Wrong Turn

Any second they will be taking me back for surgery to repair my spine…

“For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

God’s love for us is the strongest power in existence and nothing can separate us from it; my greatest strength comes from knowing that! The weeks and days leading up to this surgery have sent my mind into overdrive, sometimes causing my peace to escape my grasp.

To overcome my fear, there came a point where I had to trust God enough to take care of any problem I might face.

God is the ultimate Shepherd and He protects His flock. Nothing’s impossible for Him and when we bring our physical, spiritual and emotional needs before God, He hears our cries and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

When we stay focused on God, peace surrounds every step we take, but when we allow life to take our eyes off of Jesus, we open ourselves to attack. Things like depression, transitions, and loss begin to permeate our lives. Next, our anxiety, stress, and thoughts over money, time, work and the countless other things we must manage begin to manage us until they bring us to our knees.

In this life, we are bound to have trouble, but Christ has already overcome the world and He only sends the toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.

I thought my battle would only be a chapter of my life, but it has turned into a book; one that is full of miracles and endless stories of God’s grace and mercy. When God is for us, there is nothing that can ever stand against us.

Speak these words to the next adversary that tries to rob your peace!

Before I knew it, I was in a place I didn’t recognize, but I suddenly knew I wasn’t supposed to be there and had to escape at all costs.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

As soon as I became a follower of Christ, this promise applied to me. It didn’t matter where I went or what I did; God was always with me. I wish I knew then what I know now because being a rebel without a clue or cause led me down some very painful roads.

There are basically two paths in life:

The straight and narrow, which brings glory and honor to the Father and the path of destruction, a wrong turn spiraling downward to a place attempting to separate us from the eternal love of God.

Every choice we make in life is a fork in the road:

The good choices keep us on the righteous path, but the bad ones cause us to shift lanes until we take an exit leading to pain and torment. Our human nature and our moral reasoning are constantly at war with our character and integrity, while trying to meet the demands of reality. The deception comes when one small decision leads to another bad one and another until we arrive in a place we can’t get out of quick enough.

The amazing thing about our heavenly Father is all we have to do is call out His name and He will save us. Not only is He always with us, but He is also for us and each new day, He pours out enough strength, mercy and grace to walk through any adversity we might face. If you are lost, God is waiting for you to call out His name and He will save you. If you are on the righteous path, praise God, but always be on the lookout for those who are headed the wrong way and always remember where God has brought you from and the price He paid to do so.

Sometimes, it takes a wrong turn to put us back on course with God’s best for our life; what we must recognize is God’s grace is bigger than any of our faults or past failures and He has a plan and purpose for our lives! The more messed up we are, the more God can use us to reach the lost and hurting people who are stuck where we used to be.