This week, Sam came and preached a message about how to get back up again when we’ve been knocked down in life.
We’ve had a year and a half of the Coronavirus pandemic, and many of us feel as though we’ve been “knocked down”, whether it be through catching the virus, financial and work situations changing as a result of the pandemic, losing family and friends to the virus, or even just loneliness from the isolation of the lockdowns. It has been a time of confusion, grief and loss for all of us.
What we need to remember is that God’s plans are above our plans, and that He is working all things out for the good of those who love Him.
Throughout her message, Sam used the analogy of a boat with a sail. The boat represented our lives, and her message’s purpose was to show us how we can sail this vast ocean of live hope-filled, happy and joyful.
When the wind fills the sail, the boat has power to move. As Christians, our desire should be that the Holy Spirit is that wind, propelling us forward into a life-changing, ever-growing relationship with Jesus.
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8)
How incredible that we receive power to be witnesses for Jesus. We should ask ourselves where our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and ends of the earth is for us? Speaking about Jesus to non-Christian friends and family can be faith-building for us, and might end up changing lives as God uses us as tools to further His Gospel through society.
The book of Acts shows us that the Holy Spirit is not just a gentle breeze, but a rushing wind powerful enough to sweep people off their feet. We need to be guided by God the Holy Spirit.
8The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
(John 3:8)
In the boat analogy, the Holy Spirit is the wind in our sails.
So how do we catch the wind of the Holy Spirit? How do we live such a life?
1) Free the sails
We might have things in our lives holding us back. These could be anything from finances to family issues and anything in between. If we are like a boat with no sales, we will lack direction. We need to surrender control to God.
20My old self has been crucified with Christ.e It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
(Galatians 2:20)
As Christians, we have Christ living within us, so we ought to listen to Him.
2) Keep the boat moving
Life is full of distractions and these distractions can easily become sins when they draw us away from God.
The best thing to do is to avoid dwelling on these, taking them to God to deal with and moving on.
When we have times where we hit rocks or storms (continuing with the boat analogy), we can know that we have the comfort of God to help us and move us on.
Read the Bible! God’s Word is powerful and changes us so that we act more Christ-like in our character the more time we spend meditating upon it.
Spend time with God in prayer, both praying and listening.
Don’t base decisions on feelings. Feelings are inconsistent and are often a reflection of our current state of brain chemistry and hormones rather than a reflection of our true situation. Instead, our lives should be based upon the truth of God and His Word. We have Christ, and therefore, like the Apostle Paul, we can endure all things as we live for Jesus:
13For I can do everything through Christ,d who gives me strength.
(Philippians 4:13)
3) Keep your eyes on the horizon
Be a forward-looking person, looking to the future instead of the past. If all we do is focus on ourselves and on the past, we will end up living a life that goes round and round in circles, potentially making the same mistakes again and again.
We ought to see problems, fix them and move on, but understand that there will be more problems ahead. The more we focus and plan for the future, the more we can see obstacles and issues coming towards us that we can avoid. We can see potential sinful situations.
Ultimately, we should look forward to the day when we will see Jesus face to face, and, as His Word says, He will wipe away every tear and there will be no more tears, crying, sadness or pain. That day is coming, but in the meantime, live everyday with the joy of the Holy Spirit, chasing after Jesus and learning how to live more like Him. He is the ultimate prize.