Going on a Bear Hunt

There’s a children’s song that takes them on a bear hunt, a journey into the unknown to face a big scary bear. The plot thickens as they encounter numerous obstacles along the way. There’s the long wavy grass, a deep river, the mud, a forest, a snowstorm and a cave. Each time they face these deterrents the chorus is the same,

“We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no!
We’ve got to go through it!”

In Psalm 24 we see a shepherd boy who is in full confidence of his Shepherd. He is making a proclamation that the path before him is one he is traveling with the Lord by his side.

I see too often when a man comes to Christ and begins to face the realities of life which can seem overwhelming, but instead of trusting in God they retreat back to their “own understanding” and miss out on the adventure. They’ll say “but can’t I go over it or under it or even around it?” The truth is until we go “through it” we’ll never be overcomers. The difference is we go through our trials and tribulations with a God who goes before us. The best way to build your faith in the Lord is to face the battle before you with a trust and assurance that the Lord God has ordained the outcome. This is not to say it’s always favorable at first but He promise in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”.

We are memorizing Joshua 1:9 this summer and the theme is Live Courageously, and when it comes to facing life we need to be courageous.

Paul tells us in the 5^th chapter of his letter to the Galatians, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage”. There are times when facing our giants is a matter of walking in the Spirit instead of retreating to the lusts of the flesh. The way we can tell if we are living courageously is by the presents of the fruit of the Spirit demonstrating itself in and through our lives. Living in fear will keep us in bondage and we become ineffective for the kingdom.

Last week I was asked to give my testimony and as I thought about all the stuff I’ve been through since coming to Christ there’s no way I could have gone through it without Him. In addition, the lessons learned as we go through it are life changing and profitable as we now have authority to tell the Good News that Jesus saves and delivers!

So the next time you’re facing a bear hunt, remember,

“You can’t go over it.
You can’t go under it.
Oh no!
You’ve got to go through it!” – Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves on our full-time staff at America’s Keswick. You can email him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org