We GO: Teaching us to be strong in vulnerable times/locations
On behalf of our guest writer, Beth Stapleton
Thursday, May 23
We are each His beautiful vessel, called to pour out the light and love of Christ; therefore, WE GO......
We GO: Teaching us to be strong in vulnerable times/ locations
“I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world, you will have trouble, but be brave! I have defeated the world. John 16: 33”
“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Matt 7:18”.
ALOHA! I love to travel, and I travel a lot. Sometimes it is for work, other times for play. I returned home from a family vacation to Hawaii not too long ago. We had a great time, but I heard “Aloha” at least 50 times a day, if not more. As you know, it means “Hello” and “Goodbye” in the Hawaiian language. More interesting to me is how it reflects our busy lives, where most of the time we don’t know if we are coming or going….. to be safe, we just say “Aloha.” If you GO and are away from home/ traveling, many times at the end of the day, you are tired, and looking for a way to disconnect a while. The good thing is that most times, you can be alone in another city, to do whatever you want…. .and nobody there knows you. You know that, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” mentality. Sisters- Satan attacks us most when we are vulnerable and alone.
When I was growing up, my grandmother always used to tell me to be careful what I did because Jesus was with me, invisible while watching me, in the good and bad things that I did. She reminded me that if I ever felt tempted to do something “bad,” to pretend that Jesus was beside me so I wouldn’t do the “bad” thing. ALMOST always as a child, I did just that. I didn’t want to disappoint Jesus. In my teens, my grandmother’s suggestion of picturing Jesus worked MOST of the time. In my late 20s and early 30s, I found myself alone, in different cities, different countries, where nobody knew me, telling Jesus: “Hey Jesus, why don’t you take a long bath for a while and relax while I watch this TV program here in the room” (with questionable content obviously), or “Hey Jesus, you stay here and wait for me while I go have a night on the town.” As you can imagine, I did some pretty STUPID things in those years. I was living one way, but on the surface, portraying a different character. It was like going to the supermarket, expecting to buy a fresh watermelon, then getting it home and cutting it open, only to find the inside of a cucumber. I wasn’t living how God expected me to be. I was sour fruit when cut open! I feel hypocritical even writing a short devotion because of that sin in my past….. but God has forgiven me, and more importantly, I’ve forgiven myself. I’m no longer a slave to my past sin. I’m spiritually free.
When you GO, and are on the road, you will be in places where you can do whatever you want to do, and probably, nobody will know if you aren’t doing Christian things, living with integrity. I encourage you to take your Bible with you, even if you don’t want to or feel like reading it at the end of the day. I encourage you to stay connected with those you love. Call your family and friends, don’t just send a text. Talk to Jesus, and thank Him for being your friend…. and invisible conscious, for HE has defeated the world! Aloha, my friends, and safe travels as you GO!
READ FURTHER: 3 John 1:6; Ezra 8:21; Psalm 23:4; Joshua 1:9
PRAYER: Dear God, I thank you for your presence in my life. I thank you for being with me no matter where I am. I thank you for your protection from the dark places that are all around me. I pray that you give me strength when I am vulnerable and alone. I pray for strength to stay CLEAN every day, at home and away… clean in my thoughts, in my eating, in my actions. I pray that you make me a light shining your truth for others to see YOU in me. I praise you for the changes you have made in my life and will continue to do so. Thank you for healing me and forgiving of my sins. I ask you to lead me today on YOUR path for my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
