Pebbles on the Path

Have you ever been on the right road to somewhere, and you know you're on the right road but you're not sure where it's taking you exactly or when you're going to be at the end? It's frustrating.

It's amazing how much we can trust God, knowing He is doing incredible things in our lives, but then we get anxious about the outcome. Wondering...."when is this coming?" "is this REALLY the right way?" "but this person is going that way, so should I go that way too?" We begin to question our direction. Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (NLT)

Don't worry about anything. Easier said than done.... It's hard not to worry about the direction that we're going in when we can't see the end of the road. You just have to trust your map is leading you the right way. In our case, God. We have to hope that He, being the guide, is leading us the right way.

So, when we begin to worry... what do we do? Pray. Tell Christ what we need. If you need to stop thinking about something, ask God to clear your mind. If you need peace, pray for it. It says that the peace of God will come over you in a way you don't even understand. It probably won't even feel right. You may feel wrong for feeling so peaceful about such a situation, but that's the magnificence of God. His way is unfathomable in our human minds. It's beyond anything we can comprehend, and His provision will always be right.

His peace guards our hearts and our minds. Our hearts, which can be deceiving, must be guarded at all times in order to protect from the arrows the enemy throws at us. Our shields, the shields of faith, protect our hearts from the arrows. So we must first have faith, believing God will take care of us, and then He will be able to guard our hearts from the enemy.

Our minds are also guarded. The mind, one of the biggest outlets that the enemy uses to get to us, must always be guarded in order to prevent internal destruction. It's frightening how much we can blow things out of proportion just by listening to the thoughts in our heads. Our minds lie to us constantly. They are not of the spirit, but solely from the flesh. We must learn to pray over our minds each day so that they may be guarded at all times. Not only do we have to pray over our minds, but we have to make a conscious effort not to allow our minds to wander. If you know that you shouldn't do something that could possibly cause your mind to wander, but you do it anyway, you are letting down your guard that the Lord has established over your thoughts. We give God total control over our lives, but because of free will, we each have the freedom to choose what we do. Giving us the freedom to choose to let down the guard God placed over us. Lets not let down our guard. Our mind will tempt us with thoughts that could give birth to sin. We each know what we should and shouldn't be thinking about, so take every thought captive as it comes.

We misuse the weapons that God gives us to use against the enemy. It's disappointing. When we feel peace in our hearts and minds, the enemy tempts us to do things that we shouldn't, and if we give in... we're back to square one. Starting over... We also give ourselves over to sin and doubt by allowing the devil to put other persons and things in our lives that shouldn't be there. We think that it's God's timing that they are in it, but in reality, it's the enemy trying to make you stumble even harder. We must use wisdom and keep our eyes focused on the goal that God gave us when we chose to give our lives to Him.

If you decided to get out of a relationship to focus on Christ, you shouldn't be flirting with so and so and hanging out with another person of the opposite sex. You should be focusing on HIM. Seeking HIS face. You gave up something in order to focus on Him, not to find something new to replace it. If you gave up a bad habit, you shouldn't be putting yourself in the situation where you could pick it up again. If you gave up a struggle, and claimed freedom over your life, you should avoid the appearance of evil at all costs in order to keep your focus on the Father and His will. When you find a substitute for something you sacrificed, your sacrifice means nothing to God anymore. You have replaced Him with an idol, and broken the promise to Him that you would seek His face first. If Abraham had chosen to use an animal in place of his son, Isaac, to sacrifice to God, God would have been disgusted with Abraham. When we sacrifice something to God and promise to give Him our full attention, He expects it all. Not just half. He doesn't want us to go find something to replace what we sacrificed. He wants the sacrifice so that you hurt, so that in your brokenness He can rebuild and restore you.

It's the small pebble in the road to righteousness that causes us to hurt so bad... that causes the trip to seem longer... that causes more pain, anguish and discomfort. Keep walking in shoes of peace by keeping your eyes on the Father, and do not be distracted by the things of the world that are appealing to the flesh.

We MUST learn to discern the voice of God. If He says, "go" then go. If he says, "stop" then stop. If you are earnestly seeking the face of the Lord, he will set a clear path before your feet. It will not be hazy. It will not be unsettling. It will not harbor doubt, confusion, discomfort, or sin. If you get yourself into a situation where you find yourself sinning, it's probably not God's will. It is the will of your flesh. There are times when God makes your path clear, and we fight it. We begin to allow the enemy to formulate doubt and confusion in our lives. We must be so in tune with the Father that His voice speaks louder than all. Sometimes we feel doubt in a right situation, but we must go forth in FAITH because we feel it's the will of God. Eventually, the doubt will subside once we pray for God's peace. Then, if it's His will, He will give us the peace in our hearts and minds.

So, do not be anxious about anything, but pray for what you need. Giving thanks in every situation. Seek Him. He will give you peace. Do not substitute for your sacrifice to make the road easier. It's hard because He wants it to be hard so that all you have is Him. Let Him show you what He can do when you allow yourself to only look through His eyes.

written 11.20.2007