Author: Justin Miller
Romans 8:38-39 - “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Did you catch Paul’s words? Once we believe in Jesus' blood and resurrection, He indwells us, and there is nothing we can do that will cause God to leave us... EVER!
I love baseball, and I often think of God as our third base coach in our baseball game of life. The ball that we are trying to hit represents opportunities coming our way. He is always watching us and giving us direction as to when to swing the bat. He also warns us when life is throwing us a curveball. The key to all ballplayer's success is listening to their coach (God) and not swinging at every pitch just because we want to or because we think we have to.
Our all-knowing father often tells us not to swing because he knows the pitch or situation is not right. It’s not a good pitch to hit. It will probably end up badly if we take the swing. He’s always there, giving us discernment on those pivotal life moments...the pitches that are tough to hit.
Isaiah 40:29-31 - “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”
In this passage, Isaiah says we can accomplish what we need if we just TRUST in him. He wants to give us the strength, courage, and confidence as he endures life’s challenges with us. If we only listen to and trust him, we CAN hit that home run ball and make a difference. But, if we ignore God or don’t trust His words and direction -and try to handle things on our own- we might only hit the ball but it probably won't be that critical hit to impact the game or that big HOME RUN that could change our lives and those around us. Not only do we have to listen to Him, but we also have to ignore the devil and his detraction's.
John 10:10 - “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. but I have come so that you could live life to the fullest.”
Think about it. Jesus is giving us great advice. To always listen to Him and His direction. Doing this allows us to ignore Satan and his distractions. Jesus is telling us that the devil is trying to throw us off our game. He is saying, “HEY, LISTEN TO ME. DON’T LISTEN TO HIM. HE WANTS YOU TO STRIKEOUT! Listen to me; only I can get you home safely and score the winning run. He (Satan) doesn’t want you to score. Listen to me; only I know what the next pitch is going to be.”
Brothers: Jesus is calling us to listen to and trust Him to help us get that decisive hit in our lives. The question is, “Will we listen to him, or are we going to miss our pitch?”
Come on, guys; let’s pick our bats up and hold them high. As we step in the batter’s box, let’s look down the third baseline with our listening ears; then we take our signals and instruction from our miraculous coach; then wait for the pitch that GOD wants us to hit . . . and...let’s trust in HIM to bring us home.