Warning...Unstable Conditions!

February 23, 2009

This weekend my loving husband and I decided that we would purchase a new bed we had been saving for to try to relieve our morning aches. I had found a place in Michigan online that seemed to have pretty good deals and they were also having a sale which was even better.

Long story short we were blessed with a good salesman that got us a great bed at a reasonable price within our budget…thank you Jesus…anyway the salesman insisted that it would not fit in our van and encouraged us to buy ratchet straps from the nearest store.

Okay, so we loaded the mattress set on our luggage rack and proceeded down the road. It had snowed that day and the wind had picked up to what felt like 30 or 40 miles per hour at times! Oh and did I mention that the snow had turned to a sheet of ice on the road?

We were trucking along at about 40 miles per hour with everyone staring at the crazy Indiana people’s van with the mattress set strapped onto the top when all the sudden a gust of wind came and we began to lose control of the van!

Prior to this time we did not realize how slick the road was so after many prayers and tense moments the van was back on track and we took those events as our wake up call to slow down.

Later on in the journey we experienced other icy patches and the oncoming traffic was going too fast for what we knew the road conditions to be. We saw many accidents and I praise God that we finally made it home safely mattress set intact…woo hoo thank you Jesus that you keep us even in our moments of insanity!

All this got me to thinking about how many of us go about our lives going too fast for the conditions with baggage strapped to us and we think things are fine but we don’t see the danger often times until it is too late. How many times does God spare us with his grace and mercy? How many times does God use those things in our lives to discipline us and proclaim his holiness to us?

This morning I was reading in Acts chapter 5 about Ananias and Sapphira. This is a familiar story about a couple who were going far to fast for the conditions and did not think through the plan they had. They tried to pretend to be something they were not and were judged by God. The Lord struck them out of his holiness and they died immediately.

God knew the deceit in their hearts and made an example of them before the people. They had sold some land and tried to lie to the disciples and God claiming they had given to the church the full amount that they had received for the land. They were not even required to give the full amount but they chose to come with pretense and deceit in their hearts before God.

More and more I’m realizing with the current events of the days we are living in that playing games with God is a dangerous move. We are seeing the prophetic scriptures being fulfilled right before our eyes. The time has come to decide this day whom we will serve…

God is calling to his church to become the spotless Bride he’s been longing for; to wake from our slumber and stop living on the fence. I hear the call in my own life…it’s time to examine ourselves and ask God to show us what he sees.

It’s time to let go of the baggage from the past that causes us to swerve to and fro on the icy road of life and give God full control of the wheel. We can’t fool him…he knows it all.

God show me the places in my life where I am not being honest with you, I pray this with fear and trembling. It’s so hard to face truth sometimes. I want to be all you’ve called me to be. I want to be saturated with you and I want you at the wheel at all times.

If I am carrying baggage from the past, show me, help me to lay it forever at your feet because these are times to travel light and have an ear to hear you clearly.

Help me to be genuine and transparent at all times so the light of your glory can shine through. I trust you Lord. Help me pass the tests when they come…I want to please you. Amen.