As the creatures we are, it is easy sometimes to just go with the flow. It does not really take that much thought and if we are not careful we can be lulled to sleep. This is the bad thing about systems. By the time one realizes they have gone too far, they might have lost too much. So how can we stay ready? How can we live in this world and not let it dictate to us? Staying Ready!

First of all, when we choose to stay ready and to walk with the Lord we are always going to be different and stand out from those around us. We need to be okay with that because it is reality. There will be challenges from those around us to bend and just go with the flow, hence the saying, ” Just do it!” So, if you are ready, stand before the Lord and make your choice with Him. Ask Him for His help to make it through. We can not walk this walk in our own strenght. We need the power of Holy Spirit and all His attributes of peace, grace, love, mercy, loving kindness, etc.

We also need His healing touch. Our hearts need to be mended so that we can stand strong with Him and not be co-dependent on anyone else. The more healing we receive, the stronger we become and the less fear has a hold on us. The more we walk with Him and talk with Him the more real He becomes. The more real He becomes the less real the circumstances and fears around us. We begin to see the truth and lies are exposed. Humanism becomes exposed to the truth of His Word. All of a sudden we see and the things that we once embraced become as dung to us. We realize that the ways we walked before only brought us pain and grief and our desire now is to get as far away from that old life as possible. We have found a new and better way.

One of the decisions I made in my early walk with the Lord was to choose to go wherever He wanted me to go and to say whatever He wanted me to say. This has been hard sometimes because we have made some friends in different places. Also, we have added things to our household that we really did not need and so we need to let go of them. Sometimes it has meant starting all over again. In all of this it has always been worth it. I think the best thing that has happened in my life because of this is the fact that I am now less afraid of things. If we have to pick up and move somewhere at a moment’s notice, I know that He will be there. If we have to leave everything behind, there will be more than enough for where we are going.

I have walked into many houses that are adorned with elegance and filled with many things. Some of these things are never used but are only for show. Like Paul said, “Everything is permissable, but not everything is beneficial.” Each of us has to know what is good for us. Please, I am not knocking someone who has these things. I would like to have a place like this and I do not think it is wrong to have these things. Here is the catch. It is not about all the things we have, rather it is about the things that have us. Can we leave them behind? Can we go on unhindered if circumstances change? Can we let go of the money without it destroying our lives? This is the point. When the stock markets crash and people lose so much, why do they commit suicide? Where was there hope? Where was their identity? Where is mine? Where is yours?

There is one good thing to be said about moving often, if nothing else we stay lean. We are more focused on the things that are necessary. It even crosses over into our mental state. We become more prepared for the changes that may come as we walk down the path of life with the Lord. Even if we are to stay in one place for long periods of time, we can still be prepared and stay ready. Our world changes everyday and we need to be ready for change. Who is the Lord going to send by us? Who is going to read a page of our book today? We are all writing books everyday. They are recorded in heaven. Each page is read by everyone we meet and talk to everyday. What do they see? What would they say about you? How will there lives change in the short moment your paths crossed? Did they see a smile to help encourage them? Did they see a person they would like to be around? Did they take a little bit of you to help them on their way or did what they see help to bring them down? It is about you and it is about them. Are you ready for every opportunity to pass on some of the greatness you have received from the Lord? Staying Ready!

Joseph James