I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7
2 Timothy 4:7
When I was a little girl I loved to ride horses, I was three the first time my little legs were thrown over a saddle. My first horse was a small horse, my sister and I shared her together. She fit our experience which at that time I did not have much she was gentle and not that big. As I got bigger and a better rider and trained in how to ride, my horse got bigger as well as my saddle. I learned the horse, her habits, and she learned mine. We were a team and when I would get in an open field I would tap her sides and she knew I was ready to go, she knew it was time to run and she was to run, and run, and run. That moment to this day I can remember like it was yesterday! It was a simple moment in time, the wind on my face, her mane flowing like strawberry red ribbons. Her nostrils flaring, her ears laid back she meant business and so did I as I squeezed even harder my legs into her stomach. It was when I was free; it was almost like we both could fly. She knew when it was time to slow down, and that was when the reigns were pulled back. I knew when she had enough and I knew when I had enough. A horse aims to please you, and she wanted to show me what she could do, and I still to this day think she knew what that meant to me. She answered me when I tapped her and she was ready and willing to give it her all. She gave me a ride of my lifetime! The best moment of all was walking her to get her calmed down and I would stop underneath the oak tree and lay down she would nudge me with her nose look at me waiting for me to praise her. I would rub her in between her ears and she knew then that I approved.
One of the things that I have come to find out about myself as I have been on this wonderful spiritual journey is how disconnected with the living God I use to be. The power of his word is hidden to those that do not read with an open heart and those that do not read with spiritual eyes. When I say spirit what I mean by that is one important thing and that is we have know when we connect with the living God we are not talking with an average human being. We have to know his word in order to know who he is we then connect with a holy spirit. It is a divine experience when you do, it takes concentration and dedication. Not because God is difficult this is how he operates and he operates this way because he wants your undivided attention. It is a task as one of children we have to desire or it is not going to work.
My horse looked for approval the same way we do when it comes to our Lord. We have to remember though we cannot get ahead of him, and we do sometimes that is because we do not go through the steps to learn him first. The Bible is full of amazing stories about coming to God what it not only means for you but what it means to our Holy Father. See when God taps us he wants us to be ready to go ready to run the race. Do you feel God tapping you on the shoulder? If not there is a reason, you are not ready to graduate up to the bigger horse yet. We have to stop and think why do I not feel fulfilled with my spiritual journey? See reading scripture and gathering around a table to study the Bible will do no good if you do not accept the sins that are keeping you from feeling that tap. We have to admit not only to ourselves but to the Lord the sins that are holding us back. God cannot move until you do, just like my horse she would not move until I gave her the tap. She knew then it was time to move, because I moved. It is an UNBELIEVABLE experience when you learn the lord, and know what needs to be done in order for him to move on your behalf. God wants to be with you in that field right along with you experiencing with you the freedom that he can only give. He wants to tap you and you take off to heights in your life that you can never ever obtain on our own. With him holding the reigns you can NEVER ever go wrong! He will guide you through that field of life and you will when you get to the end obtain more than a pat on the head.
One of the saddest things I think in the church today is how Christians are not taught there is much more to obtain from God. People think they have accepted the blood showed up at church and that is all they need to do. It is the most important thing you can do yes accepting the blood it is your first step, but it does not stop there. We have to understand that sin separates us from him. We are saved through the blood but repentance brings us to God we have to learn God and be a team player in the relationship in order to gain in this lifetime all that we can in order to glorify him. It is not to obtain blessings for ourselves. It is so people will look at you and know there is something supernatural working in your life that has you mentally in the right place. You have to be mentally in the right place so when someone needs spiritual guidance God can tap into your spiritual line then he can work through you to reach that person, not by what you think is right but so that you are in a spiritual mind frame so the Lord can move through you. How can he do that if you are repeating the same sins over and over? The question is have you took the first step and repented for your sins so the Lord can tap you when he is ready to move? Can he count on you to run free through that field? If you are still waiting for approval and do not feel like you are reaching your spiritual journey I can promise you God is not the one at fault he is waiting and trust me the Lord has eternity you do not one day we will be asked why? The lord will present all the people that stood before you that tried to reach you, they will receive their reward will you?
He will judge us according to the relationship that we have with Him. He will judge us based on our faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The question is did we put our faith in action, or did we reject the message of Jesus Christ? We accept the Gospel and we then put it in action. Hand in hand, arm in arm, heart to heart, when God taps me I will run, run, and run. I will not stop till he pulls those reins! I will run till I drop! For His Glory and His alone!
I will stand tall in that field in heaven as the Lord will present to me all the people that were brought into his kingdom because I felt him when he was ready to move!
Amen.
© Shannon Wendler ~ February 22, 2011
© Shannon Wendler ~ February 22, 2011