Shockwaves to Your Soul

"The LORD is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray." Psalm 25:8(NLT)

Our Heavenly Father designed life to be a very dynamic reality, and change is one of its major components. The signal that it’s time for change can come in various forms. It can be something negative like the loss of something precious, a broken relationship, or a disappointing defeat. It can also be something very positive like a job promotion, a new person in your life, or a new opportunity. Whatever it is, this change will require us to grow spiritually. We will need to leave the level we’re on and go higher in faith, love, and strength. When we receive one of life’s signals for change, and we haven’t equipped ourselves spiritually for higher heights, life can quickly become very sour. We become overwhelmed, and we forget to renew our minds to God’s Word so that we keep pace with God’s blessings.

God has designed life in such a way that it constantly prompts us to spiritually prepare. This is one of those truths that we tend to conveniently forget or neglect, but sooner or later it will come knocking at our doors. Our purpose within God’s Will and Plan does not alter its course. God wove us into His plan for the entire universe before the foundation of the world. Our path was laid even before we were born. Now, it’s our privilege and responsibility to align ourselves accordingly and stay on this path. A signal for change usually occurs when life is about to shift, and we will need to shift with it. We need to adjust not only the direction we’ve chosen to move in, but it will be necessary to change our thoughts and hearts so that we remain anchored in God’s peace and purpose.

The problem often lies within our own personal agendas. We want to be married by a certain time, have kids by a certain time, and obtain other objectives we deem important by a certain time. We’ve adopted a time schedule based on society’s standard of success. Keeping it moving and making things happen will normalize into an everyday routine that we become very accustomed to. This is all well and good when it meets the expectations of our agendas, but when it ceases to play along and things go haywire, some of us freak out.

Hiccups and slip-ups can drastically alter our momentum and deplete our stamina, and we should respond to them immediately in prayer. Yes, when something unexpected interrupts our plans, it can be disappointing and upsetting, but the peace of God must rule our hearts in these times. We must always be confident that God has the master plan for our existences. Instead of doing this, many of us take the route of fixating on the disruptions, distractions, and losses the devil throws our way. We ask questions like, “Why didn’t the relationship work out? What is wrong with me that he didn’t want to stay? Why is it that when I take one step forward, I’m forced to take two steps back?” We allow questions like these to lead us to places like “Maybe God isn’t going to bless me…” or “Maybe I’m just destined to fail.”

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 16:11 (NKJV), “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The path that God has laid before us is a straight one, but often the one we’ve chosen for ourselves is wrought with turns, twists, and detours that we can never see coming. When we begin to lean on our own understanding, and neglect to lean solely on Jesus Christ, the end result is a bounce-back that feels like a shockwave to our souls.

These shockwaves are a sign or signal that instead of looking to ourselves for the answer, we need to look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we can remain plugged into Heavenly Father no matter what comes our way. We need to hear God’s directives and see the vision of where He wants to take us. This requires us to take time to pull away from worldly distractions and fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. These are the kinds of thoughts that please God and allow us to be guided by His Holy Spirit. When we humble ourselves to God by studying His Word and spending more time with Him in prayer, we will grow spiritually and be prepared for the changes of life.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“Shockwaves to Your Soul”, written by KYada, R4C© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.