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Pitfalls of the Christian walk: The longer I'm a Christian, the more I realise how vulnerable and prone to falling I am, and how it is only by the grace of a faithful God that I am able to remain faithful and finish well. Every member of the Church of Jesus Christ is a believer priest, a servant of God, and as such is 'in the Ministry'. This is both an awesome privilege and an incredible responsibility. Our trust must be in the Lord and not in ourselves if we are to be faithful to the finish line. Proverbs 3:5-5 says: 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all you ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.' NIV Our trust must be in the Lord and not in ourselves if we are to be faithful to the finish line. I am thankful for the example of those who were faithful to the end. They set the pattern for us. On the other hand, I've known servants of the Lord who ran the race well for a time and then something happened in their life, and they fell by the wayside. We have an incredibly active enemy in Satan, who having discovered our 'weak-spots' is always attempting to cause God's servants to stumble. We are involved in spiritual warfare and must daily put on the full armour of God, so we are best equipped to fight the battle. Jesus used Scripture against Satan and so must we. That said; never forget that Satan is already a defeated enemy! I want to share with you two of the potential pitfalls and recurring areas of vulnerability: The first is that of losing the wonder - the wonder of what it means to be a Child of God, chosen by Him for a special purpose; the wonder of the great theological truths of our faith, which we repeat so often we become accustomed to them: the wonder of whom we serve and the wonder and power of the message that has been entrusted to us. The supernatural becomes commonplace - one more marriage saved, one more conversion - yet we read from Scripture that heaven rejoices every time a sinner repents. Familiarity can breed neglect and complacency. Despite his imprisonment and sufferings, the Apostle Paul never lost the wonder and talks about the glory of the Gospel and of the blessed God. I ask myself this question and encourage you to do likewise: do I have a genuine passion for Christ and for my ministry, or am I just going through the motions? Another potential pitfall is the danger of failing to cultivate and maintain and prioritize our personal walk with the Lord, the danger of taking shortcuts, of trying to live on yesterday's manna and yesterday's experiences with God. In Song of Solomon the bride says to her beloved that she has been tending the vineyard of others but her own vineyard she has not tended, 1:6 Isn’t that a picture of what can so easily become a tendency for us too - tending the vineyards of others, proclaiming the truth, praying with others, praying for others, but neglecting our own personal vineyard. The story of Mary & Martha springs readily to mind. Martha was so busy serving the Lord but distracted, overwhelmed, anxious about much serving and forgetting the one thing her sister had discovered was absolutely necessary - to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen/read His word. No amount of activity in the King's service will make up for neglect of the King Himself. Activity for Him won't make up for a relationship with Him James 1:22 says: 'Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says! Deuteronomy has much to say about the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. Faith – is putting Belief into action; taking hold of Gods Word and applying it to our everyday lives. There are many potential pitfalls along the way but it remains to be said, that we either stumble at the hurdles or we use them as stepping-stones to living our practical everyday existence, on a Biblical level. The books of Proverbs are the ‘rules from Heaven, for Life on Earth.’ Take a few minutes to read Proverbs 3: Blessings, Pat |
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