“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5, NIV 1984).
My Musings – How weary we get and how often we stumble over lesser spiritual matters, determines how we might fare in greater matters. If we cannot manage lesser things, how can we expect to manage greater things? We are not in a “[race] with men,” and our journey will not take us through “safe country.” “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:11–12, NIV 1984).
My Advice – So what do we do to prevent the weariness and stumbling? We must “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, [we] may be able to stand [our] ground, and after [we] have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around [our] waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with [our] feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which [we] can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions.” (Ephesians 6:13–18, NIV 1984).
Whether we “stand firm” or whether we “stumble” depends upon how well equipped we are. And remember also, we do not stand alone.
The Brew Is A Musing 