This is counsel from the Spirit of the Lord that He has been on for some time now. We need to stay in these lanes: Faith, hope, love. Consider the alternative lanes that the enemy wants us in: Fear, despair and hate. Here is the kicker, we get to choose which lanes we travel in regardless of what is happening in the world around us or to us personally. Are we going to have trials and tribulations in this life? Guaranteed but how do we respond. Consider the word responsibility. Response-ability, or ability to respond. We get to choose how we respond to the world around us and what happens to us personally.
Next best question, is this easy to do? Not by a long shot. As with everything our Lord calls us to it is a higher path which requires more than the default path that leads to death and destruction. This writer has had plenty of instances in the not so distant past where what was asked for/prayed for was one thing and what was received in the moment was sometimes the direct opposite and the net result was a feeling like getting punched in the gut or kicked between the legs or a combination thereof. Easy? No. But after we get punched in the face and are down on the ground we get a short grace period to process what happened then we are expected to exercise our response-ability and steer ourselves into the faith, hope, love lanes.
There more you think about it the more it makes sense. Where would you rather spend more time? Even if everything seemingly goes wrong how does dwelling on fear, despair and hate help us? It doesn't. Right now the enemy and his servants are working hard to kill, steal and destroy on every front they can. How does the Lord God want us to respond in this dark hour? Forget your feelings they are traitors, make a decision, exercise your will to stay in 1. Faith 2. Hope and 3. Love. When you find yourself out of these "lanes" to use a driving metaphor get back in your lane.
The Lord's thinking and acting are often contrary to man's thinking and acting. The entire world is going in one direction, we who believe and belong to Him are going the opposite direction and because there are more of them than there are of us they look at us like we are ignorant:
Matt 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Courage is not acting in the absence of fear it is taking action in the presence of fear:
PS 27:14 Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Joshua 1:7
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Nobody said this would be easy but in the end our eyes will look in victory upon our foes and we get to walk hand in hand with the King of Kings and Lord or Lords.
Glory to God. Grace and peace.
