I've learned through dealing with certain struggles that I have a choice daily. I can either believe the lies that the enemy throws my way, or I can turn to the scriptures and choose to trust that the Lord is keeping me in His provision. Jesus has abundant life for us. We no longer have to walk in sin, believe the lies, or allow the temptations to overtake us. If we are prone to let these things take control of our lives we need to do a serious heart check.
It doesn't matter what we struggle with, what is going on in our lives, or how we feel about our circumstances we are called to be established, secure, firm, and grounded in the Lord continually. A woman who is easily swayed is obviously not secure enough in the Lord. The word sway means to go back and forth. To be secure means that you are FREE from fear or distrust, you're assured. They're opposites. There's no way we can be secure and swayed at the same time. The Lord convicted me of this a lot lately.
He gave me Jeremiah 17:7-8, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord for he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought; nor will cease from yielding fruit." The Lord desires that we bear GOOD fruit. If our life doesn't show the world the light of Jesus we should seriously reconsider what we are living for. It's not something we should do to gain the approval of man, but our conduct should always be counted worthy of honoring God. If we are bearing good fruit we are walking in the Spirit. This portion of Jeremiah reminds me that as I trust in the Lord, my hope IS Him. It isn't just IN Him, but it IS Him. Not only that, but I'll be planted. I'll be firm, secure, safe, and grounded because I have trusted in Him, sought Him, and allowed Him to be the One who leads me. Ladies, who is the one controlling your life? WHAT is controlling your life? What are you allowing to take preeminence? What are you allowing to suck your time and energy? There is so much going on around us, but what is that one thing needed? I continually go back to the story of Mary and Martha in Luke chapter 10, because it's such a beautiful picture of a woman who's willing to lay aside all other things for a while in order to spend time with Jesus.
I know everyone's schedule is different, but I can't reiterate enough the importance of taking your first portion of the day with Jesus. When you wake up, He should be the One you desire to seek after. Talk with Him. Commune with Him. Seek Him out. It's the most important part of the day. How will we be able to stand against the things the world will throw at us? How will we walk in wisdom? Who will we place our security in? One thing the Lord has really shown me lately is the importance of seeking His wisdom first thing every single day.
As we walk in Him, we are called to fear Him. It says in Proverbs 9:10-11 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of WISDOM, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied and years of life will be added to you." Fear the Lord. The term fear in the dictionary means: To have a reverential awe of God. Incredible to think that we are called to have this reverential awe of God continually. And we should. Proverbs 8 talks about the excellence of wisdom and it compares her with rubies. It says in verse 11 "For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her." It's neat that wisdom is referred to as a her in this. To me, it shows all the more that as women walking in the Lord we need to be seeking out God's wisdom in all things. Not just some things, or bits and pieces of things, but in ALL things.
I wish I could say there was a recipe in being wise while walking with Jesus. But truthfully, it isn't hard. There are two extremely important things in coming into the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord. The first most important thing we need to take firm hold of is prayer. I can't emphasize the importance of prayer. We take it for granted, and whenever we question the situations in our lives we don't even pray about them. Prayer keeps us in constant communication with the God of this universe. I'm always reminded of Jesus when He withdrew Himself in the wilderness to pray and then I think about it. If Jesus needed to pray..how much more should we? I find that when I'm slacking in prayer, the decisions I make or the thoughts that I think are not always very in tune with God. And more than that, my life seems off balance. There is something so sweet and precious about being in continual communication with the Lord. His presence is so sweet. Psalm 21:1, "The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!" Psalm 16:11, "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." In the presence of the Lord there is JOY and not just for a moment, but forevermore. To me, that makes me want to remain in His presence continually, moment by moment, second by second. Over break the Lord taught me the value of sitting in His presence and waiting upon Him. It's so hard in this day to be still before Him just seeking His face, but the outcome and blessings are endless. God's presence is where we should want to dwell always. It is where our strength lies.
The second important thing that we need to attain is a consistent diving into the word of God. Not just when it's convenient, or when we have an extra five minutes, but we as women in the Lord need to make it a priority. I tell my girls this all the time...when you make hair appointments, nail appointments, and coffee dates with your friends you keep them. All the more, we need to make a scheduled appointment with the Lord every single day and keep it. It's the most important meeting you'll have all day. As we seek the Lord and dive into His word we are nourished, full, and abounding in His wisdom. Seeking the word of God allows us to know our sin and remain pure in our walks with Him (Psalm 119:11), it strengthens us when we are weary and defeated (Psalm 119:28), it gives us freedom and joy (Psalm 119:44-45), it provides a sweet aftertaste and unconditional understanding (Psalm 119:103-104), it shines light when we are confused and in darkness (Psalm 119:130), it leads us in the right steps according to His will (Psalm 119:133), and it gives us the desire to rejoice in Him (Psalm 119:162). The Word of God is pure, living, active, powerful, never changing, always working, ever constant, bringing back to life, tearing down the enemy, providing provision for the lost, strengthening the discouraged soul, bringing joy...it does a work in our lives and in our hearts. The benefits of seeking His word completely outweigh anything else.
Ladies, regardless of what goes on in your life, it's so important to remember the steadfastness of our God. He is never changing. His love never diminishes, nor does He sway. If you're feeling discouraged, dry, or far from God...remember, He doesn't move, you do. Maybe there are things that are hindering you from growing in His word. Maybe there's a situation that is keeping you back from being intimate with Him. Maybe you just lack a consistent devotional life. Whatever it may be, get right with Him. He loves you more than anyone on this earth ever could. And He desires you, seeks after you, and is constantly wanting to grow you. What's hindering you? My prayer for you, and for me is that we would continue to understand the importance of constant communion and fellowship with Him. Our relationship with the Lord is far more important than anything in this world. We are sojourners here, living a life that is to glorify our God and further His kingdom. May we remember that we are to labor willingly, diligently, and sacrificially, because after all...Jesus did it for us.
"That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. . ."
Colossians 1:10
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