False Strongholds

"Tyre has built herself a stronghold;

she has heaped up silver like dust,

and gold like the dirt of the streets."

Zechariah 9:3

Soldiers who have endured combat rely on their buddies to help them survive.  As they fight the enemy, a bond is formed as they watch out for one another.  They look to each other for help; no one can fight a war alone.

I can never forget that I am involved in a war.  It is not a battle waged against flesh and blood, but a spiritual war.  Satan wants to take God's place and he will do everything in his power to diminish the ranks of the Lord's soldiers.  It is important that I keep this truth in mind as I maneuver my way through life.  It is equally as vital that I remember on whom I can rely.  The psalmist had it right when he said, "I lift my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from?  My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)

Take a moment to listen to Casting Crowns sing, "Praise You in this Storm," and meditate on the message of this psalm.  

As much as I want to say I always rely on God to get me through life, I have to admit there are many other fortresses behind which I seek shelter.  Even though I know He is my, "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble," (Psalm 46:1) I continue to turn elsewhere for help; I rely on false strongholds.

Money

It has been said that money will buy a bed but not sleep; books but not brains; food but not appetite; finery but not beauty; a house but not a home; medicine but not health; luxuries but not culture; amusements but not happiness; religion but not salvation--a passport to everywhere but heaven. (Voice in the Wilderness)

I may not have a lot of money, but there are ways that I lean on it as my security.  I listen to the financial gurus who tell me I should carry a certain amount in my savings account in case of emergencies and that I should prepare for retirement.  Experts are constantly bombarding me with information about how to make my money work for me, how to get the most out of my money and where is the best place to invest my money.

It makes me think of "The Beverly Hillbillies," that sitcom from the 60's in which the poor family discovered oil on their property and became sudden millionaires.  They abruptly moved uptown into a mansion, but never really left their backwards, country ways.  The Clampetts gained access to parts of society they were never before allowed to observe, but they really didn't care.  To them, money was not all that important.

If only I could adopt this attitude.  Unfortunately, I often buy into the worldly point of view that money will give me a sense of security and will act as a buffer against hard times.  As all too many people found out when the stock market crashed, hard-earned money is easily lost and is not a wise foundation upon which to base my life.

Jesus taught that, "No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money."  (Matthew 6:24)  If I am depending on money to provide my sense of safety and give me confidence to face the unknown future, I am turning my back on God to fulfill those roles.  Money cannot save me, protect me or sustain me; only God can do that!

Money is a tool that can be used by God, but it is also the most powerful hindrance of my ability to fully trust God.

Education

We are living in an age of education.  I am always hearing the message that education is the key to success and will break the bonds of poverty.  George Washington Carver, a slave who went on to become the president of the Tuskegee Institute and an important scientist, said that, "Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."  He knew that schooling was the means by which he was able to accomplish so much with his life.

The mistake is when I place my trust in the right degree, believing that my preparation will mean I'll never go without work, always be successful and never need worry.  Unfortunately, all too many people have realized this is not the case.   Education has now reached the point where many diplomas are not worth the paper they're printed on; the quality is decreasing while the cost is increasing.  So many people have earned higher degrees that diplomas have lost their attraction for employers.

Instead of putting my faith in education, I could take the advice of the psalmist who said, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."  (Psalm 111:10)  As I place God in the position He deserves as Lord of my life, respecting Him as the Giver of life and all good things, I will put less and less stock in my level of education and more and more in what's really important.

Jesus taught that I should, "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)  If I pay more attention to what God is doing around me and less toward striving to reach my own personal goals, He will provide for my needs.  Education will never be able to protect me, save me or guide me.

Education can give me knowledge and provide opportunities, but only God can be trusted to guide me and give my life meaning.

Plan

My plan was to go to college, earn a degree and enjoy a successful career.  Reality turned out a bit different.  I went to college, got married, had a child, finished my degree, gave birth to triplets and put my all into motherhood.  I never imagined myself to be a mother.  I never particularly enjoyed children but God knew better. As the wisdom of Solomon reminds me, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

I had a plan for my life, but only God knew the design He had for me!  In His sovereignty, His plan trumps anything I can drum up for myself. If I were to choose, I would have never decided to raise four daughters as a stay-at-home mother.  But God ordained it and it came to pass.

If I put my faith in the plan I have for myself, trusting that if I follow the steps, everything will turn out right, I'm bound to be disappointed.  Instead, if I follow God and trust Him for the path my life will take, I will live a life of hope and peace.  Knowing the One who holds the blueprint for my life has a way of setting my mind at ease when it comes to thoughts of the future.

Trusting in my own plan for my life will lull me into a false sense of security while giving the reigns over to the LORD will lead me down a path of assurance and serenity.

Remembering the truth as I battle through life will give me the ability to continue.  God is my refuge and security.  He is my source of strength.  Only He knows the future and has my life in His hands.  If I put my full faith in Him, I will be able to avoid the false strongholds of money, education and creating my own plans.  Then, I will fully devote myself to God and not focus on my own sense of what I should or should not do and can truly say,

"The Lord is my light and my salvation--

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life--

of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust in God and God alone.

When do I give money too much power in my life?

How do I rely on the plan I've made to get me through the day instead of trusting God for His?