Under Siege

Last night I came across a psalm that is now one of my favorites. That psalm is psalm 31, and if you don't know it by heart I demand that you do that right now. Just kidding, I can't demand anything out of you. But the point still stands that this psalm kind of fits in with my life perfectly as it is.

You see, my life has been at a standstill, like I am running in place on a treadmill (see my last post, Passing Through). I feel like I am focusing myself on Christ, yet I am staying put. But not until yesterday did I understand that maybe God wanted me to learn something in my time here on this "plateau". Perhaps there is a reason that I have been in the same place spiritually for a while, and after weeks of searching do I believe that I finally got an answer.

A lot has been happening in my life recently, family matters, school and the like. Moments of pain are still being eclipsed by God and my soul is being refreshed in the eternal waters of Christ. But I have been taking steps around the true matters and serious situations that God has put me in; I am calling it "denial". I am denying the fact that my "city" is under siege.I am being hard-pressed to stand under this siege of situations and temptations. My life is being shifted and morphed around me and that can be scary (because if you haven't been through it yet, I promise you that you will). But one fact, perhaps the only true fact in life, was eluding me during these past weeks; and that is that God is with me and with you and with us in all situations. the 21st verse of psalm 31 reads:

"Praise be to the LORD, for He showed me the wonders of His love

when I was in a city under siege."

This was the verse that made me stop. I stopped and stared. God, the God of the universe that came to earth to die for us, shows us His love even when we are under siege (and for clarification a siege was a time when an army would enclose a fortified city and basically starve the inhabitants out). Even during the times of doubt and despair, God is showing us more and more of His love. His almighty love, that rescued us from the grave.

You have heard it said that God whispers in the good times and uses the mega horn during the bad. That is true, so don't give up. He is the same God now and forever, and He never stops showing us His love, even when we forget that.

All glory for Christ! Who saved me, a sinner.

Plateau-ing (Part 1)

Lately, I have been striving after my relationship with God.

Not saying that I am not constantly striving after God, but sometimes we hit what I call "plateau" areas of our faith. I am sure you know exactly what I am talking about. Its that time of your faith where you want more and more and more yet you are staying at the same level with God, as if you are on a plain and there is no rise in sight.

I am definitely in one of these areas right now. I am not falling away from God, but I am just at a standstill, as if I am unable to move. As I have been squeaking out prayers for growth and a revolutionary step toward my Lord, I am humbled by the fact that I have that revolutionary step in my possession. I have it in my pocket, I have three on my bookshelf, and I have one on my nightstand. Can you guess what one of the best gifts that God has given to us is? That's right! The BIBLE.

Some find it hard to believe that God really is present on the actual pages and actual ink that makes up the Bible. But I can personally testify that He is. He of course is with us at all times and carries us through our daily lives, but He is ready to speak in the pages of that ancient book.

 It bothers me when people say that "God won't answer my prayers." Because often when I ask if they are reading their Bibles, they say no. I feel like this generation is geared toward mysticism and desire an encounter with the Holy Spirit in the forms of visions, moments of awe, etc. There is nothing wrong with that, but I do think it needs to be rooted in the very thing that God consistently speaks to us through. I absolutely believe in the power of the Spirit to work in ways outside of the Bible, but I know that we are beckoned to hear God in the very pages that He wrote.

I have been struggling lately with reading the Bible consistently and whole-heartedly, as if it is a check list assignment that I do before I go to sleep. Here are a few things that I found that help me:

1. Read the Bible with your heart, and not just with your mind.
2. Try reading in different settings, read in the morning outside, and read by candlelight at night, its amazing what changing the setting can do for your reading.
3. Read the same chapter everyday for a week. Its amazing what deep studying and meditation can do when you are searching God's word. Because most of the time life changing verses don't just slap you in the face.
4. Switch up the translation, it may have you more aware to the subtleties of a verse.
5. Get into a quiet, non-distracting environment. Turn off your phone by faith. How can we expect to hear from God when the phone is ringing and the TV is blasting in our ear?

The plateau isn't a fun place to be. But God is more than ready to consume you once again. James 4:8: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."