As a person is faced with more and more challenges and decisions, especially as one is confronted with all sorts of dilemmas of life and death, and trying to maintain the course you believe God has set you on, also while trying to continue to find income and resources .. the pressures increase from it seems …every side. The ‘narrow’ spiritual path seems to take even a greater incline with even more precarious steps. How do we continue? How do we continue to receive the instructions from the Holy Spirit when the immediacy of the situation is paramount? How do we work through all the feelings of panic, despondency, fear, failure, and all the negative emotions as the enemy barrages us with accusations and lies of our seemingly unworthiness?
Do you know your ‘path’ to your Source in times like these? What do you consider as your source? Is God any part of your equation as you are going through the desperation steps in trying to hang on? Do you have a ‘knowing’ in the depths of your soul … that you are here for His purposes? Do you know at the core of mind and spirit … of His love for you? I am reminded of these word of Jesus…
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:25-34
For me these words then sent me immediately back to God with these questions for Him…
*What do I need to do to be inline with what You would have me do right now?
*What do You want me to sow right now, today? (Gifts, money, time)
*Who do You want me to pray for?
*Is there anything Father You want me to repent of, work out, set right, that might be hindering me from moving forward with You?
*What exactly are the next steps You want me to take?
For me it was important in knowing that there wasn’t anything I hadn’t taken care of …that the Holy Spirit was gently trying to get me to deal with that I continued to ignore and push aside because it felt too uncomfortable. It was time for me to ‘clear the board’ of ANY hindrances I might have, because the current situation was intense and I needed Him to help me … NOW! Sometimes we are at the edge …and reality is slapping us in the face. It’s time to get real about what I actually ‘know’ about God and His involvement in my life … today, this minute. No more guessing. We think the physical reality and the spiritual reality are separated … and different, but the fact is …the spiritual reality is more important than our current physical reality. This fact is displayed over and over in the book of Acts. So if we want a change in our physical reality .. maybe we need to begin with our current spiritual reality and status with Him.
Is this easy? No. Each challenge seems to be greater than the last one. But then I’ve learned that .. this is the process to spiritual maturity.