God's tow truck

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“On the path to spiritual maturity, even temptation becomes a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block when you realize that it is just as much an occasion to do the right thing, as it is to do the wrong.” (Rick Warren)

“Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.” (Romans 14:22 NKJ)

The apostle Paul when he said in this verse, “Do you have faith?” was referring to faith in oneself not necessarily faith in God. Of course he was writing to the church in Rome so he expected them to have faith in God and the finished work of the cross. I like what the Dake Bible has to say on the verse, share this with me. “The word faith here means the full persuasion that one is right, lawful, and sanctioned by God in his act.” Some of my greatest emotional hangovers have been caused by times when I assumed what I was doing was okay, and it turned out to be very wrong. Folks, I’m talking about remorse. From my past experiences, the last half of that scripture verse could read “Unhappy and remorseful am I when I condemn myself because I did something not acceptable. This happened after I rationalized and told myself it was okay.” I have learned about myself that I can talk myself into just about anything if I try. I can take a behavior that I know not to be right, and twist it just a little to make it appear not so wrong. This kind of stinking thinking fueled my alcoholism and drug addition to the point of near death. So many mornings I would wake up feeling horrible. I’m not talking so much about physical pain, but the emotional pain of remorse that comes from knowing that I willfully went against my own guidelines. The only way I can have faith in myself and have it before God is to have my will line up with God’s will for my life. That is not easy. But, I am finding it is easier to stay in the road, than to keep slipping off into the ditch because of poor driving habits, which often bring God’s tow truck to hoist me out. God has never failed to help me. I know that I have a twenty-four hour service in a loving God that offers forgiveness though His wonderful grace. What takes time and requires self-examination is dealing with the emotional hangover caused by remorse. My AA sponsor always says, “When the pain exceeds the pleasure we change.” Some changes in my behavior happen quickly, some take years to come around. One thing I know to be true, and that is that in my spiritual walk with the Lord Jesus, God has done for me what I could not do for myself. If I “keep on trucking” for the Lord, the tow truck is called less and less. Thanks for letting me share……………….JRE

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us, they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectations of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts wit his love.” (Romans 5:3-5 NLT)

“Learning to wait patiently is an important characteristic for us to develop. Each time we admit sin and accept God’s forgiveness, our hope and faith have a chance to be exercised and grow stronger. We no longer have to hide in shame every time we slip. We can admit our wrongs and move on. God’s love for us is reaffirmed every time we rely on it. In this way God helps us hold our head high no matter what happens.”
THE LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE, page 1353

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“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us, they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectations of salvation. And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts wit his love.” (Romans 5:3-5 NLT)

Many times I will look at struggles in another light. Yes we grow from them. Yes the sharp edges are smoothed over and we can grow and become more like Christ because of them.
I heard a sermon where the preacher listed out struggles in another way as well.

When things are going smooth and life seems to have no struggles... where is satan at? Off bothering someone else.
When I am on the right path and walking closer to God...that would be the time satan would be wanting to push me off the path. I see struggles as an affirmation that I am doing right. The harder ole red suit pushes, the stronger my resolve becomes. The joy of knowing I am on the right path feeds me the needed strength to put up with his pushing.
In the sermon, the preacher said... If satan isn't in front of you trying to slow you down...may want to take a look at who is walking beside you with a big smile on his face.