“Stand still! Your life may depend on it!”
Hello all,
I was going through my older devotionals, and I came across one that I wanted to share with my readers. I hope it speaks to your heart as it does to mine.
Scripture: Psalm 91:2 KJV
"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."
I just LOVE the ladies Bible studies Jeri Lynn Wilkerson has brought us together for!It's very encouraging to get to know other women who are going through what I do. Right now we are studying Psalm 91 and it just started but this is what God gave me today based on this verse!
“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”
Trust…Such a short and simple word, yet one we as Christians tend to severely neglect.
We all tend to do it; but if we apply what I call the "quicksand" method to our circumstances, we would be much better off and trust seems to come much easier.
As I studied this verse today, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in such a powerful way! He gave me a vision of quicksand which occurs naturally and the do’s and don’ts of surviving actual quicksand. What an application to Biblical principle!
First, what is the #1 NO NO if you are caught in actual quick sand? Don't move around, right? So in a "quicksand" trial or circumstance what ARE we to do? I looked it up and we can apply the actual survival of quicksand to a trial or circumstance! I love when God uses nature to teach us Biblical principles! This is what God showed me:
1. Avoid quicksand- Well, we can't avoid our circumstances sometimes, so this one may or may not be done, but more often than not, we put ourselves right int he midst of circumstances.
2. Bring a large stick when frequenting quicksand territory- "While hiking, especially in an area you suspect contains quicksand, carry a long, stout pole. You can use the pole to test the ground in front of you, and you can also use it to help extract yourself should you sink."
Our "stick" is our Bible, the Word of God. Here is the directions I found on actual quicksand. Re-read the above again, and where you see the word "stick" or "pole,” replace it with the Bible:"While hiking, especially in an area you suspect contains quicksand, carry a BIBLE. You can use theBIBLE to test the ground in front of you, and you can also use it to help extract yourself should you sink."
Isn't that GREAT!?! The Bible is our "Stick"; to test the sand or the beliefs of others that surround us.
3. (I LOVE THIS ONE): Drop everything if you find yourself in quicksand. “Because your body is less dense than quicksand, you can't fully sink unless you panic and struggle too much (which will cause the sand to further liquefy) or you're weighed down by something heavy. If you step into quicksand and you're wearing a backpack or carrying something heavy, immediately take off your backpack or drop what you're carrying.”
We are to drop the load off our bodies. Overwhelming circumstances, anxieties (I am talking to myself here), life in general and Satan are a weight on us! The less we carry around and give to God, the lighter we are and the less likelihood that we are going to be overcome by the "quicksand" in this life.
The Bible says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). This verse is perfect for today's verse in Psalm 91:2!
4. RELAX- "Quicksand usually isn't more than a couple feet deep, but if you do happen to come across a particularly deep spot, you could very well sink quite quickly down to your waist or chest. If you panic you can sink further, but if you relax, your body's buoyancy will cause you to float."
Isn't that so true? Most of the trials we go through may only be "a few feet deep" but we make them out to be miles high because we cannot see the outcome. Again, I am talking to myself here! This is a great place to insert Psalm 91:2 and keep it in the forefront of our mind and quote it often.
5. Take your time. "If you're stuck in quicksand, frantic movements will only hurt your cause. Whatever you do, do it slowly. Slow movements will prevent you from agitating the quicksand; vibrations caused by rapid movements can turn otherwise relatively firm ground into more quicksand. More importantly, quicksand can react unpredictably to your movements. If you move slowly, you can more easily stop an adverse reaction and, by doing so, avoid getting yourself stuck deeper. You're going to need to be patient."
"Stand Still" is the song that speaks to me at this point. When we are chin high in our trials, the hardest thing to do is to stay still and let God work it all out. We think WE can fix it ourselves and what do we do? We mess it up more and sink further. We must wait and ask Jesus to "pull us out" of the quicksand, otherwise, we are going to sink.
I hope this helps someone else that goes through this issue of being "Ms. Fixit" at the wrong time like I do. I almost feel like the Holy Spirit typed this out to me because He knows my faults and failures better than anyone does. I never connected quicksand to trials until right now. Thank you Lord for giving me this connection!
"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."
I just LOVE the ladies Bible studies Jeri Lynn Wilkerson has brought us together for!It's very encouraging to get to know other women who are going through what I do. Right now we are studying Psalm 91 and it just started but this is what God gave me today based on this verse!
“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”
Trust…Such a short and simple word, yet one we as Christians tend to severely neglect.
We all tend to do it; but if we apply what I call the "quicksand" method to our circumstances, we would be much better off and trust seems to come much easier.
As I studied this verse today, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in such a powerful way! He gave me a vision of quicksand which occurs naturally and the do’s and don’ts of surviving actual quicksand. What an application to Biblical principle!
First, what is the #1 NO NO if you are caught in actual quick sand? Don't move around, right? So in a "quicksand" trial or circumstance what ARE we to do? I looked it up and we can apply the actual survival of quicksand to a trial or circumstance! I love when God uses nature to teach us Biblical principles! This is what God showed me:
1. Avoid quicksand- Well, we can't avoid our circumstances sometimes, so this one may or may not be done, but more often than not, we put ourselves right int he midst of circumstances.
2. Bring a large stick when frequenting quicksand territory- "While hiking, especially in an area you suspect contains quicksand, carry a long, stout pole. You can use the pole to test the ground in front of you, and you can also use it to help extract yourself should you sink."
Our "stick" is our Bible, the Word of God. Here is the directions I found on actual quicksand. Re-read the above again, and where you see the word "stick" or "pole,” replace it with the Bible:"While hiking, especially in an area you suspect contains quicksand, carry a BIBLE. You can use theBIBLE to test the ground in front of you, and you can also use it to help extract yourself should you sink."
Isn't that GREAT!?! The Bible is our "Stick"; to test the sand or the beliefs of others that surround us.
3. (I LOVE THIS ONE): Drop everything if you find yourself in quicksand. “Because your body is less dense than quicksand, you can't fully sink unless you panic and struggle too much (which will cause the sand to further liquefy) or you're weighed down by something heavy. If you step into quicksand and you're wearing a backpack or carrying something heavy, immediately take off your backpack or drop what you're carrying.”
We are to drop the load off our bodies. Overwhelming circumstances, anxieties (I am talking to myself here), life in general and Satan are a weight on us! The less we carry around and give to God, the lighter we are and the less likelihood that we are going to be overcome by the "quicksand" in this life.
The Bible says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). This verse is perfect for today's verse in Psalm 91:2!
4. RELAX- "Quicksand usually isn't more than a couple feet deep, but if you do happen to come across a particularly deep spot, you could very well sink quite quickly down to your waist or chest. If you panic you can sink further, but if you relax, your body's buoyancy will cause you to float."
Isn't that so true? Most of the trials we go through may only be "a few feet deep" but we make them out to be miles high because we cannot see the outcome. Again, I am talking to myself here! This is a great place to insert Psalm 91:2 and keep it in the forefront of our mind and quote it often.
5. Take your time. "If you're stuck in quicksand, frantic movements will only hurt your cause. Whatever you do, do it slowly. Slow movements will prevent you from agitating the quicksand; vibrations caused by rapid movements can turn otherwise relatively firm ground into more quicksand. More importantly, quicksand can react unpredictably to your movements. If you move slowly, you can more easily stop an adverse reaction and, by doing so, avoid getting yourself stuck deeper. You're going to need to be patient."
"Stand Still" is the song that speaks to me at this point. When we are chin high in our trials, the hardest thing to do is to stay still and let God work it all out. We think WE can fix it ourselves and what do we do? We mess it up more and sink further. We must wait and ask Jesus to "pull us out" of the quicksand, otherwise, we are going to sink.
I hope this helps someone else that goes through this issue of being "Ms. Fixit" at the wrong time like I do. I almost feel like the Holy Spirit typed this out to me because He knows my faults and failures better than anyone does. I never connected quicksand to trials until right now. Thank you Lord for giving me this connection!
"...On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand."
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