True Security

"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

but whoever listens to me will live in safety

and be at ease, without fear of harm."

Proverbs 1:32-33

We live in a tumultuous time.  Terrorism threatens, "progressive" agendas violate traditional values, and foolishness is disguised as wisdom.  How can we be safe and secure in such a time as this?  How can we keep from being swept away?  

It is possible.

Turn Toward.  Life is a journey.  I've heard it often, so frequently in fact that it's easy to dismiss it as a meaningless cliche.  But life really is a journey, a series of steps, a trip down a rocky path that often becomes difficult to negotiate and hard to navigate (Matthew 7:13-14).  I easily get off track, wandering away from the way He marked out for me to walk, enticed by worldly temptations, fleshly desires and the Devil himself.  

Since it's so easy to turn away from God and His plan for me, it's important that I constantly take the time to take stock, to inventory my heart.  Of course, this is not a job I can do using my own faulty discernment.  Instead, I find it vital to sit down in the peace of my Father's presence and ask Him to show me where I'm off, how my thinking is wrong, where I've strayed (Psalm 139:23-24).  Once He shows me, and He has never failed to do so and can always be counted on to answer this prayer, I can turn back toward Him and His loving Hand of correction.  He will direct me toward the way everlasting, the pure and lovely thoughts, and the healthier coping mechanism.  

To find true security in such a volatile world I will need to make it a practice to turn toward God.

Passion.  My relationship with Jesus can easily become a religion; a series of obligations I must fulfill, a set of rules I must follow, a regimen I'm expected to adhere to.  But Jesus died for more than this.  His love for me is so intense that it drove Him to undergo great agony for my sake.  In order that I might live and taste the life He meant for me to live when He first breathed life into my inert form, Jesus gave His own.  Even though He never sinned, is pure as could be, He took my sin upon Himself, suffering the agony of bearing the punishment meant for me (2 Corinthians 5:21).  This is how strongly and passionately He loves me.

I can love like this as well.  Not in my own strength, but because God's brand of love flows through me by faith in Jesus.  If I allow God to have His way, He will develop in me a similar passion for Him which will overflow with a compassion for others.  Instead of just learning His ways, then, I'll be driven by love to put it in action, to let Him move my hands and feet in ways that demonstrate His great love.  The hungry will be fed, the broken given hope, the imprisoned set free.  

To find true security in such a volatile world I can let God's great love for me develop into a passion for Him and His image bearers.

Heed.  Either I'm too busy to hear or I'm too afraid to listen.  The first is an unintentional blocking of God's voice, the second a deliberate effort to ignore Him.  

When my days are filled with errands to run, activities to participate in, tasks to perform, I rarely sense His leading or notice His hand at work around me.  Instead, I'm too intent on sticking to my schedule.

I'm not always busy, though, and it would seem those quiet moments would be the ideal atmosphere for hearing God's voice.  Unfortunately, I all too often am plagued by fear, assuming the message He has for me will hurt me, or that He'll expect me to do what I don't want to do, or that I just won't be able to handle His rebuke.  So I pretend I don't hear Him, or do what I can to divert my attention away from Him.  How I must hurt Him in my self-preserving efforts.  As my loving Father He has my best interest at heart and knows exactly what is best for me.  I can trust Him with my life and I have no reason to fear.  Fear is a choice I make that hampers intimacy with my Papa.

To find true security in such a volatile world I must learn to heed God's gentle promptings and expert lead.

It's easy to feel hopeless, wondering if it's even possible to live a life of integrity when the world seems to be falling down around me.  How can I stand firm and keep from being sucked into living in fear, adopting popular worldviews, or being shaped by foolish rhetoric?  I can purposefully allow God to search my heart for what doesn't belong and responsively turn toward His best, allow God's love to develop in me a passion for Him and people, and to heed His lead.  When I do, I will find true security despite the volatile nature of the world.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to listen to what He is saying to me.

When am I afraid to hear what He wants to say to me?

How do I intentionally keep myself busy so I won't have to deal with His correction or His conviction?