect is being attacked.
We forget that every effect requires a cause, but if we want our lives to exude good effects (aka fruit from the Holy Spirit), then how else but good causes? God has called us to be those good causes in the sphere of people He has placed us around, cuz the wheel barrel don't move if the mover don't push it- you catch my drift? In order for different results to occur in our lives, we have to be doing something different. If life stinks, then you need to ask yourself, am I the one who needs to take the shower? Because although circumstances may not be a choice, our attitude and method of walking through those circumstances, is. If we do not take our struggles to God and allow Him to cleanse us and refocus our eyes on Himself, the mission remains blurry, your purpose stays muddled, and your clarity is still shot. If we withhold our troubles from our Lord, if we do not seek Him first in His word and in prayer, if we do not make time to get it right, if we do not punch through our fogs with perseverance, then we will not move! We must refuse to be satisfied with living in confusion and fear being even one second away from our God as a result of that confusion, for if we don't we consequently remain in the fog, square one. So why is it crucial to get out of the fog? Because God is working in you and through you in every step. There is no time to settle for confusion. Take notice and be encouraged- If you feel like God is weaving in and out of your life, rest assured that He is not, rather you are more than likely weaving in and out of Him. God is solid, deep, and penetrating within you. Rest assured, He goes nowhere! He is there right now within you! But satan, our enemy, blurs that reality in attempt to block the truth that we always have instant access to God in Christ Jesus. How does he block out? By way of our weaknesses. For me, he uses my schedule and plays with my security and confidence in Christ. He will do anything and everything to keep us from God, and if he can't make us bad, then he will make us busy. Satan doesn't want us to put aside the homework, drop to our knees and just weep to God because we feel so far from Him, our enemy doesn't want us to skip class just to read our Bible so we can figure out exactly where we stand with God, he doesn't want us to get away for a week to find foundation in what feels like shifting sand, he doesn't want us to ask for help to get an opinion outside of our own minds because what is going on inside of us is messed up beyond recognition. The enemy doesn't want us to step out of the "normal" current to take extreme measures to deal with the extreme issues we face in this race- and confusion and irritation with God is an extreme issue! For blurriness and confusion most usually precedes a fall! The enemy torments us with plagues of insecurity to make us feel like everyone is judging us or thinks poorly of us or would think we were bad or dumb or irresponsible people for even asking for help and confessing we are struggling in the ways we are struggling. The enemy plagues us with thoughts of other people around us talking bad about us, picking on us, laughing at us, when in reality they are not even talking about us at all. He makes us feel inferior by threatening our desire for love, he makes us feel lonely by threatening our desire for companionship- DO YOU NOT GET IT, HE IS TRYING TO DESTROY YOU! And he does so by chipping a little away at a time. Satan plays with our heads to get at our hearts which directly affects our relationship with God... if we let it. Our apathy for ourselves might be justified if we were truly helpless, but we are not, and the only reason we think we are is because he has told us that we are, but we are not. We have a choice to believe the enemy, we always have a choice. In every situation and fog, we have the choice to choose God, and by doing so we choose truth, not the enemies lies. And that in itself is a victory won.
Something I have come to realize, is that staying on track, having a deep penetrating relationship with God, one that moves me to tears almost every morning as I read God's word, and changes my life every time I worship Him, takes time- and not just any time, but good quality substantial time. As a college student, all that "time" stuff is precious because I have papers to write, books to read, obligations to attend to 24/7, so a healthy thriving relationship with God- if I want to do this Christian thing for real- is going to have to precede all of my first priorities and become my main focus. It can not be equated with my to do list, rather it must precede it, and to be honest, sometimes that is very difficult. But I have to constantly keep in mind the important must always come before the urgent, otherwise I will allow my urgent to become my important and in result I will loose sight of what is truly important. A relationship with God that penetrates my heart every time I do so much as utter His name is one I have to fight for, but it is more than worth it. There are untold blessings that come to those who seek God with all their heart, soul, and mind because they seek Him with such aggression that every part of them is in sync with the pursuit of Him. The effects of a relationship with God Almighty only truly works if you are in the position to receive them: sitting, waiting, expecting. The only place He will fit is at the center of you, thus you must make Him the center, the goal, your everything. If Paul says following Christ should be like running a race, then you should feel that way and your life should look that way. To have a relationship with God, one that is thriving and not blurry, is one where you have to truly devote yourself completely, which includes all of your focus, your agenda, and your resources- they all have to be trusted to God's hands daily no matter what He tells you to do with them.
I have come to imagine a relationship with God is probably much like a marriage. It takes alot of work, alot of time, and alot of effort, because just like any other relationship it is a two party situation. Sure it is possible to be married, talk to your spouse for 15 minutes before work, and 15 minutes before bed, and live your lives, but I wouldn't expect that marriage to thrive, rather I would expect that couple to drift away from one another, loose site of why they ever got married, and possibly result in either a divorce or an affair. The purpose of having a relationship with God is to grow in Him, but if you are not growing, and are remaining at square one by choice, then you must ask yourself why are you in a relationship with God?
In order to thrive in a relationship with God, you have to be willing to move from square one... even if it is uncomfortable, even if it hurts. We must penetrate the tension of uncertainty in our lives with the hope and expectation that God will meet us on the other side. We must have faith to move from square one to square two, which requires us to trust God- to trust that He will be there to meet us as we push through because He loves us and desires to have a thriving relationship with us, one filled with vulnerability, love, and growth. God desires to speak to us, to hear about our day, to encourage us through His word, and to guide us in ways far beyond our own wisdom. Why does God desire to speak to you? Well duh, because He has something to say to you specifically. God has called you by name, He has designed you to bring glory to Himself, and what He has for you can only be revealed by His voice. Thus, in order to move from square one, we have to seek Him in His word, and in prayer, be willing to be still in His presence, listen for His voice, and finally have the faith to respond to His call- whatever that may look like. The more we practice these things, the more we will grow, not because of our good works, but because each of these things expose us more and more to Him. May we have the courage to let go of all the things that stand in the way of our daily and moment by moment penetrating experiences with God so that we can open ourselves up to all that He has for us, and have the assurance that as we step away from square one with no clarity or ability to see where the next ledge is, that God will be our eyes and will never drop us. May we rest assured that with God there is no such thing as failure, sometimes we will mess up and put ourselves in a fog, that is a given, but by fighting to just cling to God in the midst of the blurriness, our mess ups cannot detour us. Cling to God, and trust that because you are in Christ Jesus, although you may not be able to see, you know that God will safely move you to the next square in His plan for you. You must be willing to listen, you must be willing to move, but most of all, you must be willing to trust. He is your strong tower and will never fail you.
"1 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.
5 “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children from east and west.
6 I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
7 Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”
Romans 12:3:
"Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us."
Ephesians 3:12:
"Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence."
Matthew 22:36-38:
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment."
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth (Ephesians 3:14-21):
"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."
CHALLENGE: What is getting in the way of you spending a good fat amount of time to get deeply re-aligned with God? How many other areas of your life is this same thing also affecting? Is it worth it? Even worth a thriving relationship with God? This week, drop it. If it is huge and unreasonable, drop it in faith. If anything costs you your time with God then it is not worth your time. Remember you are here for God, and by God, and anything outside of that perimeter has to go. If we are to truly live sold out lives for Christ then we have to truly sell out for Him, and get rid of everything that is a distraction. This week, do what it take to get it done- for if you cannot sacrifice it for God, then your not doing it for God. Sacrifice is necessary to move away from square one, because obviously there is something keeping you there- whether it is your contentment with the fog or sin or an idol- it must go so you can go. If it means checking out of the "normal" current, do it, and stay out of it! Because Jesus is all that matters, and He is where your really headed anyways. Grasp the real reality and quit being scared of discovering God. Fix your eyes on Christ. The only way to get out of the square one dilemma is by forcing yourself to do what you by nature do not want to do, and choosing to do it right as well as claiming the work it takes to get it done. Running is a great way to ease into it- which by the way ladies, you better be doing!!! Square One dilemmas get the best of us, but they are much harder to become caught in when you are fighting to do what is hard and allowing no circumstances to determine any part of you. Run the 8 down and backs with prayer for the people in your peer sphere right after. It is raining outside right now for me... So I will be doing in-door exercises: abs and pushups. Remember, create new opportunities when your plans get ruined. Never give up. Claim what is yours ladies, and get off the square one! If I can do it, then so can you.
that means now.... get up and go do it, and here's a little soul music I highly recommend you download off of itunes to motivate you.
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| Check out this song by G.A. & Tye Tribbett called, "Victory" It is guaranteed to definitely put a beat in your step! |
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