Avis WooleyTake a good hard look around you, tell me what do you see? What is the most obvious thing(s) that seems to take presidence in your personal world?
Everyday the local and global news are spreading stories of tragedies, horrors, disappointments, all coming under the blanket of fear. It would seem that hope is lost; that there are no solutions to the travesties we are faced with. How can anyone make it in this life, sane and intact?
I have been challenged, as you may have, many times to give up on my faith in the Lord Almighty; to throw in the towel and just let whatever happens – happen. To give up without a fight. To give in to the pressures and disappointments because this was the picture presented in my mind. Where is God when I need Him? Why doesn’t He make it all go away? These are some of the questions I ask myself because I sometimes fail to see the big picture.
Recently, I was presented with a challenge or test that rocked me to my core. I wanted to give in and walk away with my pride intact, but my spirit would be wounded and suppressed. I was looking at the overall scenario, thinking that I could solve the problem by folding and running away. I thought that I had the perfect solution to the challenge. But the more I thought about the test, the sicker I became in my spirit. What was I to do? My earlier thoughts were that of a carnal-minded person. But before I could make any hasty decisions, wise counsel said to me, spend some time with the Lord, seek His guidance. For you see, I wanted the outcome to be what the Lord wanted, even if it meant swallowing my pride. My heart is about souls being saved, restored, and relationships mended. I decided to listen to wise counsel, be patient, and wait for the answer.
To me the issue was small, but it was beginning to mushroom into something much more. I realize that when presented with problems, I try to remember that there are others watching me, watching how I handle the issue. In the end, will it bring glory to God? Will it bring shame to me and everyone I love? I am always conscience of how my actions will affect the outcome. Will it bring someone to Christ or will it create a great divide? When I am torn on how to handle situations like this, I honestly do go to the Lord. Sometimes we can listen to others advice which may not be the perfect solution, but it does help a bit. I know that when I go to the Lord for help He sees the end from the beginning. I simply just have to trust Him and believe that everything will work out for the good.
Romans 8: 35-39 KJV reads: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persucution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor thing to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I kept this in mind while I sought the Lord for help.
I realize that Satan gets into the heart of people to challenge a believer to make choices and decisions that can cause a non-believer to lose hope. All this I weighted in my mind. What do I really want to happen?
After spending time with the Lord, I realized that sometimes no matter what answer the Lord gives you, the enemy will not be happy. I made up in my mind that I would not allow anything to separate me from the love of Christ. Running or walking away would not help me to grow. I had to see it as a test that I needed to pass. The opposition was another opportunity for growth and spiritual maturity. I am so grateful that I can and did listen to the voice of the Lord. I still don’t know the full outcome, but I am confident that in time the Word of the Lord always prevails and prevails strong.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Roman about his desire to be with them, but because of his incarceration it would not happen. His letters or Epistles to them (and us) talks about standing strong in our faith in the Lord, how God will judge everyone, to not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, we belong to Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin, not to allow anything or anyone separate us from the love of God, and so much more.
Without the Word of the Lord as our moral and spiritual compass, we would all surely fall. The Word of the Lord is just as fresh as it was the days they were written. It is the only book that has and will stand against the tests of time. It has been tested, tried, retried, retested, and has always come out on top. The reason why is because His Word is God. God can not lie. Numbers 23:19, “God in not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Titus 1: 2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Hebrews 6: 18, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie…”
The test or challenge you now face don’t allow it to take you away from the love of Christ. Remember that tests, trials, temptations, challenges, only come to make us stronger. The Lord uses these tools to help us to grow into that beautiful masterpiece he created. These tools are also there to show us what is inside of us. If we are weak in an area of our life, a test will show us that we can do and be more in Christ: rely more on the guidance of Christ. This means studying the Word of the Lord, to prove to ourselves, rightly dividing His Word, that it will not bring shame to Him or yourself. Like all great test givers, we are challenged, push into becoming greater than where we are. Tests make us think. If we know that a test is coming, we try to study and prepare ourselves so that we will pass with grades that will make us happy and those who love us happier.
It peases the Lord when He sees growth in us. It pleases Him when He sees our faith intact and stronger than before. It pleases Him when He knows that we are solely committed to the Believers’ life, and that we are well on our way to eternal life with Him.
Saints of the Most High God, let love continue to abide. Keep following after righteousness. Continue walking the highway of faith, temperance, kindness, love and truth. Our Lord is waiting for us, to reqard us for enduring as a good soldier. II Timothy 2:3, “Thou therefore endure hardiness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
Avis D. Brownlee-Wooley
