Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
3/8/2022
Why is life so complicated.
Why is life so complicated? The truth is we are the ones that complicate life. If you’re a Christian you know who controls the principalities of the air. You know that we live in a fallen world. And we know that Satan has been given dominion over it for a time. Will life always be so chaotic and confusing for us?
I love watching football and when I look at the sidelines at two iconic head coaches like Tony Dungy and Tom Landry, they never seem to get rattled. They’re always calm even in the midst of a game that has so much pressure and every call they make is a chance for failure or potentially another victory. But they just don’t let it get to them. Why can’t I be like that?
The answer is really very simple. Because we don’t accept God’s wisdom and we won’t adhere to his ways. God‘s ways have never been a surprise for us. His word is crystal clear over and over again he says, that he wants us to look to him, for courage, for stamina, for wisdom, for truth. And it helps a lot that he has a sense of humor. How else could he put up with someone like us?
1. We complicate life with our own perspectives and half-truths.
Half-truths are tremendous lies.
“You will not die, only your eyes will be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil”, said the ancient serpent. But the real consequence of this half-truth to Adam and Eve was the estrangement from the presence of God. Gen 3:5 We see how that turned out.
2. We overthink and then rethink what God has already laid out for each of us. Jer 29:11
3. We are too easily distracted. There are just so many choices. We have to decide whose voice we are going to listen to. Again and again! How tough can the choices be if we put our trust in God first? When you lose sight of your captain you start to fear and worry. You start to think I’m in this by myself. “The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with Him, the more the Spirit will make you like Him. The more you are like Him, the better you will understand His utter sufficiency for all of life’s difficulties. And that is the only way to know real satisfaction.” John MacArthur
4. We keep making bad decisions and follow vain and deceitful philosophies. Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."
5. It’s just so hard for us to be still and hear God.
Instead of listening to the noise of your worries, listen to the voice of the Lord. We are not to let our joy come from our circumstances. Be still and stop listening to the storm. “When Christ delays to help His saints now, you think this is a great mystery, you cannot explain it; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. Be still, and know that Christ is God.” – Robert Murray McCheyne
6. We need to pray that God will strengthen us during the hour of temptation. God opened so many doors in my life but I just wouldn't walk through enough of those thresholds. I am certain that I have closed more doors in my life than God has closed for me. Freedom comes when we shift our responsibility to God. Rev 3:10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
There is a saying: “Life is very complicated. Don't try to find answers. Because when you find answers life changes the questions”!
But that is secular wisdom. It is a half-truth. It sounds profound and to the earthly mind of man, it really appears true. But to God and his children, it is completely untrue. He tells us to knock, and seek and He promises we will find the truth. His written truth. It doesn’t change today and then tomorrow like the weather. He never changes. He is the same yesterday today and forever.
Yes, we need to resolve within ourselves. what truth or half-truth we will live by. You will need to define a lot of things about who you are. Why you were created. To whom do you owe allegiance. What is a successful life? And what will be your unchanging standard to live by… and to pass on to those after you. Choose you this day who you will choose!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP2kZCigZKE
Steve Green Broken and Poured Out
