Psalm 16:8
"I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.
[Emphasis added.]
Lots of times when turmoil is afoot the thought may cross our minds that it shouldn't be happening because "I love Jesus" or "I am a Believer". As Christians we stride towards Godly behavior and sometimes we might fail or simply experience life life"ing", but this doesn't mean that God doesn't love us. Being Godly is more than just having accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, it also means that we will experience shaking. And further, that the fact of Jesus' Lordship over our life should dictate everything we do. In effect, building our life on Jesus, by filtering every word, thought, action and deed through His filter no matter the circumstance. This is not as laborious as it sounds. The closer the fellowship we have with Jesus, the more automatic and seamless this process will become. Each time a faith brick is added to our foundation on Christ we are in effect building a foundation that can withstand anything life, the Devil or even our mistakes will throw at us. With a cornerstone like Jesus, we will not be shaken. That is indeed good news my friends, because there will be shaking. We can not get around it, we can not get away from it and we can not avoid it. The only thing we can do is simply stand firm on the foundation that is Jesus.
I am reminded of my childhood ballet class and how we were taught to keep our balance and not get dizzy as we twirled and spun. The key was this technique called "spotting". This is not only fixing your gaze on something, but moving the body in such a way during the spin that the head is the last thing to turn and the first thing to quickly turn back before the turn actually finishes; the goal being to always come back to the focal point, thus decreasing your chances of getting dizzy. Without spotting, you might be likely to stumble, sway, or get woozy, etc. As someone who deals with positional vertigo, I can guarantee you don't want any of those things. Today, ballerina or no, I encourage you to fix your eyes on Jesus in your Godly walk. Not only is He the focal point, but He is the very foundation you should build your life upon, the cornerstone that holds everything together and marks you as a sturdy structure [remember Believers house the Holy Spirit]. Looking to and standing on Jesus the Rock is tantamount to having the best hurricane/earthquake/tsunami/shaking! protection that money can't buy, but Salvation certainly can.
So how do we as Believers withstand the shaking?
1. Plant your gaze on Jesus - Acknowledge the fullness of God through His Son, Jesus as the Cornerstone.
2. Plant your foot on the Word - Follow Biblical Truth with precision by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
3. Plant your flag in God's Holy ground - Dig in to the deep roots that connect Believers to Father God by building your entire life upon Christ.
A few weeks ago there was an earthquake in NYC. As I calmly watched the news reports, my overriding thought was, "I hope they know Jesus, have firm foundations in Him and are resting in His finished Work so they are not shaken by this temporary event". Much different from when I was young and experienced a mild"ish" earthquake in my hometown and was completely shaken after being awakened by the shifting and shaking happening in the ground. The difference being that while both times I was a Believer, it was only as a matured Christian that I was able to understand that when I'm rooted in Jesus these earthly shakings, be they physical, emotional, structural or whatever, can't move me from it being well, because I'm on the Rock and held firmly in His righteous right hand. Masterpiece, remind yourself of that Truth today and this week and while you're at it, tell those that don't know, that they too can experience the steadfast surety of Jesus by accepting Him.
Takeaways for you to remember.
#1 Jesus is the Center.
#2 Focus on Jesus.
#3 Don't be shaken.
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry?
[All referenced Scripture is NLT version unless otherwise noted.]
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