Watch Your Steps - Girlfriends in God - May 27, 2013
May 27, 2013
Watch Your Steps
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit, (Galatians 5:16, 25 NKJV).
Friend to Friend
Rachel and I sat on weatherworn steps leading down to a pristine beach. We had a front row seat as the morning sun stretched its arms over the horizon. She was hurting. I was attempting to love her back to health. Salty air. Salty ocean. Salty friend. It is hard to beat that combination when you’re soul sick.
Rachel’s life had taken some unexpected turns. Let me rephrase that. It wasn’t that her life “had taken” some unexpected turns, as if she had nothing to do with it. She had strayed from God’s path, and she had taken some unexpected turns. She had given in to sexual temptation, and as a result, had lost her marriage, the trust of her children, and many of her friends. She had lost her true self.
As we sat on the bottom step with our toes buried in the cool sand, we stared out at the glassy ocean and pristine beach. It was if Jesus had spoken, “Peace, be still,” and the wind and waves obeyed. The sand, airbrushed smooth by the night breeze, had not yet been disturbed by vacationers’ feet, kids’ buckets and sunbathers’ chairs.
Rachel spotted a set of tire tracks running close to the water’s edge. Four shallow ruts. Parallel indentations. Ruts that never deviated in distance one from the other, as far as the eye could see. If one swerved, they all swerved in union
“I wish life were like that,” she whispered.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like those tire tracks,” she replied. “Us and God. God and me. Always moving in tandem. Side-by-side. Hooked together. Moving in same direction. Connected. Easy. Perfectly aligned.”
We sat in silence, staring at the tracks, both knowing the reason her tracks had deviated from God’s. She had detached herself from the Master chassis and made tracks of her own. She had willingly let go of God’s hand and walked away.
The Christian life is often referred to our spiritual walk. “Walk by faith and not by sight,” Paul encouraged the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB). The NIV translates this same verse, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”
Paul wrote to the Galatians, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit,” (Galatians 5:16, 25 NKJV). Again, the NIV translates these same words: “So I say, walk by the Spirit,and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Since we live by the Spirit,let us keep in step with the Spirit.” I love the idea of keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful way to live life…walking in step and keeping time with the Holy Spirit’s pace.
You face decisions throughout your day that determine whether you walk in tandem with Jesus, or in sync with the world. Steps become a lifestyle; a lifestyle becomes a legacy. So watch your steps and leave a legacy with no regrets.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, help me to walk in tandem with You today. Forgive me for the times I’ve wandered away and rebelled against You. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that allowed me to return. Help me choose my steps carefully today.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
I don’t know where you are in your walk with God today, but if you are not where you want to be, His hand is extended to draw you back on the right path.
One of my favorite old gospel songs is Just a Closer Walk with Thee. Meditate on these words today, and if you know the tune, sing it right where you are!
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I am weak, but Thou art strong,
Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore.
If the words to this song are your prayer, click over to my blog and say, “Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.”
More from the Girlfriends
Want to know more about how to have an intimate walk with Jesus? Then check out my book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More. If you feel far from God, this book will help bring you back.
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