How to Stay Anchored in Faith Through Life's Ups and Downs
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”
What changes day to day that controls or majorly affects your life? Do sudden changes or storms toss you around? When we look at the Word of God, what does the Lord expect from us during the tough times and the good times? Figuring out these questions in your own life is how you begin to stop the emotional rollercoaster.
I have not met one person who is excluded from the ups and downs of life. We have all experienced sudden heartache and sudden victory. As followers of God, we have the gift of being able to anchor our lives, emotions, and experiences in faith.
If you can imagine a ship not anchored in a storm, it's going to wind up on some weird island full of monsters and scary giant stuff. I've seen that movie. It didn't end well for those people.
Now picture a ship anchored and immovable, with the people on board unafraid because they trust that what holds them is connected to something that will not fail. That's what it looks like to be anchored in faith.
When life is going well, the natural human tendency is to think we've suddenly become self-reliant and forget what God brought us through. The Bible gives us responses to this.
Gratitude. Recognize that every good thing—success, joy, and comfort—is a gift from your heavenly Father.
Humility. Guard your heart against pride. It is easy to think your own strength or intelligence built your success, but we know that none of this was possible without Him.
The good times are much easier for us to deal with mentally, but they are just as serious when it comes to our faith. During the hard times, the Lord wants us to come to Him in prayer and create a relationship of dependence on Him instead of anxiety. During the good times, the Lord wants us to remember what He brought us through and thank Him for the beautiful gift we are experiencing.
If a ship's anchor is just dropped rather than power-set, it only rests on top and can slip under heavy loads.
Power-set your anchor with faith, thankfulness, and humility in the Rock that is immovable and will never fail. When we are truly anchored in faith, the circumstances around us can change without changing what holds us.
Are you anchored?
Thank You, Father, for one more day. Amen.
James 1:16-18
“So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.”
