Steady Yourself

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

“Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NASB)

 

I don’t know about you, but for me, I watched as the month of February turned into a whirlwind roller coaster ride for those who reside in Secularland. The Super Bowl halftime show left folks fussin’-n-cussin’, the tearing up of the State of the Union speech left folks fussin’-n-cussin’, the first caucus results left folks fussin’-n-cussin’ and an acquittal left folks fussin’-n-cussin’. I honestly think nothing was outta bounds when it came to fussin’-n-cussin’ in Secularland but when all of that bled into the Christian communities, well if I gotta say it in a way that mimic’s my recent trip to NASA …. “Houston, we have a problem.”

 

Now, I ain’t letting myself off too easy either, for if anything, I might be considered the chief of the wrongdoing that many of us who claim the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior has done…but what’s a boy to do? On a personal level, I’m just sick and tired of watching it all go down the tubes and if the only solution to it is to go climb a mountain and live like a hermit what does say about my faith in God actually having a plan? But if I stay on the field and get dirty with EVERYONE else what does that say about my testimony to what I claim Jesus Christ has done in my life? I guess the answer to both questions lies in what Jesus ended asking, “Ye of little faith, why do you doubt?”

 

Recently a Freedom Fighter reader, who will allow me to call him Brian (and mention that he too loves his bacon), sent me a link to his church’s blog site. It was titled, “What Did You Think Of The Halftime Show?” that was written by Living Faith Alliance’s own Sarah Howard. Here’s the link to that article (https://lfachurch.org/blog-april2016/2020/2/10/what-did-you-think-of-the-halftime-show?fbclid=IwAR0VTNTFQQWvAOBtUGVcYOktXWOtmOyR3ksufqBuwZrQLzXSjEuYzYxNFzE) She makes seven points that got my attention and thought I would share with you how I was convicted by the first few points she made.

 

The first thing Sarah mentioned was that she could expect a lost world to act lost and then she asked why are we Christians getting online and insisting that the world live by the standard of God’s way? Well, you’d think the answer to that is obvious, we know Jesus and The Great Commission kinda dictates to us that we are to go out into ALL the world professing the Gospel Good News. DUH!! But if they don’t wanna hear it we are told to kick off the dust from shoes and move on and Sarah made a statement that made me wonder about myself. “I don’t allow surprised rage at expressed lostness to be the emotion I grab ahold of.” Well, she may not, but very stupidly…I do. Like Sarah, I can’t see this corporate large-scale lostness and just shrug it off by saying, “Well they’re lost. That’s normal.” On the contrary, I do feel moved to do something.

 

Then Sarah will quote the aforementioned verse I’ve used for today from Matthew Gospel. That’s when it hits me, “I can be so zealous for the things of God and yet be so devoid of compassion.” Sarah will redirect my supposedly “spiritual eyes” to Romans 1:28-32, where I get reminded that I was once a disobedient knucklehead who rebelled against God. So, He basically gave me over to that depraved mind I had and I too applauded those who did likewise. I guess every so often I forget that I was once lost (sometimes I still feel like I am) and I need this reminder from Titus, “Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.” (Titus 3:3)

 

In closing today, I wanna touch and agree with Sarah with this one main point…I need to steady myself in God’s Word. Whenever I am questioning how much I am seeing the world go downhill and wonder where God is in all this, I really need to take that moment to His Word. Just like Jesus’ Disciples, I’ll ask, “Then who can be saved?” but I should have that ear to hear, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 9:26b)

 

How about you? Are you looking at this mess with the spiritual eyes of Jesus? Or have you chosen to gaze through the sunglasses of a Pharisees? Well, I hope you can run wherever you’re finding your self through His Word and see where you land. As for me, I gotta do better with these stupid sunglasses, ‘cos their getting’ in the way of seeing His way as I sojourn through this mess. I hope you will too. Amen?

 

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) has been married for 25+ years (Kathy), has a married son (Kevin) and a daughter in college (Karen). He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

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Think About This: “What great faith our Lord Jesus Christ asks of us—and how just that is. Do we not owe him such faith? It looks impossible to us, but Jesus is Master of the impossible.” — Charles de Foucauld

The Daily Bible Reading: Joshua 14-18 | You can download our 2020 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. –Psalm 17:15

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.