Safeguards

John 11 : 9 – 10, Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." NKJV

When we read the words of Jesus in the above scripture, it seems as if He is speaking literally. However, that isn’t the case. He is teaching His disciples and us to walk in the Light of His Word to prevent us from stumbling or backsliding into sin. The Lord uses natural things to help us grasp spiritual principles so that we don’t walk in inner darkness or ignorance. In John 8, Jesus tells us to continue abiding in and obeying His Word; doing so will cause us to know the truth that sets us free from spiritual bondage.

Let’s bring this down where we live every day. Generally, we go about our day doing what needs to be done. However, on occasion, we will run into a situation where we will feel as though we have been blindsided by a person or circumstance. I use the term “blindsided” to let you know that not everything in your daily life is just a coincidence or an accident. Satan is busy trying to trip you up spiritually and give you an occasion to fall into temptation.

We must not allow ourselves to be led by only our soul, which consists of our thoughts, desires, feelings, and rationales. As believers, Jesus wants us to be led by the Holy Spirit; His Word will be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We live in a natural world. Nevertheless, we are engaged in a spiritual battle with enemies who are invisible to the human eye; this is why we’re instructed in scripture to hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we won’t sin against it. When we choose on a daily, or at least a regular basis, to feed from God’s Word and be willing to listen to the leading of His Spirit, we are allowing “spiritual” safeguards to be placed around our “physical” steps.

There are guardrails on the sides of the road; however, they’re only in places where lives have been lost, or in dangerous locations like sharp curves and steep drop-offs. We don’t have a guard rail that extends the length of every highway. Now consider this: When we come upon a bridge, there are always safeguards that continue the length of the entire bridge. Why is this? It is because as long as we are over a body of water or a high overpass, there is a possibility that we might veer off of the bridge. Why do I bring up the differences between highway guardrails and those on bridges? God doesn’t seek to control our lives, but He provides protection in perilous places. His Word will keep/protect us during the times when spiritual darkness seeks to destroy our lives by blinding us to impending danger. The Light of His Word will keep us safeguarded until we have successfully passed through the danger.

When we learn to walk in God’s Light, called the Word, and we begin to place our trust in Him to keep us in all our ways, we can be at rest. We don’t have to fear because we don’t know what is waiting up the road of life. We know that God has us covered because we have honored His Word. He will protect us from stumbling and wrecking our lives on the sharp curves of life. The Lord doesn’t want us to constantly fret and worry about the future. Therefore, He has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to assist and direct our steps by setting boundaries in the areas and seasons of life where danger lurks.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. The Light of God’s Word illuminates our human understanding so that we can see the invisible, and we can do the impossible. All we need is to exercise our faith.

Walking By Faith,
Pastor Asa Dockery