You Know!

I got to smiling and tearing up yesterday morning as I was shaving… not that I have much to shave since I’ve grown my beard back, so I have to think fast… that Piper was ushered into glory, walking with me on the frontiers of our faith!  I also learned that it is not wise to get emotional while wielding a razor blade in your hand… Ow!

But putting that painful mistake aside… It dawned on me that almost every step we took during those last eight years of her earthly existence were done in faith!  From quitting my secular job and going it on my own by doing yard work, fence repairs, putting new roofs on sheds and rebuilding a deck or two so that Piper could be with me, and then moving to North Carolina to be closer to the majority of our children… and everything else along the way… each step began with prayer, obeying that small-still voice on the inside and then walking each and every day in faith.  It also took much diligence in keeping the Word of God ever before our eyes, in our ears and coming out of our mouths!  After all that… I can honestly report that Romans 10:17 where it says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (EMTV) really works!

I also realized that as soon as we took our very first step, that the enemy of our faith immediately came in and did his best to steal and/or simply muddle our faith through the fear of others!  I read a few verses in Galatians chapter five this morning that seemed to perfectly sum up what we went through.  Paul was upset with the churches in Galatia for falling into the mistruths of a different gospel than he had originally taught them.  In verses seven and eight he bluntly stated, “You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience?  This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the first place.” (The Message) 

I had to pause after that statement as I said “Wow!  That’s exactly what happened to us!”  When we sought to follow His call into the race that He had for us to run, we quickly were hit with seeds of doubt, unbelief, intellectualism and fear from others who didn’t or couldn’t see things the way that we did. 

The next verse really brought it home for me today though.  Galatians 5:9 tightens up his thought saying: “And please don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread.” (The Message) 

By the time we left Oklahoma in 2009 to return home, Piper and I knew that we were literally in the fight for her life.  We knew that with no medical cure known to man for the dreaded disease of Alzheimer’s, that God was our only hope!  So, we were ready to follow His course, His plans, and the dictates of His Word… and not those of anything or anyone else who stood contrary to what we believed was His will.  Therefore, we took nothing that was said lightly!  We stayed alert to the deflection of others and were well aware that it only takes a little bit of yeast to permeate and destroy our faith.

I think a key phrase that Paul used in verse nine was “YOU KNOW!”  Paul was telling his readers that deep down inside, they knew that the lies that they were falling for were wrong!  Have you ever had someone tell you something that sounded really good, perhaps quite logical and maybe even right… but yet wrong for you?

I had that happen just a week ago.  I heard someone sharing something that was really positive, made a lot of sense and was a good plan… but yet I just couldn’t shake the uncomfortableness that kept popping up in me!  The next day I went to the Lord in prayer and asked Him why it just didn’t set right with me.  After awhile I sensed Him saying that while everything that was shared was right and good… it just wasn’t the right time for me to join in on the plan that was being proposed.  You see, the words and ideas were great… but yet I KNEW that it wasn’t right for me… and when I finally realized it, my entire being was flooded with peace!

Piper and I KNEW back then that the contrary “advice” that we were receiving was not right for us and the plan that we KNEW that we were to follow… and by not doing it, we stopped that attempt to muddle up our stand of faith.  And looking back, I can’t help but rejoice that we weren’t “deflected” off His course because of all the miracles we witnessed along the way!

I bet that you KNOW a lot more about the right and wrong things to do than you will admit.  The real test comes in following that KNOWING!  Are you up to a good challenge?  I have to say that from our experience… the results are very much worth the effort!

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, say along with me… “I am expecting to be more confident in following what I KNOW on the inside of me!”