Making Faith MagneticSample

IS THERE A WAY OUT?

While some of us are more claustrophobic than others, you know that feeling. You’re in a confined space. You feel stuck. You’re desperate to find a way out. Sometimes life feels like that. You feel trapped by a boring job or a class you can’t pass or the expectations of society or a relationship that you can’t walk away from. Whatever it is, something has you itching for deliverance. And whatever that something is will determine how you look for a way out:

If your problem is ignorance, then deliverance comes through education.

If your problem is a virus, then deliverance comes through science.

If your problem is identity, then deliverance comes through the right group.

If your problem is loneliness, then deliverance comes through a partner.

If your problem is discrimination, the deliverance comes through justice.

If your problem is your own inner thoughts, then deliverance comes through escape.

If your problem is your wife, then deliverance comes through divorce.

If your problem is a lack of money, then deliverance comes by working your way up the ladder.

As followers of Jesus, we know that the ultimate problem isn’t “out there” but right here, in each of our hearts. The ultimate problem is that we’re trapped by our slavery to self, our slavery to sin. The brokenness of our lives and the wars raging in the world around us are a result of our sin and its consequence- separation from God.

Ask Yourself:

-Have I gotten stuck in some area of my life?

-How are people in my life looking for a way out in both healthy and unhealthy ways?

Pause to Pray: Jesus, without You there is no way out of this broken world. All the ugly, all the fears, all the despair is an eternal trap, separating us from You. Unless we turn to You! Thank you for being my way out, for forgiving my sin. Amen.

Take a Next Step:

-Continue your 3-3-3 prayers! (see Day 2)

-Specifically pray over one of the “stuck” areas of your life. Ask God to give you a clear next step toward Him.