Voices. Whispers—and shouts! They’re all telling us who we are, what we should do, and what we should believe. The noise of our world can easily overwhelm. Discerning what is truth and what is noise—is getting more difficult. To put it simply, we are immersed in a reactive world. We react to life’s situations. Being proactive is not our way of life. It’s not the norm. Colds are treated with medicine rather than preventing them with nutrition, exercise, and strengthening our immunity. We wait until we have a serious problem before we do anything. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Is this human nature? Or is it what we’ve nurtured that causes us to live this way? What about our faith—could the same be true?
Crave Spiritual Milk
In 1 Peter 2:2-3, Paul instructs us, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (NIV) As Christians we do this by praying, reading scripture or other books, memorizing or writing down scripture, and listening to Christian music. All of these strengthen our resolve and our personal faith. If you think about it though, how often do we settle into a habit of a quick fix? You might be thinking, “What can I do that doesn’t take too much time? I know I need it, but…”
Ever feel this way? I have.
It’s easy to meet with God in these simple bite–sized ways. In the past, I personally used devotional resources like My Utmost for His Highest, Streams in the Desert, Morning and Evening, and Our Daily Bread. God in His mercy and grace during those times gifted me with Himself and He used people to speak to my heart. You also can trust that as you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you—just as His word says in James 4:8 (NASB). Yet, is God calling you to something more?
Our Faith Is Being Shaped
Although, my faith was encouraged in these ways—God kept speaking to my heart. Devotional books are just milk. God was calling me to more! He was calling me to turn to the book that matters most to deepening our faith: The Bible. What’s been most fascinating to me lately though, isn’t the ways that we seek to strengthen our faith, but rather the influence that our culture has had on shaping our faith. As Christians, I’ve been intrigued by the ideas that our faith has become reactive. More often than not, we have a tendency to build our faith in response to life rather than anticipation of life—or preparation for life.
Life is Hard
Imagine you find yourself faced with feelings of discouragement, fear, and being overwhelmed. These are all a normal part of life. Life is hard. In fact, God’s word says that as believers in Jesus Christ, we will suffer as Christ suffered. The hope we have in Christ is that we are not alone. When you feel this way, you have God’s word for encouragement, the Holy Spirit for guidance, and God’s people for support. He meets you in this place and you feel strengthened. I’ve been mentored this way all of my life. Perhaps you have also.
What If?
Is this what God had in mind for us? Or could this just be an appetizer of the hope He offers us. Instead of reacting to the situations of life, what if the true fullness of His fellowship is being able to face these challenges with a bold confidence and hope BEFORE you even experience them?
Remember the story of the ten virgins who filled their lamps?
The Parable of the Ten Virgins (NIV)
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Being prepared
Five virgins were ready for what was to come. While five knew what they needed, but they didn’t go get it until the bridegroom came. Unfortunately, the five who were reactive, were unprepared and they were unable to enter in with the bridegroom. I’m not interested in going into the interpretation of this passage. Rather, I want to draw our attention to the simple idea of being prepared and proactive, instead of reactive and waiting for our experiences to dictate our actions.
I let the noise of the world creep in and persuade my mind to be captured by constant review.
I’ve been learning that there are some key essentials that play into nurturing a faith that is prepared. After Christmas, I shared that I was experiencing some depression. I realized that I felt this way because I had neglected to nurture myself and my faith. You can read about it in my post Making Sense of My Post Christmas Depression. The noise of the world crept in and persuaded me and I was captured by constant review. The daily practice of renewing my mind and transforming my mind had fell to the wayside. I was rushing, rather than dwelling in His presence.
Being Intentional Is Essential
If I am not intentional then I quickly return to living a reactive faith. Nurturing my faith is a daily essential. If I don’t do this daily then my mind is held captive by the noise of this world and the lies of the enemy.
How about you?
Do you feel prepared for the tough times in life? Do you feel excited about the opportunities life offers? I’d love to hear your thoughts—just shoot me a quick email or connect with me on Facebook.
Over the next few posts, I’ll share with you those steps that have been life–changing for me in developing a proactive faith in a reactive world.
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