Challenges for the Christian
A few years ago I was hiking deep in the Montana mountains and enjoying nature. I had gone by myself and was looking for tracks of elk and mule deer. I had spent most the day high in the mountains where I could see for miles, but occasionally I would go deep into some of the lower valleys looking for where they might bed at night. When I was higher up, it was easier to see where I was and where I was going. However, when I went down into the valley, I found that it was very easy to get turned around and lost. If you have ever been in this type of scenario, you understand the unnerving feeling that befalls on you when you quickly realize you are lost. Your troubles and worries of before vanish and you are confronted with the very present, very creepy feeling of “I am lost,” and the dangers of the present take over! Luckily for me, I had trained for such a scenario and knew the first steps to take. Once I realized that I was turned around and that I needed to find my direction again I had to first calm down and look for high ground. I knew I had several hours before it was dark but just needed to get a better sense of my location. Instead of staying in fear and staying disconnected in the valley, I went looking for high ground. Thirty minutes later I found myself coming out of the valley and realized that I was still on the western side of the very mountain I was on. I now had my location centered and the feeling of fear and dread quickly vanished for the thrilling view that God had presented to me on the mountain.
Christians similarly can find ourselves lost at times when we are not connected continuously with Christ. I am not talking about salvation, but rather the ever present leaning on the Lord God for our foundation. When we disconnect, we put away our Bibles and will quickly find ourselves lost. Fear and dread become a present danger and we are now lost in a valley which we shouldn’t be lost in. A common issue that many Christians who are struggling with fear, dread, and depression have in common is their lack of time with Jesus Christ. Now I am not talking about the app that tells you a daily Bible verse, or the little one to two page devotional we do, or even the schedule plan to read the Bible in a year. These are not wrong but it does distract at times from having a real connection with God. We need to be in His Word daily and allowing Him to guide and enrich us as He sees fit. Without this, we will soon become lost in our own valleys and entrapped by the fear and dread which can haunt those who are stuck in such a situation. Without God’s Word being present in our lives, we are vulnerable to listening and following the distractions of this world, “the naïve believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps. A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless” Proverbs 14:15-16. As those who are saved, our salvation cannot be taken away, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:38-39. This discussion is not about assurance of salvation, but as believers we need to take root in knowing that when we fail, He does not fail. So when we are lost in the valley, we are still not lost from God.
As Christians, the 21st century has turned into a time where our “time” is running at a pace never dreamed of before. We focus in on the year 2020 and we have been disconnected from our spiritual community and yanked into a valley of fear, dread, and misinformation. We read the headlines and they predict millions will die, we watch the news and we see violence in the streets, and for some of us we walk outside and see the real life dangers that have embraced 2020. Unfortunately as Christians we have become entrapped with staying focused on the situation of the valley we find ourselves in, instead of seeking the Lord and finding our foundation with Him. I want to offer up three challenges for us as believers to start doing. These challenges are simple and can be orchestrated differently based on your personal situation and location in the world.
Challenge 1:
Reexamine our personal time in God’s Word. We need to connect with Him, we need to be with Him. I understand that we have busy lives, but do not allow the business of our life to distract us from the very reason we have life. I would encourage you to spend additional time daily that is separate from you typical Bible study and dig in deep. Ask Him to share in you what He wants to. Spend time praising Him with a Psalm, two good ones to start with are Psalm 117 and Psalm 115. Keep the Bible commentaries, the self-help books, and all the other distractions aside and allow Him and you to spend that time together. On top of all of that, read the Proverbs of the day. For instance if it is the 3rd, read chapter 3, if it is the 7th, read chapter 7. The longer you are in the presence of the Lord, the more He can change you. Look at Moses who after coming down from the Mountain, was changed! “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God” Exodus 34:29. If you spend the time with Him, He will transform you into what He needs you to be.
Challenge 2:
Do not forsake gathering together. As Christians we are designed to be the body of Christ. The Book of Ephesians states, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; One Lord one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” Ephesians 4:1-6. We need to be with one another, we need to be encouraging one another. So, no matter what that looks like, you need to be connected with other brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. We have the luxury in living in the digital age and have this at our disposal, be intentional and spend that time with our fellow believers even if you cannot meet in person.
Challenge 3:
Focus on the times we live in. We currently are coming closer to a time that all previous generations of believers have longed to see, the return of our Blessed Hope Jesus Christ for His Church. I know there are many who will say that the rapture is not in the Bible and today I am not going to argue with the scoffers. If you have questions regarding this topic CLICK HERE.
But we need to be studying and understanding what the Bible says. I would challenge you to start studying Bible prophecy and see how quickly what is foretold is coming closer. Revelation is the only book of the Bible that gives a blessing to those who study it. If you have questions on Bible prophecy and want to know more, we have a weekly study on Saturday going over Bible prophecy in the news and other resources, CLICK HERE. Titus 2, which is the foundational scripture for Mill House Ministries, describes the need for us to stay vigilant as our Blessed Hope comes closer, we are to encourage one another. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness, and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you” Titus 2:11-15.
Wrapping this up, if we as believers recognize we are in a valley, we might need to come to grips that it is because we have forsaken our time with the Lord. We have unplugged and desperately need to reconnect back to Him. These three challenges are numbered by importance, first you need to have that personal time with Him. You need to be with Him in His scripture! Second, we need to be in fellowship with other believers, be that via technology or in person we need that time with the Body of Christ. Thirdly, recognize the times we are living in and adjust accordingly. We need to get to work doing what God has told us to do. Tell the gospel to anyone willing to listen and help embolden and warn of the coming wrath. We will not be here for that hour of testing, but we can rest assured that tribulation in our present age is still here. We need to study God’s Word and be ready to refute those who are attempting to distort the truth of who Jesus Christ is.
This challenge is not only a challenge to you the readers, but also to us here on the Mill House Ministries staff. We want to help encourage and build you up. If you ever have a time you need prayer, answers to questions, or resources, please reach out to us at our contact page.
Remember we have a God who is living and is mightier than anything this world can throw at us, let us lean on Him and allow Him to guide us out of the valley that 2020 has brought us into.
Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming
JL