Sunday, June 14

Jeremiah 12:5
"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? (NIV)

In other words, if we can’t keep up with the field now when things are slow and easy, how are we going to do it when the competition gets tougher? If we stumble in the good times, how are we going to do in the bad times? Answer is: not good! If we can’t keep up now we’ll fall hopelessly behind then. If we stumble now we’ll be exhausted from picking ourselves up then!

Let’s make a spiritual application.

If at the present time while things are at a slow gait and the ground is flat and smooth, we are stumbling along barely able to catch our spiritual breath, how are we going to keep up when the pace quickens and the obstacles to faith get more challenging? Those times are going to come—I guarantee it.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say that in this present economic climate we are running around like a chicken with its head cut off. We’ve essentially thrown our faith out the window because we can’t see where it has done us any good. We’re not reading our Bibles or praying. We’ve dropped out of church, or we’ve become spasmodic. We’ve stopped witnessing and telling our neighbors about Jesus. We’ve stopped being faithful with our spiritual gifts and our material resources. In a word, we are backslidden. We’ve wimped out now in this little 5K fun run. What if tomorrow the North Koreans decided to drop a nuke? Suddenly we find ourselves in World War III, allies with the South Koreans and the Japanese against the Chinese? Then Ahmadinejab and Chavez see their opportunity to strike us and the Israelis. Our food and gas are being rationed and the government comes and takes all your savings to help fund the war. What are you going to do then? Cry out to God? You won’t know how!

To be prepared then we need to train now. Tough times will come—it’s guaranteed. Discipline yourself in the Word of God and prayer. Don’t allow yourself an excuse. Train yourself how to walk with God so that, when the floods come, you’ll be able to swim in the Spirit.