The market’s up… the market’s down. The day’s hot… the day’s cold… then hot again. You gain a few pounds… you lose a few. Life is full of ups and downs.
If you focus on the day-to-day changes, life can be quite the emotional roller-coaster… like the waves on the ocean. That’s true even spiritually. Really bold one day… then a bit timid the next. Surges of faith, followed by “Help me, Lord!”. Really feeling the presence of God… then not so much. Holy Ghost tingles and goosebumps… then back to the hum-drum of life.
I know some might say that kind of talk is too negative. That we’re going from strength to strength, glory to glory, always climbing higher, getting stronger… never drawing back. In a certain context, all that is true. I get it.
But right now, think about the most exciting moment of your life… naturally or spiritually. Is it happening right now… at this very moment? Probably not, if you’re on Facebook. How about, have you been in a worship service, or a powerful miracle meeting, and you have said, “That was awesome! I have never felt the Holy Ghost power or the presence of God, so strong as that night!”
The minute you walk out of that place, and say, “It WAS…, or I felt…” you’re putting it in past tense, and acknowledging that the feeling or experience has diminished. That doesn’t mean you are ‘drawing back’, or that you have ‘left your first love.’ It just means that you’re in a new step of growth, and strengthening, and improvement.
The high points are great. You need them! But they’re meant to be times for building your faith… times of encouragement or revelation that prepares you for the next test, when the ‘feeling’ is past, and you’ve got to walk by faith, not sight or feeling.
At the end of great meetings where God has moved mightily, I’ve heard exhortations to “hold on to this feeling.” I understand. It’s with good intent. But it’s futile. If you try to hold on to feelings, you’re in for a crash… or at least disappointment.
Feelings are great! Something’s wrong if you don’t have any. But it’s GOD we seek, not the feelings. And faith in the middle of nothingness is great, too. It’s in times and places when there’s no sight, no feelings, that faith operates and grows. But we don’t seek the tests, either. Seek God, and expect both.
The high moments should be preparation for the times of testing, when there’s nothing but faith in the Word of God to stand on. The times of standing in faith on nothing but the Word of God prepare you for the next big lift upward. One builds on the other.
But here’s the really important question: WHAT’S YOUR TREND? Are your high points trending higher? Are your ‘valley’ times trending higher? Should be.
If your bump higher is consistently followed by a greater drop downward, you know where that trend is leading, don’t you? If you experience a few rare spikes upward, that don’t exceed the steady drift downward, that’s not good. You’re headed for trouble, unless you can turn the trend around.
So let’s take an honest look at ourselves. Anything less than pure honesty with yourself is just fooling yourself… self-deception. Not smart.
To see the trend in your life, you need to look at more than a week, or a month. It’s over a longer period of time that trends appear.
Compared to a year ago, or 2-3-5 years ago, what’s your trend? Trending closer to God? Or towards the world? Is your love for God trending hotter… or cooler? More desire for studying His Word… or less? Choosing more time alone with God, listening to His voice… or less? Closer into the brightness of His glory, exposed by His light… or edging toward the shadows of gray? Are your thoughts trending more like the mind of Christ, or drifting toward a carnal mind? More care and compassion for others, including the lost… or moving toward callousness, or self-centeredness? More readiness to share the gospel of Christ… or settling into apathy.
You might say, “I have compassion. I share the gospel. I study the Word. I spend time in prayer and listening to God.” That may be true. But the point that the Holy Spirit is trying to get across, is “What is your trend?” If you’re doing good, but not as good as in the past… there is a problem!
The trend tells you where you are headed… not so much the little spikes up and down. The trend can be an encouragement, or a warning. Again, be honest with yourself. If your trend continues, where will you be a year from now, or 5 years, or at the end of your life?
If you really don’t want to end up where your trend is headed, it’s up to YOU to turn it around! Not that you can do it on your own, but YOU are the one that needs to make the decision! Yes, you NEED God to help you, and give you all that it takes to get you where He wants you, and to be the person He designed you to be! But, knowing that you need God is not enough. You still need to decide whether or not to CHOOSE God, and submit to His plan!
Choose God! Choose life! If your life is already trending up, God can accelerate it! If it’s going the wrong direction, you and God can turn it around! Your loving heavenly Father would just LOVE to give you a spike up, that would wipe out all your past losses! AND the support to maintain it! Amen!!
This might sound a little silly, but I believe the Lord wants some of you reading this to take out a pen and paper, and in complete honesty, draw the trendline of your life, including some ups and downs, going back at least a few years. Then listen for His voice.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an EXPECTED END.” [Jeremiah 29:11]
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