Kept From Falling

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, Jude 1:24 (New King James Version)

The promise of God’s faithfulness in the midst of my journey is precious. I embrace His words to me this morning and let them sink deep into my mind and spirit. I know too well the devastation of stumbling and falling. Rising out of the emotional pits only to fall back into them once again. Learning life lessons and necessary truths only to flounder a few steps down the road. Once again, God is reminding me of how He has made Himself responsible for guarding me, watching me, keeping His eye on me, protecting me, securing me, taking care of me, and helping me to stand firm in Him.

What does He use? His WORD. As I take in Scripture each day it becomes my defense against the onslaughts of the world, my flesh, and the devil. His TRUTHS. As I learn life lessons and principles, I have recourses to fall back on instead of wrong perceptions, faulty thinking, and blatant lies. His PEOPLE. How I treasure each individual God has called to walk along side me and remind me of the necessity of applying His truths to my situations and keeping my eyes on Him. In the darkest moments of my life they have been rays of light and hope to me. His SPIRIT. He gives me the ability and capability of living my Christian life differently than I have lived it in the past. He infuses me with the power, strength, and will to move forward in victory.

In the past couple of days I have experienced the power of applying learned truth to various situations. Each time I did so I was astounded at the result of not stumbling but rather of standing firm. One such example had to do with emotions. When I would feel fearful, worried, or sad, I would ask God to release me from those feelings and in their place give me courage, faith, and joy. When I began to perceive people in a wrong light, I could take that false perception to God and ask Him to give me truth to replace it. My usual response was not there to wreak havoc in relationships. It has been a daily, moment by moment experience of learning to turn things over to Him so I would be free to receive what He had for me. The power of those prayers astonishes me and the simplicity of them amazes me.

I won’t walk perfectly from this point on but I know this, I will walk with power and victory like never before. For faithful is He who has called me and is well able to do in me all that is necessary to fulfill that calling.

Father, I am in awe of the way You keep me from falling. Help me to continue allowing You to do just that! Amen.

Undo - Rush of Fools
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-oZbBS_OhM&feature=related

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16

A Banner to Wave

To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Jude 24 (New International Version)

Many have been the times I have looked at my Christian life and wondered if I was doing anything right. The enemy would parade my failures and poor choices in front of me and the procession who bring about shame, condemnation, and guilt. He had me convinced much of my growth and journey rested on my shoulders and I had to somehow muster up the energy to keep pace with demands and requirements. It was like wearing cinder blocks on my feet and lead chains on my spirit. Burdensome, hard, and nearly impossible were the slogans that greeted me along the way. But the twenty-fourth verse of Jude makes a clean sweep of that way of thinking!

This morning I once again take in God’s involvement in my life and the end result of His involvement. He has the capability, strength, and willingness to keep me established in my faith. He is like a father who has a firm grip on a toddler’s hand and keeps him upright and moving forward. His eye is on every move I make! As I was reminded earlier this week, we are each ordinary people who serve an extraordinary God! He invites us to take His yoke upon us and He will carry the vast majority of the weight. Even though I am aware of the necessity for me to cooperate with Him and walk in obedience to Him, He is the one infusing me with the power to do so. It rests on Him and He takes that very seriously!

But I am also aware of the end of the story. I do not have to fear standing before Him one day and wonder how I will be viewed and accepted. Because of His work in me, I will stand before Him without reproach, fault, blemish, or blame and while I do so, He and I will both have extreme joy over it! He will be the reason for the celebration and exultation! His grace, His mercy, and His transforming work will be the basis for my stability and my stand.

So the next time the enemy of my soul invites me to his distorted parade, Jude 24 will be my banner of triumph to wave and my sword to wield. His view and his interpretation are no match for that of my Father! The same is true for any who know Him as Savior. Christ longs for us to finally see the truth and to embrace it!

Father, Your Word is what I hold up today as my shield and my sword. May I remind myself and the enemy of what You say about my life in You. Amen.