Spiritual Stepping Stones and Reminders

by Dottie Ryan

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

In this past week’s lecture, Laurie led us through Three Spiritual Stepping Stones: Faith, Hope and Love as daily, and sometimes moment-by-moment, choices we make to deepen our relationship with our Lord.  In walking these out, we Fight the Good Fight of Faith regardless of our feelings, placing all our hope in the Lord because apart from Him we can do nothing.  Apart from Christ, we don’t have the ability to love — and we don’t have the faith or the hope we need to do what He has called us to do.  So we were encouraged to cry out, in total honesty, asking Him to help us truly believe His love for us and not only His ability to provide these gifts to us, but His willingness and His desire to do so.  He requires much of us as we are “Going up the Mountain” — but He also is the provider of the things He requires of us.

• KNOW Jesus and His Word
• BELIEVE Jesus and His Word
• FOLLOW Jesus and His Word
• LIVE Jesus and His Word

Through putting these tools to use in our lives, we come to focus on Him and Him alone, and our desire moves from knowing about Him to knowing Him.

Laurie encouraged us to remember the great works God has done in each of our lives.  She asked us to write out three examples from our own life. When I came to this part of the study, my mind went blank.  So I paused to ask the Lord to bring to my remembrance those things I swore “I would never forget.”  I was reminded of all the Ebenezers* I had collected over my walk with the Lord — and that I had even made a brief list of those events in case (like the Israelites) I would come to the place in which I found myself unable to easily recall those major crossroads in my life. Lord have mercy.  You have been so good to me.

So in closing, I thought I would share a few with you. In doing this, I am glorify the Lord because they are His works.  I also hope that, like me, if you are unable to come up with your own, these might be used as a springboard to help you recall (if you are having difficulty in doing so) the great victories and mighty works He has done on your behalf.

• 2002 – 2003  He called this “Prodigal” away from the WORLD and into relationship with Him
• 2004   He broke the bondage that “Substance Abuse” had on my life
• 2007   He revealed His LOVE for me in a way that only God can do (He claimed my heart as His)
• 2008   He restored my financial savings that had been stolen from my bank account and spoke to my heart that He would always provide for me
• 2009   He helped me break a 45-year addiction to nicotine (x-ray of my lungs show me as a person who never smoked)
• 2011    He began restoration of seemingly-lost relationships in my life

He continues to love me, to sanctify me, and to “keep [me] from falling” (Jude 24, NIV).

These are just a few of the great and mighty works He has done on my behalf. In walking through the storms leading to these “marked” events,  KNOW-ing, BELIEVE-ing, FOLLOW-ing and LIVE-ing Jesus and His Word when my world seemed to be falling apart  — and seeing Him in them —  was as meaningful as the final outcome. So as Psalm 29:2 says, I “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name”! May you, if you’ve not already done so, begin a list of your own Reminders.

May we all discover more and more that God is God, and we are not.  No one can stay His hand. No one can be touched unless He allows it.  His is God and He is good all the time.  Hallelujah!

*  “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us'” (1 Sam. 7:12).