Nobody Said It Was Easy

Have you ever been in a season where you feel like your faith is neither cold nor hot but lukewarm? These are the moments that make you feel like everything is so familiar. The Sunday preaching, worship services, and bible study sessions become a routine that you include in your schedule every week. You get used to doing these things that you lost track of why you are doing it in the very first place. There are moments when you stick to your head, "Ah! I know where this preaching is gonna lead. I've heard this Scripture being taught over and over again." 


We've shut the ears of our hearts from receiving to God.


There are millions of temptations the world has to offer. Enough for us to turn our backs and divert our attention away from God. The world deceives us that there are far more important things than God. But, the world is lying. Most of the time temptation comes in front of our doorstep in a  wonderfully wrapped gift box. It is supposed to look enticing and welcoming like a fried crispy pork belly and its smell. But, its harmful to us. Sometimes temptation does not look as bad as we think it is. The enemy will use our family, friends, husband, wife, boss, church mate, ministry or anyone who is closed to us to tempt us and take us away from God. When something or someone demands your time with God, it is the enemy working behind it. As humans, we tend to fall short and that's why I'm grateful that God's grace is always available every time we need it. We cannot deny that sometimes we let our loved ones or things that are important to us take away our time with God. That's why we have to keep a keen eye to anyone or anything that distracts us in our quiet moments with God. 

Of course, the enemy would hate to see us at peace. The enemy rages in anger every time it sees us in our most peaceful moment. That's why it tries to shake our cage of peace. Our job is not to let it win. But how? 


1. By fighting for our time with God
When we decide in our mind and heart that God goes on the top of our endless list of priorities, it becomes easy for us to set a time to dwell in God's presence. We do not give God the leftovers of our time and energy but we give Him the best of ourselves. It doesn't become something we feel we are obliged to do, rather we long for it and we enjoy doing it.


2. By drinking in the spring of life
Every time we read the Bible, we are being renewed in spirit, heart, and mind. The Bible is a daily reminder of the kind of God that we worship and why we should continue doing so. It takes the spotlight away from ourselves and reminds us that this life is not meant for us to enjoy by doing the things that are desirable to us. Hence, it points out that we should die to ourselves and follow Jesus - the way, the truth, and the life.


3. By standing in faith with other believers
It is very important for us to stay in the circle of believers. As stated in the Scripture, "Bad company corrupts good moral." And so, if we are surrounded by believers then we could trust that there will be people who will lovingly point out sin in our lives and will generously provide a good and sound counsel on how to overcome bad habits.




Just like what our local pastor has said, "Every time we fail in reading God's Word, we should analyze what are we feeding ourselves instead?". If Jesus is the Bread of Life, why do we starve our spirit and soul? Why do we choose to feed ourselves by junk food and garbage offered by the world? The battlefield is in the mind. Once we set our mind about the truth about God's Word and why it is very important that we read and meditate on it, it becomes natural to us.



It is not easy, but it is worth the try.





Xx,
Maica