How Firm is Your Foundation?

The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake. John Keith

I love these words and what they represent. They sound too good to be true, but they are the absolute truth for all of us who belong to God.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:33-35).

God’s word is full of promises as He forms a covenant relationship with those who belong to Him. A covenant is unbreakable. I imagine that those were the thoughts ruminating in John Keith’s mind when he wrote this hymn in the 1700s. They are words that are true and form the firmest foundation we can have on this earth. True, yet rarely practiced.

Why are we so insecure? With so firm a foundation, why don’t we walk in complete faith, joy and peace? In my case, it is because I do not fully live out this reality. Rather, I notice and focus on what makes me feel insecure. It’s not that my worry can do anything to make things better in any way. Somehow I find comfort in remaining distressed, doubtful and dumbfounded by what is ahead for me.

It’s so hard for us humans to conceive how firm of a foundation God has provided for us through faith in Jesus Christ. We seem to trust insecurity more than His guarantee. We seem to look ahead for what we want to avoid, rather than for the steps that God mapped out for us to walk through on a firm foundation.

When I took my first skiing lesson, the instructor told us a nugget of truth that applies to faith. He said: Look where you want to go not where you don’t want to go, and your skis will follow. We who belong to God have the assurance that God will never leave us, that He is constantly interceding for us, that He does not condemn us, nor can we be separated from His love. Therefore shouldn’t we expect to walk firmly through the realities of living in a sin-filled world?

If I can keep in mind that I am not condemned, I am not alone. I have a God who loves me and will never leave nor forsake me; then I should walk each day believing there will be a firm place to step. I may need to pray about how to move forward because sometimes the firm way is not easy to see until the Holy Spirit tells me to go to the right or to the left, but there is a firm way to walk every day in love, joy, peace and goodness.

A Pilgrimage that Started with Tears

Who would think I would shed tears deciding to set out on a wonderful journey that I have longed to take for many years? Before I was ready to fully accept God’s invitation for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I had to journey to a place of agreement between what my soul wanted and what the Lord wanted for me. For years I have been declining opportunities to travel to Israel—not because I didn’t want to go but because I wanted to go with my husband by my side. I know that God could have arranged that for me, but instead He asked me to accept that He wanted me to be willing to go and leave everything behind. When I was asked to make a decision about going on a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, God gave me this verse in answer to my prayer -- Debi, observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are cr...

The Bliss of Knowing You are Loved by God

There is bliss of knowing that you are loved by a real and intimate God. I have felt that bliss. I don’t experience it all the time and sometimes it takes me a while to notice how much I miss it. Often I come back to my senses when I read the spiritual writings of one who is explaining how great God is and I am reminded how good He is to me. I suppose the saints stayed more connected to the bliss of God on a regular basis and missed it far less than me. I wish I knew their secret; all I can tell you is that it is a cycle for me to find myself unaware of God for a time. It is often a struggle to reconnect each day. What brought me to my senses recently was a huge blessing He sent my way. This good thing literally came to me directly from the hand of God. I didn’t even consider sharing the joy I was ...

Why Me?

When something tragic or unexpected happens, our first question seems to be, Why me? It’s only human to feel this way and wonder why life has got to be so hard. God has helped me look at my unwanted circumstances with a different question. Rather than keep the focus on my pain and ask, Why me? I focus on Him and wonder, How can You be glorified when everything is going wrong? Adding one more word to that question makes a huge difference spiritually and opens my soul to find so much more than just my pain. Another way to look at life’s tragedies is, Why not me ? Sure, we each have our own amount of personal sorrows. These are the kind of sorrows that have no answers. We can't explain away death, cancer, rape, bankruptcy and other heartaches. It is easier to explain...

Soul Sister Time

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