We are going to make mistakes
at times. If we fall, there is no condemnation, we just
get back up and go at it again.
Proverbs 24:16a:
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up
again…”
It is important that we get up again.
God will never forsake us even when we fall flat on
our face.
Psalm 37:23,24:
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and
he delighteth in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
We just develop the mindset
that even if we fall, we are going to get back up. Nothing
is going to stop us, and that starts with “numero
uno.” Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Our
adversary is formidable enough, we don’t need
to jump on his bandwagon. Our confession should be like
Micah records, “When I fall, I shall arise!”
Micah 7:8:
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall,
I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall
be a light unto me.
Walking involves a learning
process: No one ever gets mad at a child learning to
walk. We coax and cajole; we do everything we can to
encourage them to walk knowing full well that as soon
as they do we wish we wouldn’t have pushed them.
Walking is a simple skill that can be acquired. It’s
not difficult. For the most part, we grow up and master
walking physically. Why would it be any more difficult
spiritually. God uses the word “walk” for
a reason.
Our liberty gives us the freedom to make decisions
for our lives. Maintaining our liberty requires a balanced
walk between legalism and license. A balanced walk doesn’t
mean swinging from one extreme to the other. Rather,
it means staying in the middle enjoying our liberty.
Making proper choices and staying put in our liberty
shows maturity in our walk.
Many of those proper choices are to obey God,
rather than men. Obedience to the written Word facilitates
obedience to those specific words of knowledge, words
of wisdom, and discernings of spirits that will come.
Once we are moving on the Word the fine-tuning of the
manifestations will seem almost effortless.
We will be tempted to go to the extremes. Legalism
and license both will tug at us to join them in their
activities. It is so easy for us to do what we want
to do instead of obediently walking by the spirit. The
more we mature in our Christian walk, the more we will
see that we don’t turn God on and off in our lives
at our pleasure or whim. Walking by the spirit isn’t
doing what you want until you get in a jam.
As in any family the older more mature believers
are to help the new ones. We want to come of full-age
which is accomplished by exercising our spiritual abilities.
We must take responsibility for our growth. Sure there
should be elders in the family who can help us, but
as we grow up we become those mature one who are to
help others.
This growth is rooted and grounded in God’s
grace.
Colossians 2:6:
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk ye in him:
Even people who know they
are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-10) think that they
must walk by works. No, it is grace from start to finish.
The good works are just a natural outgrowth of living
in God’s grace. Sure, we want to produce fruit,
but that isn’t accomplished by the works of the
flesh. It is accomplished as we renew our minds to operate
the manifestations and walk by the spirit. All we can
do is walk and when we stumble get up. We just do the
best we can, and we make a difference where we can.
It is not often we get to do great things, but
we always get to do small things with great love. It
is not the amount of work you produce that is important.
It is the love with which you produce it that is important
and will be remembered after our gathering together
unto him.
Picture if you will an early morning
along a California beach. An elderly man is walking
along the edge of the water and stops occasionally,
picks up something, and then tosses it into the ocean.
He then walks a few steps more, picks up something,
and tosses it into the ocean. A young jogger is running
along and has been watching the man. Finally his curiosity
gets the best of him and he stops and goes over to
the old gentleman and asks: “Excuse me, what
are you doing?”
The man answered: Well, I am saving the life of these
star fish. The storm washed them ashore last night,
the sun will be up in thirty minutes, and then they
will all die. I am throwing them back into the water
to save their lives.
The jogger was a bit astounded. Old man, he said,
don’t you know that you have thirty miles of
beach ahead of you and that millions of those star
fish were washed ashore last night. What possible
difference do you think that you are going to make.
The old man took another step picked up a star fish,
and with all his might hurled it into the ocean, then
he turned to the jogger and said: “Well, son,
I guess I made a difference in that one’s life.”
We do not need to change the entire
world. Let’s just make the portion where we live
a better place.
