Are You Living in What You Believe?

I was reminded this morning about a quote by Erwin McManus, "Freedom is not a return to Paradise Lost, but to a promised land that we must win." A reminder of the struggle that we endure. Some motivation for life today.

McManus is bringing to our recollection the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. Headed towards the Promised Land, believing that they would receive a land flowing with milk and honey, they were shocked to find that the land was inhabited by giants and fortified cities. The result was a shrinking back in fear that cost Israel a generation of people more willing to wander in the wilderness rather than possess what they had been promised. Which brings me to today's post. "WAKE UP AND LIVE!" There is no room to shrink back.

Are you living in what you believe? Have you come to experience the joy, peace, love, and abundant life that you read about in the Scriptures? What is your experience within the life of faith? Of course we have been set free. I'm not questioning that fact. But at the same time there are still some battles raging in our lives. As it was in the case of Israel, there are times that the food of slavery seems like a better meal than the manna of faith. We find ourselves shrinking back from the life that we have been promised. Unwilling to engage the enemies of our own imagination. Don't get me wrong here. There were giants in the land, but giants did not inhabit every corner. Not only that, but what about the promise of God? What about the God who had just delivered them from the oppression of Egypt (and did so in a way that could not be denied)? Is our difficulty in possessing what God has promised greater than what it took to bring us out of bondage?

Jesus' finished work was for all of humanity. However, it would take a while to turn the world upside down. The truth of the Gospel had to be shared. Disciples had to be discipled. Lives were lost. The followers of the Way were persecuted. At times it seemed as though the darkness would snuff out the light, but thanks be to God for the steadfastness of the Early Church. For the men and women who chose to believe that in the midst of great difficulty they would rise victorious.

Believing in the promises of God demands that we walk in them. That we move forward. That we continue to trust with unwavering confidence in the goodness of God. There will be times this will be more difficult than others. Not all enemies of the Kingdom of God run the other way. Many of them will stand their ground and fight. However, we must remember that we live from victory. We are overcomers in the midst of the battle. We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. He did not promise us bread and give us stones. The joy of the Lord that we are meant to enter into is ours to possess. But it does not mean there will not be a fight.

The Holy Spirit inside of us ensures that we have everything we need for life and godliness.
Wake Up and Live!
Don't allow circumstances to dictate your experience of the Lord. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you have to run back to the safety of religion or an old way of life. Every time you trust in the promises of God you have chosen life, and every time you see the promises realized the stronger your faith becomes.

There is so much more life that we are meant to experience. So much more abundance that we are meant to walk in. So many more promises of God that are meant to be realized. Why would we ever shrink back? The journey is worth it. Every step. Every battle. Every victory. Are you willing to fight for what is rightly yours? If so, remember this: We do not fight against flesh and blood but against everything that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God in our lives. The enemy wants you to believe you are defeated. Your Heavenly Father wants you to believe you are victorious. Who are you going to believe?