In this world we run into a lot of obstacles… yesterday
my friend Todd Oldham was teaching on that at LifePoint Church… the staff there
is going through the “Best Sermon Ever” in Matthew 5-7… often referred to as the
Sermon on the Mount… and have recently been focusing on the template the Lord
gave on how we should pray… the Lord’s Prayer. Todd was sharing from chapter 6,
verse 13:
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from
the evil one…
Todd talked of the temptation (the obstacles) we face
from the world… the flesh… and the enemy; and he came to a conclusion that this
verse is (and our prayer should be) a “declaration of dependence” upon the Lord…
that He is the way to avoid those obstacles. I believe that this is what it means
to walk by faith… to trust the Lord with our steps!
But what does it mean to trust God… to walk by faith? And
how do you do it?
If we are in agreement that there are temptations/obstacles
that lie ahead, we need to have a plan… when coaching basketball I had to often
times direct my team in how to break the other team’s full court press… how to
get through those obstacles. I would design plays in the huddle that showed where
the openings should be… how to get around them… sometimes it required redirection,
maybe even going backwards in order to free up space to go forward… BUT what it
always required was clear instructions to be followed…
I like watching old westerns (in fact watching old
episodes of The Rifleman as I type this); as I thought about a declaration of
dependence I pictured the old movies when someone would hire a guide to get
them across the dessert… a guide that would know where the water holes were… a guide
that knows where the quicksand is… a guide that would know where the enemy
might be lurking… a guide that wasn’t as concerned with the shortest route but
instead the one that is best… one with instructions that need to be followed daily
(as any avoidance of that could take one way off course.)
In these times of uncertainty, I often hear people talk
of walking by faith… stepping out in faith… Yet I believe it is important to
have the right idea of walk walking by faith actually means. Often, we hear the
story of Abraham and his willingness to go “not knowing where he was going.” (Romans
11:8) Because of that tag on that verse, folks often equate faith to talking blind
steps. But I don’t believe that to be the case… Abraham was stepping out
blindly… true that he didn’t know where his end destination would be, but he
did have clear direction… “Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken to him…”
(Genesis 12:4)
We, like Abraham, should walk by faith… that means according
to what God has said! We need to huddle up around The Bible, which gives clear
direction to be followed. Faith is not always knowing the destination; it is trusting
for the journey… it is a declaration of dependence upon the Lord to lead us
away from the temptation… to deliver us…
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a
light unto my path.
Coach’s version: God I’m in the huddle listening to Your
instructions to break life’s press!
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