Unwavered In Wavering Times

Unwavered In Wavering Times

Sister Miki Terayama - 25 July 2021

Weekend Devotion: Unwavered In Wavering Times

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Singapore is now entering Phase 2 Heightened Alert once again, due to the spike in COVID cases over the past week or so. There are many news circulating around the cluster that has caused it and we can see many who are voicing out their unhappiness towards the people that are involved and infected. To be honest, when the news came, I was also a little disappointed that things seem to be going back and forth in this season. However, when we look deeper, this rhythm of things is not something new to us in life. There are many situations where one moment things are going good, then bad, and maybe good again. Like the relationship with our colleagues, friends, spouse, family, grades in school, career progression and such. It is almost like a pendulum effect. This can cause much frustration and even exhaustion in us, especially when adjustments have to be constantly made and we may even have to sacrifice a lot of time and effort, mentally and physically. But surely, God does not let things happen without a good purpose. And this season of the pendulum swinging back to Phase 2, instead of joining the typical commentary of the crowd, let us take this time to be even more vigil and sensitive to God’s work on our hearts and minds.

 

A Battle To Redeem Our Hearts and Minds

Now, our decisions, judgment and the way we do things are often affected by our emotions. And because of that, we use our emotions to know God and people as well. So when a good tide comes, we ride along happily with it, but when a bad things strikes, we react quickly in anger, lament, frustrations or churning out some self-driven solutions. Here is where our heart and mind has to be strengthened. In the famed Romans 12:2, it says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Now for those of us who have accepted Christ and is born again, we have the Holy Spirit to help us test and approve God’s will. However, to redeem our heart and mind from the typical and influential hold from the world, it does not come without a battle. Because 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” To wage a spiritual war, we need to battle daily with our thoughts, our hidden desires, our inclinations, our unseen idols, with the help of the Holy Spirit’s discernment and the word of God. Only after a struggle with the flesh and our sinful nature, will our heart and mind be strengthened, affirming the works of God and leading us to a journey of submitting to the Lord.

 

The Fallen World Seeks To Captivate Our Hearts

However, even as we have a renewed mind after a spiritual warfare, in this fallen world, we are often surrounded and ambushed by captivating influences. For example, the influence of fear with the increase in COVID cases, the urge to join in the crowd and criticise the people in the clusters, the pessimism that comes with more restrictions and many more. A change of situation, other people’s comments, inconveniences can so quickly manipulate our hearts and minds away from God again. Therefore, we need to always stand guard with prayers in these areas. We need to use God’s truth as our weapon. Even though we may still have weaknesses, anxiety and such, but our hearts and minds must keep battling, in order to hold fast our joy and the unchanging hope in the Lord.

 

How To Stay Unwavered In Wavering Times?

So how do we battle in our hearts and minds to be unwavered in the wavering times of the world?

 

Firstly, do not believe and trust everything our heart and mind tells us.

Often, when a thought or feeling comes, we may be quick to internalise it and respond to it. Like to get defensive, prove ourselves, think of a quick fix or confront the issue head on. But why should we not trust everything our heart and mind tells us? The spiritual reason is because we are always living in a world that feeds us different voices. It could be some belief system imparted from our family, a trend that our heart is inclined to, or an opinion that is ingrained in us by the majority. However, if we do not filter and sieve through these information, we could be digesting the wrong messages that could cause harm to our relationships, our faith in God and our own identity as a child of God. It could be a time when you are unwell and you read some health article giving you some insinuations. If you do not have the foundation of God’s truth in your heart and mind, you will easily be wavered by the worries and anxiety that the article brings you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us not just follow our heart and mind blindly, but with discernment and wisdom.

 

Counter-question your heart and mind.

Next, when thoughts and emotions pour in, we need to counter question them first. But some of us might say that we are very bad at reflecting. However, it is not about that, but on how much we know the Word and apply it to whatever comes at us. The truth of God tells us to counter question our thoughts and feelings, whether it is in sync with His Word. Just like how David reflected in Psalm 42:5, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” But later, after hearing the word of God, he said, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” So brothers and sisters, one of the most important lesson for us, believers, is after the many struggles and emotions within us, we have to deeply reflect on the state of our heart and mind. Am I often brought up before the Lord to look upon Him, or am I using my own strength on most days? Do I trust that God is my ever present hope and help? When we keep counter-questioning within us, our heart and mind will be strengthened by the Lord and we will develop a spirit that loves and relies on God, wholeheartedly.

 

As we are battling this COVID season, especially the battle within our heart and mind, let us use the truth of God to get into the battlefield. Test and approve all our thoughts and reflect on our feelings, so that we will not be easily wavered during these wavering times. God bless.

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Miki Terayama
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Miki is a full-time ministry staff at The Blessed Run Ministries. She is a sister who shares a natural, God-given affinity with children and youths. She is married to Randy (NET Group Youth Leader) and has two little ones of her own, Liora and Jude. She is involved in the children, youth and social media ministries.

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