Hi how are you today? I went back to work last week after my holidays for my last year of work. Time to retire at the end of this year and concentrate on what God has for me in this next season. It is exciting but a bit scary too! How was last week for you?
This week I want to look at consistency in conflict. Most of the time when hard or difficult or challenging times come up in our lives, then consistency is one of the first things to go. We react to the situation that is occurring in fear rather than let the situation be subject to the consistencies we have built within our lives. I will show you what I mean by that soon.
But first, a picture of consistency was placed right in front of me on our recent holiday to the coast. Day after day I watched the sea and waves come rolling in to the beach. The waves did not decide one time in the week we were there to stop or deviate from what had been consistently happening for thousands of years.
On a couple of days we were there, it was really windy. The waves increased in size due to the wind but they didn’t stop their consistent action of rolling into the beach.
On another day, it was raining and I couldn’t see out as far as I could when it was sunny. But the waves didn’t fold up and cry in the rain or think it was too hard. They just continued to consistently come into the beach.
It didn’t matter what circumstance the waves found themselves in. They just consistently did what they were created to do.
What about you and I? We were created to have fellowship with God, love God, love others and fulfil the plan that God has for our lives.
But too often when challenging times come, we forget what we were created to do. We might start skipping church. Maybe we have been disappointed, so we stop reading the Bible thinking God is mad at us. Maybe we sinned and feel such shame that we stop talking to God because we think He doesn’t love us.
It is in these times that we need to determine in our hearts that we will be consistent no matter what. We will read the Bible even if the storm is raging against us. We will run to God in repentance instead of letting shame hide us. We will go to church to worship God even if nobody talks to us.
Because it is in consistency that lies the power to change our circumstances.
Jesus said in Luke 10:16 in the NKJV Bible that:
10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what isleast is unjust also in much.
When we are faithful in consistency then God will add much more to our lives. This is what leads to a fulfilling life.
Going back to my comment above regarding when we react in fear instead of in the consistencies around our life, I am reminded of Jesus’ Word regarding the storm in Mark 4 in the Message Bible:
39-40 Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith at all?”
Jesus had faith because He consistently spent time in the Torah and in prayer so when a difficult circumstance arose, He knew what to do.
We can do the same- just be consistent, even in trials. You and I can do it!
Bless you heaps and keep living the life God intended for you.
Karen
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