REO Speed Wagon wrote and performed a song called “Riding the Storm Out.” They were what I call a high energy rock and roll band. As they were traveling from one performance to another they were caught in a bad thunderstorm, high winds and rain so heavy they could hardly see to drive. They could not pull over and stop because they did not want to miss their next engagement; so they pressed on and made it on time.
When I was a young man, I was “wired for sound.” I believe in North Carolina they call it “wide open,” I could not sit down very long to save my life. When I came back to the Lord at the age of twenty-five, this zeal I had for life took on a new dimension; I was on fire for the Lord. This zeal, along with the energy level that I had, carried me thru many things. When the going got tuff, I got going.
In recent years my family and I have been going thru some very difficult circumstances. God has been faithful to use this to bring me into a closer relationship with Him. Instead of my zeal and energy carrying me thru, it has been my trust in the Lord. This is not the same trust that I have had for years, rather a new understanding that has come from being broken before the Lord. As I have continued to surrender to God I have become more intimate with Him, receiving deposits in my spirit.
I will share about these deposits later; first we need to talk about the foundation that made all of these changes possible. That is the gift of salvation. We often tell people that to be saved they must ask Jesus into their heart, but it is much more than that. It is about surrendering to Him and making Jesus Christ lord over your life. As Billy Graham would say “I am under new management.” Reach out to God and ask Him to grant you Godly sorrow which leads to repentance, and He will meet you there. His mercy and grace will sustain you and lead you into His love. This is the start of a relationship that is fulfilling and eternal.
From this base we can move into all of God’s blessings. We “western Christians” tend to think more about the financial and material blessing. God does provide these things for us, but I do not think that we always prioritize them the way we should. “Seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). If we are seeking God’s Kingdom then we are not always asking for things that please the soul. God is Spirit and He has created us as beings that possess a spirit and soul residing in this earthly body. Our spirit is to bring our soul into submission, not the other way around! (Luke 9:23) This denying the soul is a process I call sanctification. (Luke9: 24, 25) Sanctification is not like taking a course that you graduate from. We are to be always increasing in our Christ likeness. (2Peter 1:3-9) We can only do this by taking up our cross daily, putting to death our souls’ desires.
We do not have to ride out life’s storms alone, nor should we. God told Paul that His grace was sufficient for Him, and so it is with us. Let us not strive in our own understanding; His Holy Spirit will guide us into all things concerning Christ Jesus.
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