I ended with this passage yesterday but let me share it once more and this time let me place two words before it.
Beyond ourselves…
…I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)
What a wonderful promise! God will…not let go but unfortunately, we are the ones to let our grasp begin to slip.
My friend prays that he will always feel the way he does about God and their relationship. He cherishes it. He sees it for the gift that it is.
And from experience I can tell you, it doesn’t just happen. It is not a “given” in our relationship with God any more than it is a “given” in our relationships with our loved ones and friends. It takes work. We have to be determined to keep it going at all costs.
God will strengthen and give us aid. The struggle arises in the fact that we have the free will to hold tight…or to allow our grasps upon Him to slip.
We must be vigilant! In our humanity – on so many levels – we can stay focused on something for quite a while, but it is difficult to do so over a lifetime. Some succeed at the attempt. But many just don’t.
Dieting, for example, how many of us who are overweight struggle with losing those extra pounds? I’m not a big dieter but it is much easier to put it on than to get it off. Or what about alcoholics? Or drug addicts? Or those hooked on pornography, to name just a handful of vices.
It is no surprise that many believers battle with those kinds of things. They try to cling to their relationship with God. For a time, they may even pour out themselves before Him. They realize that He holds them tight and will not let them go but…
….Oh, a couple of chips won’t hurt me… then an empty bag later…
……..I’ll have just a sip of my friends Mimosa; I can handle just a little taste…
……………Oh, this pain is unbearable. I just can’t take it any more… just one shot of heroin to help me deal with it…then no more, I swear…
………………..Oh, what’s that? An article about some celebrity in a revealing bikini? I’ll just take a quick peak…no harm done….
We can rationalize all we want but just one small crack in our armor and the devil shoves in a crowbar and before we know it, our vessel is overflowing with all kinds of “debris” to the point where we can’t hear God calling for us to turn…and run…back to Him.
It all falls back on…well, most importantly it falls back on prayer. Every day – maybe even multiple times throughout the day! – we need to call out to God to help us…to guard us…to place us in the protection of His mighty arms. Even when we have a flitting thought pass through our mind. It’s nothing big – no sin has been committed – but it could lead to a crack-inducing action – call out! Don’t hesitate! And I can assure you that God will be there!
I shared this verse in Part 1 of this post but it’s worth sharing once more.
Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (AMP)
When we align ourselves with God, when we stay close by His side, when we cling tenaciously to His gracious hand, we can not be defeated! But the key is “Hold tight, my friend.” Hold tight.
[If you missed Seriously! (Part 1) or Seriously (Part 2) just click on either of them.]
