I woke up this morning thinking about navigation. I know, very strange. I’m not an experienced sailor who has spent years learning the art of navigation. I just like pirates, explorers and exciting stories about the open ocean. The interesting thing about ocean navigation is that it is really easy to get off course. If you set sail for 1 degree west of where your intended destination and never check your position again, pretty soon you are going to be way off course. So the solution is to continually check your position and coordinates while making the appropriate adjustments. Sometimes getting off course is a slow journey, rather than a quick jump 800 miles off track.
On the spiritual journey, its the exact same principle. In short, if you don’t keep your heart, mind and spirit in line with the teachings of God, pretty soon you may find yourself in a position that seemingly came out of no where. However, like most things spiritual, this is a whole lot easier said than done. I think encouragement can be the answer as it can be found a few different ways.
Prayer. The personal conversation we have with the Lord on a daily basis plays a big part in how we live. I’ve heard it said that if you want to see the depths of a man’s spiritual life, look at his prayer life. One of the best ways to find encouragement is to find it in hidden in the heart of God by drawing closer to him in prayer.
Word. There are verses that I’ve read hundreds of times but speak to me in different ways every time I read them. And it always hits me in the exact way I need at the moment. God wasn’t joking when He says that he is Faithful and that his word is breathed by Him (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Community. This one is just as important as the other two. Hebrews 3:12-13 explains that we are to warn, encourage and exhort one another daily to ensure we are living in accordance to God’s will. I don’t think encouragement is always a fuzzy feeling of saying to someone, “You are so awesome, thanks for being so perfect in what you do”. Sometimes its encouraging someone back onto the path of God by being open and honest with them, speaking the truth in love of course. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the only thing someone needs is a friend to come by and say, “Great job”. Other times, more is needed. Just remember, you are in the community as well, so if you are doing something that needs to be addressed, don’t get your nose out of line when a brother brings something to light. Communities work best when humility and servanthood are the goals.
I’m sure you’ve never heard those three put together before.
Participating in these acts of worship gives God the opportunity to speak to us and it gives us the chance to draw near to Him. That is what allows us to daily check our spiritual bearings to ensure our eyes are fixed on Christ.
Have a great week. Be encouraged.
-SHF
