Sure Footing

Travelers apparently have a quiet, unspoken confidence in bridges. As a teenager I lived near the Trinity River up in North Texas. Hidden away on an obscure country road was an old steel bridge that was closed for public use. It was scary to walk across the rotting, wooden plank floor, yet for a couple of teenage boys, confidence was not lacking in their skill to cross the bridge.

Confidence serves as a bridge to push us forward but also to urge us to retreat when necessary. We put our confidence in things and other people until that confidence is betrayed. Then we pull back across the bridge. Our faith and beliefs serve as a means of expressing our confidence.

However, God’s word advises us to be careful and wise in whom we place our confidence. Psalm 118 assures us God’s steadfast love endures forever and serves as a bridge to confidence and assurance from which you will never have to retreat, for he is always present to help you.  

Surviving a Personal Crisis with God's Help - Part 2

If survival only involved food, clothing, and shelter, the majority of us would be OK. Most people in our country believe they should enjoy the abundance of our society and what the government provides. I'm sure you know individuals who believe they're beyond failure and that their survival is assured. This cavalier attitude can blind a person to an inevitable crisis.

In the eighteenth century the British Empire was so confident in its naval and military supremacy, its leaders believed they were undefeatable. Yet a rag-tag army led by General George Washington was eventually victorious over the mighty British military. Sin, though seemingly insignificant, can bring disastrous consequence to the most ardent believer.

God brings his people back from the edge of disaster when they're willing to make significant life changes. Listen to 1 John 1:8. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins, he forgives and purifies us from all unrighteousness." This is a choice God makes available to everyone.