My buddy, Benjamin, was the kind of guy that everyone expected to succeed. Throughout his high-school and college career, he was top of everything, and after graduating college, he landed a job with a large corporation. He started with a salary that most of us only dream about. He seemed to have it all, so imagine my surprise when he phoned one day for some advice. When we were in college, some guys felt they had to hide their faith so they would appear to be tough or macho. They didn't want to lose face in front of their crew of friends. I never felt the need to do this. I wanted to be transparent about my devotion to God through the Lord Jesus Christ, and Ben seemed to admire this in me. He'd sometimes come to me when he was grappling with indecision or a stressful issue, and I’d do my best to encourage him through God’s Word.
Ben had gotten in over his head at his job. I don’t believe he did what they accused him of doing, but he was working so hard, trying to keep up the façade of an up and coming business genius, that he lost his footing. He couldn’t tell up from down anymore, and he was in so much hot water that he had no clue how to defend himself; he didn’t know how to undo what had been done. Most of us can identify with what it feels like to face enormous pressure, and many people are not able to hold up under the weight of it. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want any problem or issue to defeat us. He tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” When circumstances pour on the heat, this is when we need to pour on the power of God.
But here’s the thing, we can’t pour on the power of God if we don’t know who He is or what He will do for His children. It is great to know prayer warriors that will come to our aid and pray for us when we need it most. It’s awesome to be able to have family and friends to encourage us, but there is nothing that compares to praying to God for yourself and knowing that He hears you and will fight your battles for you.
God didn’t intend for life to be anything less than the greatest adventure on earth. We can’t get this from going to a concert, a safari, or an amusement park. Although those things can be exciting and fun, they can’t hold a candle to the excitement of getting to know the Creator of the entire universe. Solomon is said to be the wisest man that has ever lived. He looked under every stone, explored everything available to him and drew a conclusion that is meat for any feast. In Ecclesiastes 12:13-14(NLT), he said, “13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” Reverencing God and obeying His statutes and decrees is the whole duty of humanity. Nothing will ever be better than honoring Him with our lives and getting to know Him through His Word.
One of the reasons that He reminds us constantly to read and study His Word is because knowing Him through His Word helps us to grow in faith. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes where the Word of God is heard and trusted. It takes time to build this up. Just like any relationship, intimacy is built as you get to know a person. It’s the same thing with God. The more we know about Him, the more our relationship with Him grows. We’ll begin to see ourselves through His eyes instead of through the eyes of others. We’ll also stop trying so hard to live up to the expectations of people, and make sure that we’re pleasing God first. This is what He requires.
We can become so consumed and preoccupied with what we are doing on a daily basis—with work and family life—that we forget to be concerned with what God has called us to do. We are ambassadors for Christ and children of God. Galatians 5:25(NLT) tells us, “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” God will guide us through His Spirit. If we follow Him, we will not be defeated by the tricks of the enemy, but instead, He’ll teach us how to spiritually maneuver through any obstacle in faith. As we walk by the Spirit, we will develop spiritual strength through Jesus Christ. We will see that God will give us the victory no matter what we’re facing, and trusting Him moment by moment, day by day, will make life the greatest adventure on earth.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Greatest Adventure on Earth”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life© 2019. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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