Thunderstorms

I love thunderstorms. They are a reminder of just how powerful and magnificent God is. He can create winds that will blow over houses. He can create rains that will wash away cars. He can create lightning bolts that light up the sky for miles. Although sometimes these storms can cause damage, they are beautiful.

Imagine that you're driving through a thunderstorm at night. You're in your car and with your headlights on you can make out the road about 15-20 feet in front of you. You have to focus really hard to stay on the road. The yellow reflectors show you the middle of the pathway, but the white edge lines are hard to make out. Every once in a while, a lightning bolt flashes across the sky, giving you a momentary glimpse at the road farther ahead.

Isn't this just like our walk with Christ? As we chug along through our daily lives, He is the lamp unto our feet. He only lights the path directly in front of us, because that's all we can handle at the time. Sometimes, though, He gives us glimpses into the future so that we will know where to go. He is also the reflectors in the middle of the road. If we stick close to Him, He will keep us safely on the pathway, but if we start to veer toward the blurry edge lines, we may end up falling off the road.

While driving home tonight in the massive thunderstorm, this is all that I could think about. The parallels of that drive and my walk with Christ. At times, I would get antsy when I couldn't see what was coming around a corner or when I hit a puddle and careened a bit. At times I get antsy in my walk with Christ, when I don't understand His reasons or when I don't know what is coming next, but then He'll send a lightning bolt to give me a glimpse, just enough so that I can take comfort in Him. Or, He won't give me a glimpse, and I just have to keep going and trusting that He will show me the way bit by bit. In either circumstance, it is completely God. He knows what He is doing. And just like I trusted Him to get me home through the thunderstorm, I should trust Him with my life every second of every day. If I let Him guide me, He won't lead me astray. The last song I heard on the radio as I was driving home tonight was this:


Light Up The Sky - The Afters

When I’m feeling all alone and so far to go
The signs are nowhere on this road guiding me home
When the night is closing in
It’s falling on my skin
Oh God will You come close

Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can’t deny
Oh I can’t deny that You are right here with me
You’ve opened my eyes so I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me

When stars are hiding in the clouds
I don’t feel them shining
When I can’t see beyond my doubt
The silver lining
When I’ve almost reached the end
Like a flood You’re rushing in
Love is rushing in

Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can’t deny
Oh I can’t deny that You are right here with me
You’ve opened my eyes so I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me

So I run straight to Your arms
You’re the bright and morning Sun
To show Your love, there’s nothing You won’t do

Light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can’t deny
Oh I can’t deny that You are right here with me
You’ve opened my eyes so I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me

Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You are with me
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You are with me
Oh oh oh oh oh oh



How amazing is that? I'm constantly reminded that God is with me, that He is all around me. Even something as ordinary as a thunderstorm attests to His majesty. I challenge you to find Him in everyday things: a tree, a storm, a face, a cloud. He is everywhere.
I also challenge you to trust Him, even when you can only see right in front of your face, remember that HE can see the entire path. He knows what is coming up, and if you place your trust in Him, He will guide you straight through.

God Bless,
Taylor

Shocked or not shocked? Sin in our society

We, as a society, are hardening our hearts toward sin instead of away from it. We are becoming more and more accepting of the sins of this world. We are no longer shocked at the sin that we see happening around us. If we were, we would do something about it. Instead we stand by and watch, too scared or indifferent to take a stand for God. Jesus would not have stood idly by and let sin take place right in front of His eyes, and we shouldn't either.
I'm guilty of being a bystander to sin. There are countless times when I've watched sin take place and kept my mouth shut. It's not usually what we would call "big sins," but sin is sin to God, and it should be to us too. And by letting sin happen in front of me, I'm basically telling God that it's okay.

Psalm 55:16-19 - But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. God, who is enthroned forever, will hear them and afflict them-men who never change their ways and have no fear of God.

The devotional that sparked this blog only mentioned Psalm 55:19b, but I think it's important to know the context.
I feel like David was talking about physical battle when he wrote this Psalm (I could be completely wrong, because I am by no means a Bible scholar, but that's what I feel like he was writing about). Regardless, his words are true for the people of our generation who are in a battle against sin everyday. There are many people who will oppose us, BUT we serve a God who is greater than anyone else, and He hears our cries morning, noon, and night. He will get us through anything, and through Him we can make a difference.

I'm only one person, but when I'm standing in the shadow of the cross, I have God on my side. If God wants to use me to convict someone of their sin so that He can work in them, then who am I to stand in the way of that? I can't let my insecurities get in the way of God's work.

Satan wants us to compromise on sin, both in our own lives and in the lives of others. But if we continue to compromise, it will not only destroy our testimonies for God, but it will also shed a negative light on Christianity and God. So, from this day forward, I'm going to do my best to harden my heart to sin. I'm going to do my best to stand up for what I know is right. And even though sometimes I may not want to, and sometimes I might get scared, God is and will always be behind me, and He will take care of me if I'm doing what He asks me to do.

How do you deal with sin? Are you willing to put yourself aside and stand up for God?

God Bless,
Taylor