Staying Steady with God

   In this newsletter I would like to address the value of staying steady in our actions and how it enhances our relationship with God. Many of the tragedies in our lives could be avoided or diminished and our successes multiplied if we would apply the simple concept of steadiness.

First, let’s examine when someone is not steady. Typically, they are undependable, unreliable, untrustworthy, and unsafe. A great but humbling exercise is for each of us to look in the mirror and ask: “Am I dependable?” “Am I reliable?” “Am I trustworthy?” “Am I safe?”  If we are honest, we should be able to remember many moments where we have fallen short. Some of us may even realize the only thing we have been steady about is not being steady.

As far as what steady is, it’s not only being dependable, reliable, trustworthy, and safe, but it’s also about staying faithful to God and His plan for us though all circumstances. This can be challenging. The more we endeavor to do so the more difficult life seems to become. It’s easy to imagine steadiness as having an almost supernatural calmness of mind and heart through any and all circumstances, but really, what qualifies as steady is just finding a way to hang on when things get tough. You are going through a crisis, and it seems like you are on a very small ship in the middle of a raging storm. Everything seems bigger than you and your situation. You can’t control the ship, and you can’t control the storm. So you do the only thing you can and grab ahold of the mast and hang on until the storm passes. How we accomplish this in our day-to-day lives is to pursue our relationship with Jesus Christ through all things, hold onto Him, and stay the course. If we will do that, regardless of how we feel, we will begin cultivating steadiness.

Matthew 7:24-25

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.

Steadiness involves repetition. Repeating the right actions consistently over time will produce some amazing results. If you have ever followed the lives of any professional athlete, you will find they have dedicated thousands of hours to repetitive motions and exercises that produce winning outcomes. Many with lesser natural abilities have outperformed those with greater simply because they were steadier in their practice habits. The basketball player who took an extra hour a day shooting free throws, the swimmer who swam ten extra laps after practice, the baseball player that took fifty extra pitches in the batting cage, the examples go on and on of those who moved to a higher level of excellence because they did a little more over and over.

A huge detriment to remaining steady in many people’s lives is the never-ending emotional war of ups and downs. Most everyone has days where they feel on top of the world and days where they can barely get out of bed. This is where steadiness is put to the test. If we let ourselves become too high or too low we oftentimes get off course. When we get too high we come up with foolish, extravagant ideas. We decide we can run a marathon despite not being able to get around the block. We decide to start a business when we’ve never been to work on time. We decide to start an international ministry when we neglect our own families. p

The lows can be even more detrimental. Hiding, running, and looking for ways to escape and disengage when life gets hard. Maintaining steadiness through these times—finding a way to hang on—can keep us out of these pits. It may come down to simply telling yourself to just get through the next week, the next day, hour, or even minute. Knowing how to break life down into manageable pieces is another method to maintaining steadiness.

I could write at length about how steadiness can improve physical fitness, eliminate debt, or produce success in business, but I’m more interested in the spiritual benefits, primarily how it strengthens one’s relationship with God. He is the one who brings true stability, peace, rest, and safety. He is the essence of steady, and as we stay close to Him, he will make us steady also.

So how do we cultivate closeness with God? Through prayer and reading the Bible. If that sounds difficult, then make it simple. Start small. A few minutes a day spending time alone with God and a few more reading the Scriptures. It might be five minutes a day, it might be less, but the key is to begin. I believe that if you will dedicate whatever time you can to sitting quietly with Him and reading Scripture, God will begin to change you, and over time you will find yourself getting steadier and steadier in all areas of your life. This doesn’t mean everything will suddenly be a snap regardless of what’s going on, but you will find a peace and strength working in you that will help you stay on course through whatever challenges you are facing. More importantly, you will no longer wonder about God’s love and promises, you will be living in them.

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This Month’s Prayer Points:

• Brother’s In Blue Event at Winfield Correctional Facility
• Lessons for Life Correspondence Course Students (Just broke the 400 mark of students participating)
• Preparing to start Lessons for Life Course as a small group at Douglas County Jail
• Preparing to start Lessons for Life Course as a small group at CMRC (Private Prison in Colorado Springs)
• Begin Life Coach Training this month at Fremont Correctional Facility in Canyon City

Thank you!