There are those tormented in thought, fighting against themselves, their addictions, beliefs, and disappointments.
We recognize that if we are not disciplined, we can become unstable either in thought or circumstance and lose our footing in fear.
In our falls and failures, we may instinctively grasp onto anything that will hold us.
Some reach for the hand of God; others, to splintered people and things ill-equipped to carry the weight of our worries.
Holding onto that which was never meant to sustain us leaves us further and further removed from the intimate knowing and knowledge of God.
Sometimes, God will place a thornbush in our path to block us from that which could destroy us. The thorns are painful, and yet, even this is a form of love intended to return us to Love Himself (Hosea 2:6; 1 John 4:16).
Spiritual renewal can be found in the threshing floor of pain if we allow God to take our lowest and transmute it into a door of hope (Hosea 2:15).
This door offers opportunities, blessings, and salvation, and what God opens, no one can shut (John 10:9; Proverbs 8:34; Revelation 3:8).
The more intentionally, continually, and persistently we lean into God, the more His will and wisdom will be open to us (Matthew 7:7-8).
With endurance credited to His strength, love, and grace, we are able to simultaneously be dying while living; be sorrowful yet rejoice; have nothing yet possess everything (2 Corinthians 6:3-10).
Though our flesh will eventually return to dust, the essence of us will awaken to everlasting life. Those who choose to deny God will also awaken after death, but to everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2).
Whether our soul is clothed in a body of flesh or eternally housed in a resurrected body, we are to seek the Lord, to please Him, and keep our focus within His will (Ecclesiastes 12:7; 2 Corinthians 5:8-9).
While we are in the flesh, the possibility of being unwaveringly holy and perfect is beyond our capability, regardless of how valiant our attempts may be.
Some people spend much of their lives trying to follow strict rules and religion that they have lost their first love — the intimacy of being in a relationship with the Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Revelation 2:4-5). In this, they often become hardened judges of others, positioning their knowledge above God’s grace. They even struggle to love and like themselves.
These individuals often end up feeling like martyrs or experiencing a whirlwind of confusing emotions, stuck in a state of discontent and varied levels of misery. This resembles the behavior of the Pharisees, who adhered so strictly to rituals, rules, or public displays of piety that Jesus called them out for appearing righteous on the outside while lacking genuine faith and compassion within. He referred to them as “whitewashed tombs” in Matthew 23:27-28, describing them as beautiful on the outside, but full of hypocrisy on the inside.
We are called to humbly surrender to Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection reconciled us to God, who adopted us as His children by way of His son, through grace, and not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Through sanctification, not self-righteousness or martyrdom, we have been set apart for God’s use.
As we navigate life as Believers, we cannot help but strive to grow in spiritual maturity by applying God’s Word and seeking to be more like Christ in our daily living (John 17:17-19).
While Christians are expected to avoid willful rebellion against God, sin remains a pervasive plight, and we must be so focused on God that sin does not control us, despite its presence (Romans 6).
In this, we must remember that we belong to the power we choose to obey, and our greatest power is found in fully surrendering to God. Our power and that of others is not sufficient, nor can it be fully trusted. We must depend upon God to have actual peace in all circumstances (Philippians 4:6-7; 2 Thessalonians 3:16).
May God be our source of strength, peace, and rest as we fight against all that seeks to derail us, including, at times, ourselves (Isaiah 41:10; Joshua 1:9; John 14:27; Matthew 11:28).
And may we be bold enough to walk through the door of hope.
This column was initially published by CherryRoad Media. For more inspirational articles, follow ©Tiffany Kaye Chartier.