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I refer to her as, “the other woman.”  She goes everywhere my husband goes. When he is at home, I often think it is my job to keep him on the right course.   When he is away, it is her job, except she sounds more polite with her British accent than I sometimes do! 

I am talking, of course, about our GPS (Global Positioning System).

My husband’s work involves travelling on unfamiliar highways.  At times, he knows only the starting point and the location where his journey is to end.  He does not know the best route, the fastest route, or even the safest route to take.  Therefore, he relies on the GPS to lead and guide him down the right road, to the right end.

Life is much like my husband’s travels.  I know my starting point and I know my final destination (heaven) but the highway from here to there is long and unknown to me. 

It seems that my biggest struggle is trying to find God’s right road for me.

God’s will or God’s plan has two parts:  His corporate revealed will – nine tenths of God’s will is revealed in the Bible; and then His unrevealed, individual plan for each of us.  Although His revealed will (the Bible) never contradicts His individual plan for me, it is this daily journey of seeking His right road for me that I struggle with the most.

What University should I attend?

Is this person God’s best for me as a spouse?

Does God want me to start a Bible study or speak to this person about Jesus?

Some days it seems like I know God’s will immediately.  Then there are other times, after much prayer, I still do not have a clear leading from God in my spirit as to what I am to do and His will seems elusive and unattainable. 

Do you know what I mean, friend?

I seek Him for direction (James 1:5-8) and truly desire His way, but sometimes my decisions do not turn out the best; detours and missteps mark my route, guilt grows, and it is easy to wonder if I have missed God’s best for me. 

Because Plan A for my life has now turned into Plan B, or even into Plan C, does that mean I am a failure in God’s eyes?

 Is God’s best for me now merely God’s backup plan?

Some move on triumphantly into Plan C as if it were Plan A.  Yet, there are those who see Plan C as a failure.  They are defeated, pulling their car to the side of life’s highway and refusing to move. 

Fellow seeker of God’s heart, listen to the words of Christ to a motley crew of disciples feeling the sting of missteps and wrong turns, who repeatedly failed to follow the directions of their all-powerful GPS – Jesus.

“Get up!  Let’s go!”  Matt 26:46 (HCSB)

Oh, let the words flood over you, washing away all guilt!

Let the words prompt those who are parked with despair, to move back out onto the highway of life to accomplish great things for God!

Maybe, just maybe, seeking God’s best for us is more like following a GPS.

We know our starting point.  We know our final destination.  Once God enters those into our spiritual GPS (God’s Positioning System), a plan for our arrival is set out before us.

Just as our GPS doesn’t show us the entire journey, only the next few miles ahead, God’s will is revealed to us one step at a time.  Usually, it consists of little decisions of obedience.  When we are found faithful in those, the bigger more challenging directions are given (Luke 16:10).  Sometimes we are looking for God’s  unrevealed will in our personal lives, but have not heeded Him in the what He has already revealed through scripture. 

Now, I also have to choose to use my GPS (God’s Positioning System).  If I never turn on my GPS by being in the Word and in prayer daily, then I will never find God’s will for me.

I also have to be totally committed to following the instructions my GPS gives, even the ones I may not like or find difficult to understand.  (John 7:17-18 & Isaiah 45:9)

What about the times when I am listening to my GPS but I hesitate or I become distracted and miss an exit or a turn? 

The GPS (God’s Positioning System) still has the end in sight.  Much like my husband’s GPS, God simply adjusts the route from this point on, incorporating the wrong turn into part of the journey.  In fact, He continues to adjust every time a misstep is made, recalculating the best route a hundred times if he has to, so in the end, despite the detours, I still arrive at the set destination. 

I am learning that God is never deterred by my human failings and weaknesses, because God himself remains the same.  He is never taken by surprise!  He is always at work, redirecting me.  (Psalm 32:8) 

If I truly want God’s way in my life and am seeking Him for guidance ( not turning off my GPS and going my own way), His sovereign power is more than enough to protect me when I make a wrong turn.  I have to trust that my all-powerful GPS will get me to my destination, despite myself!  

“Many are the plans in a human heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV).

There are no A, B, or C plans in the life of a child surrendered to the Father’s will.  There is only one plan.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?”

 Matthew 5:13, NLT

Growing up in a rural fishing community along the East Coast of Canada, seeing fish fillets hanging out to dry on a clothesline was not a strange sight.  Once dried by the sun, the fillets of cod were layered with coarse salt in a ten gallon bucket, stored in a cold, dry place, preserved and ready for consumption during the winter months.

What was the key to preserving the fish during those long winter months?

 Salt.

Whenever I read Matt 5:13, I am reminded of the buckets of salted fish stored in the basement of my childhood home.  As a master teacher, Jesus uses the ordinary image of salt to convey an extraordinary truth.

Salt’s purposes are preserving, purifying bacteria, and providing food with a penetrating zingy flavour.   

The lesson behind Jesus’ salty message was that as believers, we are “the salt of the earth” (Matt 5:13).  Just as salt is only useful when it is true to its nature, we believers are only useful when we display the true nature of Christ.

Salt must keep its “saltiness” to be of any value. Therefore, we need to make sure that we are retaining ALL the qualities of our “saltiness” as believers.  Debasing influences are ever present, ready to spoil.  According to Jesus, believers are the only agent that can prevent total corruption.  

But…corruption is everywhere!  A bacterium has grown up and has been allowed to kill absolute truth. 

The church scratches its head.  Why is society decaying, why are our kids leaving, not just the church, but God behind?   Why are the divorce rates climbing and teen pregnancies still on the rise?

The answer is painfully clear.

The “salt of this earth” has lost its saltiness, rendering it useless!   We believers are not fulfilling our function of preserving, purifying and providing flavour.

Why?

Unfortunately, because being “salty” can cost too much, many believers today choose to blend in instead of standing out.  Sadly, the church as a whole seeks relevancy over saltiness, conformity more than Christ-likeness, and preaching a “seeker friendly” version of sin rather than the clear, poignant way of Scripture.  

Being “salty” is not easy. 

Being “salty” is not always “politically correct” or “socially acceptable.”  It is often considered (by the world and sometimes the church) intolerant, rigid, narrow-minded and even legalistic.

However, if we fail at being “salt of the earth,” then we have let down the very Lord who sacrificed His own life for us!  We are of no value.

This truth was of such importance to Jesus that he reminds his disciples (then and now) what happens to useless salt (Matt 5:13c).  It is thrown down onto paths, and while it lays there waiting for the rain to dissolve it, the useless salt is trodden down by the feet of the people passing by.

As believers, if we lose our saltiness, we will be trodden on by the rotten, debasing influences of the world.  Therefore, we need to make it a practice, daily, to check our saltiness.  We need to make it a priority to keep our distinct salty flavour.

Yet there is a third function for salt.

It creates thirst.  Try eating a big bag of salt and vinegar chips without taking a drink and you will see what I mean!

Living as “salty” believers, we cause others to be thirsty for Christ.

What does a salty believer look like?

As a “salty” believer, I should be preserving truth, purifying the world around me, penetrating hearts with my zingy flavour, and causing others to be thirsty for Christ.

The truth of this message was so important to Jesus and to His Father’s work that He added for emphasis, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!” Luke 14:34

Is Jesus speaking to you today?

Have you checked your saltiness lately?

Have you chosen to be “unsalted” by blending in rather than being salt in today’s decaying society?

Have you allowed your saltiness to be washed away with the tide of pop culture and social acceptance?

Salted or unsalted.   Which are You?

As a child, while waiting for our school bus each morning, my cousins and I would occasionally play Queen (or King) of the Hill.  Our bus stop was a rock, flat to the ground on the roadside with a 3-foot drop on the opposite side.  It was a perfect place to play “Queen of the Hill.” 

The rules of the game?  

Simply, if you were queen, you had to try to stand firm as your enemies attacked you by pushing, shoving and charging.

The enemies’ goal?

To topple you and claim your powerful, queenly position.

Although I have long passed my days of waiting for a school bus, I still find myself playing Queen of the Hill.

“…a psalm of David.  I wait quietly before God, for my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.”  Psalm 62:1-2 NLT

Are you caught between a rock and a hard place?

When David penned the above verses, he too found himself among the rocks; hiding from an enemy that wanted to topple him from the future throne of Israel.  Wherever he looked, he saw rocks for they were in natural abundance throughout Palestine.  Under large rocks, he had found shelter from the heat of the sun.  In the clefts of others, he had found shelter from sudden storms.

As he looked out once more from the shelter of a rock, driven again to flee for his life, he compared himself to a teetering fence (Psalms 62:3) as his enemies were at that very moment seeking to topple him.

David, troubled in spirit, shaken in his mind, staggering in his faith and tempted by the enemy to blame God, began to reflect over the storms he had weathered in the past; his battles with the Philistines, the betrayal by his son Absalom, rebellion by Sheba, and revolt by Adonijah.  He also remembered the lion, the bear and the giant (Oh my!) he had faced as a shepherd boy.

Each time Saul had cornered him, God had provided safety, just like the rocks he was now hiding in.  When he had fled from Absalom in fear for his life, God spared him by confusing the counsel given to Absalom.  God had enabled him to kill both the bear and the lion, and the giant took only a single stone.

God had been David’s rock in the past and now, despite the fact he felt that he was teetering on the edge, he fully trusted that God (his Rock) would not allow him to be greatly shaken.  God’s track record proved He was more than trustworthy in any situation!

Have you lost sight of God amid the smoke of pain and fear?                       

One day a two-story house caught on fire.  The family was making its way out of the house when the smallest boy became terrified, tore away from his mother, and ran back upstairs.  Suddenly, he appeared at a smoke-filled window crying hysterically.  Standing outside, his father shouted, “Jump, son, jump!  I will catch you!”
The boy cried, “But daddy, I can’t see you.”
“I know,” his father called.  “But I can see you.”

Are the storms of life battering you?  Is the heat of your current trial scorching your very soul?  Take some quiet time with God and reflect back over all the trials He has seen you safely through.  Believe, Precious One, even though you may not see God at the moment, He has never lost sight of you!

 Is the enemy trying to topple you?  Do you feel like a teetering fence that is about to fall? 

Set your face like flint! (Isaiah 50:7)  Plant your feet squarely on the ROCK (Psalm 18) and repeat, “I may be shocked, but not shaken.  I may be afraid, but not sunk.  I may be perplexed, but not in despair (II Cor 4:8).  Charge me; try to topple me all you want, enemy.  But… I WILL NOT BE MOVED from this ROCK!”

“Are we warriors or are we wimps?” was a question posed to some terrified kids in an “Adventure in Odyssey” episode.  Rapidly, the answer came back, “We are wimps!”

I will be the first to raise my hand, admitting that in the face of family struggles and raising my kids, I am often a wimp!

Nehemiah must have felt like a wimp as well.  

The Jews returned to Jerusalem after seventy years in exile, and were once again worshiping at their Temple.  They were living in the very city their ancestors had built.  However, despite an attempt to restore the city’s walls (Ezra 4:12-24), they still lay in ruin. 

Nehemiah and his crew, commissioned by God, went to Jerusalem to attempt the renovation project once again.  Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the restoration and rebuilding project was zipping right along by Nehemiah, chapter 3.

However, in chapter 4 the workers hit the proverbial “wall.” 

The wall of weariness.

The wall of discouragement, as day in and day out, they worked under the duress of their enemies’ constant mocking.  

Then the rumours started.

The enemies’ mocking was about to turn into a full-fledged attack against them!

Nehemiah, one of the greatest leaders of the Bible, encouraged the people with these words:

“Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy!  Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” Neh 4:14 (NLT)

That great serpent of old (Gen 3:1, Rev 12:9) attacks our lives, our kids and our homes.

The sad reality is that most parents are unaware of satan’s sneak attacks because they are too busy, too tired, or completely at the end of their ropes as to what to do!  As a result, the enemy slithers in through the breaches in our walls, and steals our kids right from under our noses!

How do we transform from wimps to warriors?

I believe Nehemiah chapter 4 teaches us several principles about fighting for our families.

These truths are not new or earth-shattering.  In fact, most of us already know them.  But as God reminded me recently, “knowing and doing are two VERY different things!” (Join with me as I share these principles over the next few weeks.)

Most parents do try to put the truths we learn from Nehemiah into practice.  However, from time to time, the warfare can become so intense that we, like the people of Jerusalem, hit the walls of weariness and discouragement.  We fear the rumour is true that the great snake is going to swallow us whole!  We run away from the battle rather than standing our ground.

This is when we need someone to come alongside us.  Someone to encourage us and point out that if we give in, we will give up the most precious gift ever given to us – our children.

How do we fight for our families? 

In ancient times, a city’s walls were vital.  The stone ramparts were the only things protecting the people inside from the vicious attacks of their enemies on the outside.

Therefore, a city was only as strong as its walls.  Parts of Jerusalem’s walls lay in ruins, and the sections which remained standing were in decay.  This left Jerusalem at the mercy of her foes.  All of this did not sit well with Nehemiah, a Jew born in exile.   Although he had never seen Jerusalem, God had placed a burden on his heart for this holy city to be restored.  Nehemiah wanted to fight for his ancestral family home.

Truth # 1 – We must first survey the damage.

Nehemiah didn’t start rebuilding the walls as soon as he arrived in the city.  First, he inspected the walls (Neh 2:11-13) because he knew that in order to rebuild, he needed to know how bad the damage was.

Our homes are holy cities; fortresses with spiritual walls, or hedges, of protection against the world we live in.

Parents are responsible for keeping these spiritual walls of security in shape.  The sad reality is that in most homes, and in many of our personal lives as well, the parapets of protection are lying in ruins.  The enemy has access while we are completely unaware that the barricades have even been breached!

Therefore, we parents need to constantly (not a one time task!) survey the walls protecting our home.

The fight doesn’t end there!

Not only did Nehemiah survey the damage; he also assessed the rubble.

Truth # 2 – We must remove the rubble.

While inspecting Jerusalem’s wall, Nehemiah couldn’t pass through one area because the rubble was so high (2:14).  In the same way, the flow of the Holy Spirit can be blocked from passing in and through us and our homes because the rubble of sin is too high! Getting rid of the rubble was the first thing that had to happen if any restoration was going to take place on Jerusalem’s wall.  Nehemiah knew that a secure and safe wall could not be built on a pile of broken stones.  He knew they had to get rid of the debris first, because it was preventing a solid wall of protection from being built.

We too must first remove the rubble (selfish attitudes, acting independent of God, mean words, wrong influences, festering hurts, etc.) and get back to the solid rock, the firm foundation upon which we must build our homes (I Cor 3:10-11, Psalm 127:1).

Is your home being built on the Rock?

We need to do more than hang a pretty plaque that says, “God is the head of this home.”  We must choose to give Him that place!  My every decision and disciplinary act must come from my desire that, “…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” (Joshua 24:15 NAS)

WARNING!

In order to build the home, God may first have to do a renovation on you (the parent)!

If we haven’t given God first place in our lives, then He won’t be first place in our homes.  We will be building on rubble; shaking, broken stones that won’t withstand the enemy.

Have you surveyed the walls?  Is it time to take out the rubble?

Until we do, we will be wimps….not warriors!