In thinking about the ocean, it is a body of water symbolic of instability.
It is never the same from day to day... One minute it is gentle and rolling
and the next it is filled with roaring, life threatening waves! It is
a slave to the winds and the moon, which cause the sea to behave in such
a fickle fashion. How long do you stay the same, dear lady? By that I
mean, how long after purposing in your heart to do things differently,
in light of God's Word, do you remain constant in your commitment? What
would you say causes men and women to conduct their lives in an unstable
manner or be robbed of stability altogether? Proverbs 5:6 says of the
strange woman that "her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them."
This woman is of a slippery nature... Further down in verse 8, the Bible
counsels us to remove thy way far from her and come not nigh the door
of
her house. Yes, God warns us against instability in other's lives - as
well as our own...
Proverbs 24:21-22
My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that
are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth
the ruin of them both?
A person with a tendency toward instability inflicts great misfortune
upon themselves and those who know them. God says it is best not to be
connected with or participate in their affairs. Like the ocean, you never
know from one day to the next what you are dealing with and you could
both end up shipwrecked!
James 1:7b-8
....For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind
and tossed. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Perhaps you know someone who is always experiencing "second thoughts"
about certain issues going on in their life. Every circumstance that comes
up leaves them tossed and tormented, confused and uncertain; their emotions
and their decisions waver. Maybe that someone is you! Have you ever been
ashamed of your unsteadiness? What causes one to be so anxious? What causes
us to vacillate back and forth in an unsettled fashion? Perhaps as you
read the Biblical account below the answer will occur to you…
John 6:57-69
[57] As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he
that eateth me, even he shall live by me. [58] This is that bread which
came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead:
he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. [59] These things said
he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. [60] Many therefore of
his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying;
who can hear it? [61] When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured
at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? [62] What and if ye shall
see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? [63] It is the spirit
that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life. [64] But there are some of you
that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him. [65] And he said, Therefore said
I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him
of my Father. [66] From that time many of his disciples went back, and
walked no more with him. [67] Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye
also go away? [68] Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall
we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. [69] And we believe and are
sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Ladies, stability does not mean to be deficient in change, but rather
moving with God in every circumstance! One reason people's lives are in
such a mess is because men have been reluctant and even refused to depend
upon the wisdom of God. Jesus teaching is not hard to understand but hard
to accept once it is understood! Hence, people leave territory wide open
for the enemy to come in and toss them in either one direction or the
other. Those who have not wholly committed themselves to the Lord will
find their unbelief in His Word leads to defection. In what state are
you today, dear lady; will ye also go away?? Does His Word offend you
or can you accept and go with what you have understood? The righteous
person is one whose heart is fixed, and trusting in God...
Psalm 112:7
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in
the Lord.
Is your heart rooted in the strength of your Maker? In the precise moment
the conflict comes, the righteous man or woman is filled with confidence
in the Lord, rather than "second thoughts" or fears and anxiety. Exactly
what is a "second thought"? It is the one that follows the first thought
- usually the one that fills you with doubt! If there are to be any "second
thoughts", they must assist the first thought - especially if it was fixed
upon God and leaning toward trusting in Him! Ladies, if your second thoughts
are threatening your faith, then they have been placed in your mind by
the enemy and are to be cast down!
Hebrews 13:9
Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good
thing that the heart be established with grace....
When you are tempted to return to old ways of dealing with issues, rather
than tossing aside the grace you received when you first believed, continue
in it, mature in it, establish yourself in grace and make stability a
permanent part of your character! Stay with your first thought of God;
stay with the Word of God! There is profit when it is mixed with faith…
Determine to walk in the path of duty, not doubt…
Galatians 1:6
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the
grace of Christ unto another gospel...
The Galatians spoken of here had captured Paul's attention and forced
him to stop and wonder over their impulsive decision to abandon the grace
of God for another gospel. Their departure from the Lord was a dangerous
decision, to say the least! Unstable people do force us to pause and reflect
curiously upon their fickle behaviors. Ladies, corrupt teachings produce
corrupt living... Somewhere along the way the wrong advice was taken.
Obey the Lord and stay away from people or materials that cause an inward
commotion and shake your allegiance to Christ! You must even be suspicious
of your own heart. If you want to avoid instability, then don't take a
"second thought" against God's counsel...
Psalm 106:13
They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:
It's incredible how soon man forgets the marvelous works of the Lord in
his life! It's equally incredible how soon we turn our backs upon His
counsel and give in to our own plans. Would that we were as quick to forget
our desires, and ourselves, amen? In our haste, we willingly trade in
God's matchless grace for instability! Just as the waves are restless,
we too, become restless in spirit. Unstable souls are easily beguiled...
Opinions or thoughts contrary to the law of God must be forsaken!
Genesis 49:4a
Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel…
Ladies, if you want to stop being torn over what to do, ask God for wisdom,
and trust that He will give it to you. Stay in His Word and obey it and
you will excel! Don't wrestle with God's guidance, just submit to His
authority and avoid all the turmoil that accompanies a lack of faith.
Then your decisions will be sure and solid - never having to give them
a second thought!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2001 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003
