Think of a time in which you felt threatened. The threat being either real or perceived. Whether or not you knew it, at that moment your body was deciding whether to fight, flight, or freeze in response to that threat. This fight-flight-freeze response is our body’s natural reaction to danger. As the threat is processed in the part of our brain that is responsible for perceiving fear, changes in our body functions occur, hormones are released, all of which help us response appropriately and rapidly. Whether we fight or flight is driven by our sympathetic nervous system while the freeze response comes from the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.

We face threats of all kinds all the time. It could be a threat from an abusive person. Major health issues threaten us. Financial or employment threats. Weather-related threats. Not to mention snakes, from which I instantly run, fast and far. There isn’t a rest and digest thought in me when I am in the vicinity of slithering serpents.

There are times when it is best to stay and duke it out with the threat. Other times, get the heck out of dodge. The phrase “get out of dodge” most popularly came from the fictionalized myth surrounding a real-life frontier town. Dodge City, Kansas, was a busy cattle town that was notorious in the late 19th century for saloons, gunfights, gambling, brothels. The long running television series Gunsmoke centered on Dodge City and Marshal Matt Dillon often ran bad guys out of town, saying “get out of Dodge.”    

In many situations, we can run and hide, but somehow the threat still finds us. The bully always seems to find us. We can run from medical challenges, financial woes, relational strife, but those things do not disappear off the radar simply because we flee.

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we cannot get out of the grip of the threat. King David had one such moment. His son Absalom very much despised his father and did everything in his power to both disgrace and threaten him. It appears that David’s sympathetic nervous system told him to flight (flee) and hide in a cave, possibly the same cave in which he had earlier hid from Saul. While it is very likely that David did hide in the cave to shelter himself from Absalom’s plots, I believe that he also went there to seek guidance and protection from his God, our God. Here is what King David prayed as he hunkered down in the cave, trusting in his Lord.

I have so many enemies, Lord, so many who turn against me! They talk about me and say, “God will not help him.” But you, O Lord, are always my shield from danger; you give me victory and restore my courage. I call to the Lord for help, and from his sacred hill he answers me. I lie down and sleep, and all night long the Lord protects me. I am not afraid of the thousands of enemies who surround me on every side. Come, Lord! Save me, my God! You punish all my enemies and leave them powerless to harm me. Victory comes from the Lord – may he bless his people (Psalm 3, GNT).

Today, and every day, whether your response to a pending threat is to fight, flight, or freeze, will you pray as King David did, trusting your Lord, your God, to be ever so close, leading, guiding, directing you, keeping you safe in His presence (Psalm 18:2), either safe from the threat or safe in the threat.  

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There are times in our life when the things we need the most are often those things we’ve taken for granted. They are frequently things we see having little value, until we need them.

Picture yourself enjoying a quiet evening at home, having a glass of wine with old friends, telling stories of days gone by. Without much warning, a thunderstorm is dumping buckets of rain. You see lightning outside the window, followed by a loud crack of thunder, then another, and first the lights just flicker before going out altogether.

You find yourself in complete darkness and about now the flashlight app on your cell phone would come in handy, but you aren’t sure where you last laid the phone. So, you feel your way to the kitchen to grab the candles from that catch-all drawer that everyone has, but now you need to find matches. After some desperate searching, and a few choice words mumbled under your breath, you finally find them in that same drawer under the carry-out menus from your favorite pizza parlor and Chinese restaurant. Suddenly, those free matches that you got at your nephew’s wedding seem pretty darn valuable. You are thankful for the candlelight. Sound familiar?

Or, how about this. You are camping and need to go to the bath house in the middle of the night. You made that same trip multiple times last night, and the night before, so you don’t need a flashlight to illuminate the path. But on this night, for some reason, you take the flashlight anyway. About halfway into your trip to the bath house you hear a noise rustling through the leaves in front of you. You flip on the light just in time to see a snake slithering across the path. At that moment, even the flickering dim light coming from your old flashlight held together with duct tape is worth a great deal. You remind yourself to put fresh batteries in the flashlight when you get home.

Have you ever found yourself on a dark path, even a familiar one, thankful for light, any light? Many of us wander through life never really tapping into the light that can brighten our path and illuminate the darkness for us. We stumble and fall, we wander off the path, and we trip over objects in front of us, all because we try and walk through life’s journey without God’s light guiding our steps, even those that Light Source is always readily available to us.

God spoke light into existence from the very beginning – “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:3-4). Throughout the pages of Scripture, there are numerous references to God as light unto our path. Here are three of those verses…

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

In John 8:12, Jesus said this about Himself – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So, today, I encourage you to seek God and His light – illumination by the Holy Spirit – which is the light that will help point out sin in your life, the light that helps you walk in truth, and the light that will also help you navigate those dark nights when you find yourself walking on an unfamiliar (or even familiar) path. Ask God to give you faith to walk in His light. Let that light be fresh batteries for your dim flashlight.

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Life is a cycle of ups and downs. Some seasons we seem to have all the luck, all the good karma, and most everything comes up roses for us. There are other times when if it wasn’t for bad luck, we would have no luck at all. Not much goes our way and the beauty of the rose bush is hidden behind the thorns. If you are in the midst of a good season, celebrate it. Smell the roses. But know this, the reality of life is that good seasons are not permanent. A thorny season is on the horizon. On the flipside, if your current situation is anything but rosy, know too that this season is also not permanent. Better days are ahead.

Have you ever wondered why such a beautiful plant as the rose bush has ugly thorns. Technically speaking, rose bushes do not have thorns. Instead, they have prickles. Thorns are part of the plant’s leaves while prickles grow from the its branches. These prickles, thorns, serve to keep away predators attracted to the bright colors and pleasant fragrance. The prickles also act as hooks to help rose branches anchor onto nearby foliage, allowing them to climb towards the sunlight.   

I believe that many of us have lost sight of one of the central truths that runs through the whole of the Bible and the whole of history – life is hard. Let me ask – where do you turn when the bottom drops out? When the rug gets pulled out from under your feet? When you cannot see the roses for the thorns? Isn’t it true that we turn to many people or things in those moments. Isn’t it also true that none of those people or things provide the permanent relief we so desire.

Instead of looking elsewhere, are you willing to give God that opportunity, the opportunity to sustain you in times of trouble. Here is what God’s Word had to say about His sustaining grace.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, HCSB).

Do you see it? God’s four-pronged help –

1) I am with you.

2) I will strengthen you.

3) I will help you.

4) I will uphold you.

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (Psalm 34:18 NLT).

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1, NLT).

Jesus was given the name Immanuel, which means “God with us.” At the end of His life, Jesus offers this straightforward promise to His followers – “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He promises to see us through every aspect of our life; yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever.

Do you see it? God is not just in the vicinity. He is right with you, always ready to help in time of trouble! He is with you when the roses are in full bloom and when there seems to be more thorns than flowers.

So, are you willing to give God a chance? Can I just speak from experience – you will be glad you did! He is near to those who call on him (Psalm 145:18).

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Aging isn’t always a fun process. Everything just seems to take more time and more effort with each passing year. What I could once do without thinking now sometimes takes a concerted effort to pull it off. My mind says “yes, go for it” while my body says “ain’t no way!” I walk downstairs or into another room only to forget why I went there in the first place. On the flipside, with age comes maturity, but even that I sometimes wonder about.

While it is inevitable that our bodies and minds begin to fail us, and we become physically weaker, if we continue to pursue God and grow in intimacy with Him, our faith grows stronger, even as everything else is deteriorating. We find that very truth in 2 Corinthians 4:16. While I want us to focus in on v.16, let’s look at that section within its context. I encourage you to never just read one verse. Instead read that verse within the verses that come before and after it. All meaning is context dependent. In this chapter Paul is writing about his confidence in God’s ability to sustain him and in his great hope in the future.

Now here is vv.14-18 (v.16 in bold) – “We know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and present us with you. Indeed, everything is for your benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to increase to God’s glory. Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Elsewhere in Scripture we see that if we continue to press in closer to Jesus, and not allow our faith to deteriorate like our bodies and minds, that we will stay green and fresh. Here is what we find in Psalm 92:12-15 – “The righteous will spring up like a palm tree. They will grow strong like a cedar of Lebanon. Those who have been replanted in the LORD’s house will spring up in the courtyards of our God. They will bear fruit even when old and gray; they will remain lush and freshin order to proclaim: “The LORD is righteous. He’s my rock. There’s nothing unrighteous in him” (CEV).

And as you look in the mirror and see gray hair, know too that is a crown to be worn proudly, as you walk out a life lived in pursuit of God. If you don’t believe me, click here.

So, regardless of your age, or the condition of your body and mind, never stop pursuing more of God. Doing so will keep you fresh, just as God is fresh every day – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him’” (Lamentations 3:22-24).

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You are in a group that is hiking through the woods on a footpath and you come upon a not so safe looking bridge that spans a small creek, one not deep or dangerous, but too wide to simply step over. The bridge is very narrow and suspended by rope, some of which are rotted. It looks rickety and you are leery to cross it, but the only way across to the other side is this bridge.

The people in your group look at one another, trying to decide who will go first. After losing at rock-paper-scissors you are the “lucky” one to cross first. So, after taking a deep breath and mumbling a prayer under your breath, with sweaty palms and an elevated heart rate, you begin to walk across, one slow careful step at a time, and to your surprise, despite all the creaks and eerie noises it makes with each step, the ropes support your weight, and you make it safely to the other side. Once safely across you chuckle and say quietly, “Never a doubt!”

It is the same with God. He only builds a bridge of faith directly under your feet. He never builds the bridge a few steps in front of you, for then it would not be faith. The Bible tells us that our trust in God is by faith. In Hebrews 11:1 we read this, “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Elsewhere in the Bible, in 2 Corinthians 5:7, we see the same thing, “for we live by faith, not by sight.” The NASB version of the Bible uses walk instead of live. It is trusting that God will guide you on your journey, even if you are not sure where the journey will lead you. It is trusting God is in control and He has a plan, even if you don’t understand that plan.

After feeding the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21), Jesus decided to get away to pray. During the night his disciples are crossing the lake in a boat when they get caught in a storm. So, Jesus heads out across the lake to teach them a valuable “faith” lesson. When they see Him on the water, it scared the bejabbers out of them. He tells them not to be afraid. After hearing Jesus’ words, Peter boldly says that he will come to Jesus out on the water. Jesus does not give Peter advice, or even praise his courage. Instead, he simply invites Peter to “Come.”

What Jesus invited Peter to do long ago, He invites you and me to today … simply to “Come,” even it is on a rickety bridge or maybe scarier yet, to step out of the boat and onto the water. It is important to note that when Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. You can read this entire encounter in Matthew 14:22-36. 

So, today, whatever lies ahead, just press on in faith, trusting that God is building you a bridge, one step at a time. And as I so often do, let’s turn to the Psalms for assuring words. Psalm 84:12 tells us, “LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”

Faith really is one step at a time.

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Have you ever found yourself on a road that goes nowhere? Maybe you got there because you turned onto that road thinking that it would take you where you wanted to go. Quite possibly, you might have missed an exit, got off at the wrong exit, or ignored the road signs pointing you in the right direction. It could be you thought the road was a shortcut or maybe you simply just got lost. No matter how you got on it, it soon became apparent that the road you were on was a dead end road and you needed to turn around.  

Do you ever fail to listen to the voice coming from your navigational app or the person in the passenger seat? Do you ignore their voice because you know another way?

In life we all find ourselves on dead end roads from time to time. The good news is that while it is true that dead end roads do not lead anywhere except farther away from where you want to go, it is also true that you can get off that road. Dead end roads are never one-way roads. It might be as simple as turning around and going back to the intersection and getting on another road, or you might have to back up on the twisty-turny road, trying to avoid the swamp that sits right next to the road. You know what it is that is “dead end” for you.

There is no shame in being on a dead end road. We all are there at some point in life. If you are truly journeying through life, it is impossible not to get lost at some point. The key is what we do when we find ourselves on that dead end road. I encourage you to look in the mirror and honestly evaluate those things you are doing, or relationships you are in, that are “dead end roads.” It is never too late to turn around and reorient your life. And in doing so, you will find yourself on the highways of life, those very roads that breathe life into you, not suck the life out of you.

King David knew who was to guide him, In Psalm 16:11 we read his words – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The writer of Proverbs knew this as well – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Just as you have a navigational device in your vehicle, or an app on your phone, to guide you while driving, the Holy Spirit (see John 14:15-17), is your GPS in life, desiring to guide your every step. Every dead end road started at some intersection. Make a U-turn and get back to that intersection. Get on your knees and ask God to give you the courage, strength, and wisdom to make the choices needed to get off the wrong road.

(As additional content – When the Holy Spirit is described by Jesus as a Helper, an Advocate, as in the verse above, the Greek word is parakletos. You can think of this in legal terms. While the Spirit is your defense attorney, your Advocate, your Counselor, the opposing counsel is the Accuser, from the Greek transliteration katēgōr. As a noun it means one who speaks against someone before an assembly. As a verb, to accuse. I found some variation of this word more than twenty times in the NT. Here are two – Luke 23:10; Revelation 12:10. In the Old Testament, this idea of accuser (adversary) is most often from the Hebrew noun śātān.)

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