The Strength in a Word

I love this photo. The first time I saw the image was when a friend shared it in a Facebook post. The content of the post was so precious. The image...so powerful. As I looked at this warrior woman, there was an echo in my spirit of a truth it captured. There was something in this that resonated so deeply within me.

There is a very real spiritual war going on and we are all in it, whether we realize it or not. As women who love the Lord, we are called to daily take up arms to face the battles we will encounter by daily putting on the full armor of God so that we may stand firm against the schemes of the devil. We do not put on armor in case there will be battles. We put on armor BECAUSE there WILL be battles. These battles will vary in intensity from small skirmishes to bloody encounters, but whatever these spiritual battles are like, we will not get through them unscathed. We will not come through unchanged.

I love to think of what it must look like from the heavenly realm, when God's people are suited up for battle. We need to remember that it is warrior language being used in Ephesians 6 when Paul gave the command to put on the full armor of God. This was a command not just given to the men. It was given to all believers, men and women alike. I know we know this, but do we really know this and live like this?

 There are wounds and scars that come out of our individual journeys. There are sorrows and losses that will come. There are trials and triumphs that will be experienced. While these battles can leave us injured, and at times feeling broken, the Lord will use these battles and wounds to do a work in us. He will use these battles to draw us closer to Him. If we find our strength and wrestling against these battles in the Lord, if we allow Him to do a work in us as we walk through these times, if we rely on Him and put on the whole armor of God and remain steadfast in Him, there is a beauty that cannot be overwhelmed by these battles. Instead, there is a beauty that becomes something more than it was. There is a beauty that speaks volumes of the trials and struggles. There is a beauty that comes from being a warrior woman who loves the Lord and finds her hope and strength in Her God.

As I thought of warrior women who love the Lord, I was so filled with wonder when I realized a passage of scripture that I have read literally hundreds, if not thousands of times, said something far more profound, exciting, and encouraging than I could  ever have imagined. It was actually one word that gave me such a sense of excitement. The passage is one of the most famous in Scripture. It is Proverbs 31. Most people have heard the description of the Proverbs 31 woman. It begins in Proverbs 31:10 with, "Who can find a virtuous woman?"  However, "a virtuous woman" is not what the text should say. 

The word translated in this verse as "virtuous" is the Hebrew word chayil. It is used 256 times in the Bible. Only three times it is translated as "virtuous." Each of those times, it is connected to a woman.The other 253 times this word is used in Scripture it is usually connected to battle and valor.

 The meaning of chayil is strength, power, might. According to Strongs, chayil is "probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength:—able, activity, army, band of men (soldiers), company, (great) forces, goods, host, might, power, riches, strength, strong, substance, train, valiant(-ly), valour, virtuous(-ly), war, worthy(-ily)." 

When taken in the fullness of its meaning, this word is one full of military imagery. It is full of power and strength. It is a word full of action and bravery. It is a word that calls to mind armies, soldiers, and battles. This is the Hebrew word that is used to describe David's mighty men. It is the word used to describe God as a strong fortress in 2 Samuel 2:22. This is a word packed with power and military might in its meaning. This is the word in Proverbs 31:10. 

It is a different picture that comes to mind when Proverbs 31:10 is translated using the correct meaning of the word. I love when the correct definition is applied. "A mighty woman..... a valiant woman...a strong woman....." Keep in mind, when it is using strong, mighty, valiant, it should be military imagery of one going to battle. The picture that comes to my mind is the warrior woman in the image above. I picture a Godly warrior woman girded up in the full armor of God doing battle through prayer and intercession. I picture a mighty woman of God standing fast with the sword of the Spirit as the attacks come and the battles get heated. I see a mighty woman of God relying on the shield of faith that deflects the flaming arrows of the enemy. I picture a strong woman with her feet girded in the peace of the gospel, bringing care, love, and good news to those in need.  I see a valiant, mighty woman who is surrounded by other valiant, mighty women, who come alongside one another to do battle together in prayer and encouragement. Like David and his mighty men, these valiant women face spiritual battles together. What power in the strength of God there is when we join in battle with one another. What precious comfort there is in this truth.

There is something else to realize regarding Proverbs 31:10. Some Bible translations have the word ishshah translated as "wife" instead of "woman." I think the reason it is translated as wife is because of verse 11. However, this passage is not about one specific woman who is a wife. It is about a mighty woman. If she is married there are are a few verses in this passage that point out what kind of impact this kind of woman has on her family. Verse 11 is one of them. You can see this in Proverbs 31:11-12, 28. Proverbs 31 is not just for married women. It is for every chayil woman out there who fears the Lord. I feel such a surge of joy as I think on the truth that we are called to be mighty women of strength and valor whose trust and faith is in the Lord.
 

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Upon This Rock...

When I was five, my dad was in our driveway working on his old brown Dodge car. As usual, I wanted to be right in the middle of things, so Dad let me "help" him. He tasked me with taking a jug and filling it with water. I happily did as he asked. I ran off to fill the jug and then traipsed back across the yard sloshing water all over myself and the ground as I went. When I got back to the car, I set the water jug on the bumper and climbed back up on the car to continue "helping". Dad was preoccupied with  something in the engine when I asked him where he wanted me to pour the water. Apparently he did not answer quickly enough for my liking, so I asked him again....and again...and again.

Somewhat exasperated, Dad lifted his head, quickly pointed, and with a hint of frustration in his voice said, "Right there!"

So I began to pour the water where he had pointed. Next thing I know, Dad with a panic filled voice was yelling, "What are you doing??!!! Stop!!!!! Stop!!!!!"

I stopped and responded,  "I am putting the water where you told me to."

 I was so confused. I thought I was following directions very well....especially for me. This should be a good thing, not a bad thing.....or not. Apparently the carburetor does not need a gallon of water dumped into it, but that is just what it got that day. When I had asked where to pour the water, Dad thought I knew where it should go. He thought I was being hard headed or obstinate (which if you know me, you know is not a stretch), so he had sarcastically told me to pour the water into the carburetor. Although my gift of sarcasm has been well honed over the years, it was pretty much non-existent back then. As soon as the initial reaction faded for Dad, he started to laugh. He said it dawned on him that he was dealing with a five year old who had no clue about the inner workings of an engine.

If I had been older, maybe I would have made sure that was really where Dad wanted me to pour the water, but I was just a little person. I followed the directions of the one who seemed to know what they were talking about. I didn't question. I just did it. I have been thinking about how often we do this with Scripture. We will automatically accept what someone says about Scriptures because they seem to know what they are talking about. We fail to dig in to make sure it is correct. At times this can lead to wrong interpretations of Scripture and that can get us off track.  One example of this is in Matthew 16:13-19 when Jesus is speaking to His disciples and He asks them a question.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 

And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." 

 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:13-19

This Scripture passage is commonly misunderstood by many of us in the Church. We have taken this conversation and built a picture of Peter's role in the early Church. We have missed the grand scope of what Jesus was saying.  Some churches have built entire systems around this error in understanding, and have made Peter the very rock upon which the Church was built. Many in the Church have elevated him to a role that was never his. Don't get me wrong, Peter's role in the early Church was huge and awesome. But he was never the rock on which the Church was to be built. He was part of the foundation stones on which the Church was to be built, but he was not THE ROCK. However, it is understandable that from reading the text in the English we could draw conclusions like that and get off track. 

Our misunderstanding of this passage goes something like this, "Jesus said Peter is the rock Jesus was going to build His Church on. Furthermore, Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom." From here all kinds of assumptions and errors are made. This, however, is not what Jesus said. What He did say was, "....I also say to you that you are Petros, and upon this Petra I will build My Church..."

Petros in the Greek is a masculine noun meaning a stone, pebble, or rock - one that can be moved or shaken. Petra in the Greek is a feminine noun that means a boulder, rock, or cliff - one that cannot be moved or shaken. When Peter answered Jesus, Jesus first called Peter by his given name Simon Barjona. He tells Simon Barjona that he is Peter (Petros). When Jesus said this to him, Peter already had this nickname.  Jesus had given it to him when he first became a disciple of Jesus (John 1:42). This time what Jesus seemed to be letting Simon Barjona know was that his nickname had a deeper meaning and was important to the conversation they were having. His nickname points to his role as a stone or pebble in the divine building plan. So if Peter is called to be a stone and not the rock that the Church was to be built on, what was the petra, the boulder, the rock that Jesus spoke of in His reply to Peter?

Jesus had asked his disciples a specific question.  When Peter answered, Jesus told him that he was stone and that he had answered correctly, and upon this rock, petra, Jesus would build His Church. Peter had declared that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and it was on this truth that had been revealed to Peter by the Father in heaven, that Jesus would build His Church. Jesus is the ROCK who cannot be moved or shaken. It is upon Him the Church would be built. He is the Rock, the Petra.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments,  Jesus is ALWAYS the Rock. The first time the word rock is even mentioned in Scripture is when Moses is told to strike the rock in the wilderness to bring forth water. This is a picture being given in advance of Jesus being struck to bring forth living water. Paul even tells us this in 1 Corinthians 3:4:  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 

Jesus is the the rock, the chief cornerstone upon which the Church would be built, and we are all the living stones being built up as a spiritual house. Peter (aka Pebble) wants to make sure we understand this in 1 Peter 2:4-8:

 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER [stone,] AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."  This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, "THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER [stone,]" and, "A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE"; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this [doom] they were also appointed.

Peter wanted to make sure that everyone knew their roles. It almost seems like the Holy Spirit knew we would get this wrong. Peter declares that we are the living stones being built up into a spiritual building and that Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, is the chief cornerstone of the spiritual building. Jesus is the Rock of offense. He is the Chief Cornerstone of the Church He is building.

But what about the rest of Jesus' answer? What about the keys to the kingdom? Were those given to Peter specifically? Many Christians believe they were. But what does the text actually say? As Jesus stood talking to the disciples about what was to come, the first stones that would become part of the foundation of the Church were gathered around Him. Jesus told His disciples that He would build His Church and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. Jesus then goes on to say, "I will give you the keys...".  Jesus was not saying, "you, Peter", but "you, my Church...". The Church would be given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. But what does Jesus even mean by this?

The meaning for keys in the Greek is power and authority.  The Church would be given power and authority from on high. The disciples did not understand it at the time, but they were going to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to go forth as living stones to be built up into the spiritual building that would be the Church. They would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work laid before them. They were given power and authority from Heaven with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells every follower of Jesus, and since the veil was torn, we have access to the Father through Jesus. Jesus tells the disciples the keys of the Kingdom would be given to His Church.

Yes, Peter was a rock, but he was a stone. He was not "the Rock" upon whom the Church would be built. Yes, Peter was given the keys to the kingdom, but so is every other follower of Jesus. Every one of us as followers of Jesus are His living stones with the keys to the Kingdom that He is building into His Church. He is building that Church upon the Rock,  Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus is THE ROCK.

The water did belong in the engine of my dad's car. It just didn't belong where I was pouring it. Pouring water in the wrong location made the engine not work the way it was supposed to. This  made things more complicated than they needed to be. A lot more had to be fixed because I put the water in the wrong place. The same can be said for when we don't understand something clearly in Scripture, if we try to put things or people where they don't belong. We can make quite a mess of things and make things a lot more complicated than they need to be. I love that we can go straight to God's Word to seek truth and understanding. I pray that we always seek to understand the truth of His Word through His lens, the Word of God. I pray our desire is deeper intimacy with Him, and that we would live our lives as living testimonies of the goodness, love, and mercy of God. As the Church, I pray we would be good ambassadors for our King, our Salvation, our ROCK. 

Easter Advent Day 6: The Sign of the Cross

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, "Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews." John 19:19

Pilate did not want to condemn Jesus to die. He knew he was sentencing an innocent man. He also knew he had been manipulated by the Jewish leadership into doing their dirty work. He gave in to them, but he did not do it without finding a way to give them a slap in the face. That said, I don't think Pilate actually knew just how epic that slap was. It was magnificent!!

In the Roman world, when a criminal was sentenced to death, a wooden board was inscribed with the criminal's crime or crimes. The board would then be hung around their neck of the criminal or carried in front of them as they went to their crucifixion. Once the criminal was nailed to the cross, the board would be nailed above their head to declare their guilt. After Jesus was condemned by the governor to die, Pilate himself wrote up the titulus that was to be nailed above Jesus' head on the cross.

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS." Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin [and] in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

When the leadership told Pilate to change his inscription, Pilate responded with a resounding no, but something gets lost in our English translations. Pilate's response recorded was in Greek and in the perfect tense, so his words actually read, "What I have written will always remain written." How true his words were!

It is important to note that not only at the cross, but on the way to the cross, the crowds that  filled the streets would have been watching the procession of criminals being marched to their deaths. They would have read the crime committed by this bloodied and beaten "criminal", the one whose face had been marred beyond recognition. The city streets were spilling over not just with residents of Jerusalem, but Jews who had traveled from far and wide to be in the holy city for Passover. These visitors did not all speak the same language, but by writing the titulus in three languages, Pilate took care of this problem. Anyone who wanted to could read what he had written. But did Pilate really even know what he had written? 

Did Pilate know that he had upset the Jewish leadership? Yes. Arguably, that was his intent. But did he know just how upset he had made them? Not a chance! His words packed a supernatural punch. Actually, it was a supernatural triple punch!

Jesus was the rightful heir to the throne of David - King of the Jews - and everyone in Israel knew it. The people of Israel kept meticulous genealogical records, especially those of the lines of the priests and kings. These records were kept until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.  Although there had not been a Jewish king on the throne since the time of the Babylonian captivity, hundreds of years before, every Israelite always knew who was next in line to the throne of King David. They believed the prophecies of a son of King David one day sitting on the throne in Jerusalem again. 

In the Gospels, every time someone referred to Jesus as the Son of David, they were publicly proclaiming His place in this genealogy. We can see the record of Jesus' legal claim to the throne of David in the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. The leadership of Israel was very aware of who Jesus was, but they had been trying to undermine Him at every turn. They were unsuccessful....until now. Now, through Pilate they thought they were going to forever do away with the King of the Jews. With His crucifixion, there would be no one to threaten their claim to power and authority. The problem was, in his inscription, Pilate was declaring who Jesus was and by doing this, indirectly pointing out the Jewish leadership's treasonous act. Pilate may not have known it, but the Jewish leadership knew very well they were crucifying the rightful heir to the throne of Israel. But this was not the only part of the inscription that had their feathers ruffled.

 Pilate had begun his inscription with, "Jesus the Nazarene", which seems pretty unremarkable until you look a little closer through the lens of the language it was written in. Remember that Pilate had written the inscription in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew? When Pilate translated Jesus the Nazarene into Hebrew, it became a play on words that proclaimed, Jesus the Nazer. Nazer is transliterated  from the Hebrew word Natser which can be found in the Old Testament in some very specific verses.

 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. Isaiah 11:1

"Behold, [the] days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. Jer 23:5

'In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. Jer 33:15  

 'Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you--indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. Zec 3:8 

  "Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. Zec 6:12  

Pilates inscription in Hebrew read, "Jesus the Branch. The King of the Jews". The magnitude of what was being declared in these two lines is so powerful and overwhelming. But there is one more thing that is hidden in the inscription that we must not miss, because it is SO AWESOME!!!! Pilate had written, Jesus the Nazarene, The King of the Jews. Keep in mind, Hebrew is read from right to left, so the words are read:

The Jews          The King       The Nazarene     Jesus
 

Image: Khouse.org

Whether Pilate was aware of it or not, he had put an acrostic in his inscription. An acrostic is when the first letter of each word in a phrase is taken to spell another word. They were often used in ancient Hebrew writings.When you take the first letter of each word in Pilate's inscription, you get the letters YHWH. This is the unpronounceable name of God which is translated in English as Yahweh or Jehovah and means the eternal, self-existent one. Praise God!! This is incredible!! 

Pilate may have done the acrostic as a final intentional slap in the face to the Jews, or it may have been done with a little help from above. Either way, a divine declaration of truth was being made. The truth of Who was going to the cross that day was being proclaimed for all to see. The righteous Branch of David, the King of the Jews, the Eternal God was carrying His cross to the hill called Golgotha where He would be crucified so that He could take on our punishment of sin and death. He died for our sins. He willingly became sin for us.  The Eternal God came down into His creation. He came down for us. He defeated sin and death on that cross that we might have reconciliation and relationship with God through Him, and eternal life through Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews, The eternal God.

The Jewish leadership wanted to maintain the power and control in their world. They did not want someone to challenge their decisions and ambition. They wanted the power, leadership, and glory for themselves. We are just as guilty. We want to be the god of our own lives. We want to live for ourselves and our own desires and ambitions. But that does not change who is actually on the only true throne. But He who sits on the Throne of all of creation and eternity came to make a way for us to have true and intimate relationship with Him. To have true intimacy and relationship with God, we have to remove ourselves from the throne of our hearts. True relationship with God happens when we abide in Him and not in ourselves, but we can only do this by the Spirit.

This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. I John 3:23-24

Thank you, Jesus for coming and making a way for us to have eternal life through You. Thank you for going to the cross for us. Thank you for suffering the humiliation and shame. Thank you for suffering what I will never be able to comprehend - the separation from the Father because you became sin on our behalf.  Thank you for defeating sin and death for us. Thank you for loving us so much.

Little Sister....

I sat on a little beige and black stool at the counter in Mrs. Stanton's kitchen eating spaghetti and meatballs. I could barely sit still. I had been waiting for this day FOREVER. On that day, I was exactly 3 years and 8 months old. I know this because the day was March 15, 1974. It was my Dad's birthday, and it was the day my Dad's birthday present was supposed to arrive. This was the day our parents had been telling my brothers and me about for months. It was the day Veronica Lois Grandfield would enter our world. It was the day that changed my world forever. It was the day I got my first little sister.

I remember so many things about the months leading up to Veronica's arrival. For one, that my parents knew the day she was going to be born was talked about between my brothers and me a lot. We were going to have a new baby on a very specific day - Dad's birthday. Knowing the anticipated date was not through medical planning of induction or anything like that. It was because God told them when she would arrive. I remember people laughing when Dad would say he had a special present arriving on his birthday - a new baby. I also remember Mum craving banana splits from Dairy Queen and Dad going to get them for her - only to have her not want them by the time he got back because she had lost the craving by then....every time.  I remember so many kitchen visits Mrs. Stanton and Mum had during the months leading up to Veronica's arrival. I remember my absolute hatred for cream of celery soup (homemade with big chunks of cold celery) coming from those same days. For the record, the hatred for that terrible soup lives on to this day. I also remember those months leading up to Dad's birthday hoping and praying his birthday present would be a baby girl. I had awesome big brothers, but I wanted a little sister. 

And then it happened.....I remember the moment we were told we could run across the yard from the Stanton's house to our single wide mobile home where Veronica had finally made her debut appearance. And things were never the same. My world was changed.

From the moment I met the blond haired, blue eyed baby who looked more like a little angel than a little human, I was smitten. She was my living doll. She was the sweetest, happiest baby ever. Her first word at nine months old was "Hallelujah!!". She would say it over and over and over as she clapped joyously. My brothers and I would get her to perform this amazing feat for anyone who came to visit. We thought it was awesome! Veronica was the happiest little person, always spilling over with giggles and the sweetest belly laugh. Dad called her "Giggle Box", but his forever nickname for her was, "Suggary-Sweet", and suggary-sweet she was. 

Through the years I have been blessed to make so many memories with my first little sister, and we have so many stories that make up the journey of our lives together so far. Besides the years of growing up in the same household, we were roommates, travel-mates, and friends. We have walked intimately with one another. We have laughed, cried, agreed, disagreed, and everything in between. We have walked together in times of rejoicing and mourned together in times of loss. My love for my first little sister has grown deeper, stronger, and sweeter with every passing year, and I cannot imagine my life without her. I cannot imagine not having her love and support. I cannot imagine not having her as my first little sister. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness that God ordained for us to be sisters, and I am especially thankful for our shared deep and abiding love for Jesus. I am so thankful I will get to relationship with my first little sister forever. I am so thankful for my dad's best Birthday present ever, Veronica Lois Grandfield Stevenson. Happy Birthday, Veronica. I love you forever.

To Autopilot or Not to Autopilot.....

This past week I had to go somewhere I had not been before. My destination was a home in a neighborhood halfway between San Antonio and Boerne. The house was a few miles off the highway.  Fair Oaks Parkway was the main road that took you in a good part of the way. I have been on Fair Oaks Parkway so many times, so that part of the drive was pretty straightforward.  Once I turned off Fair Oaks Parkway, it was another matter. I found myself meandering along roads I had not been on before. There were a lot of twists and turns. GPS Navigation was my best friend at this point.

When I headed home from there, GPS was once again needed to get me out of this unknown land. As soon as I plugged in my destination, I turned on a podcast and started my journey home. Once I turned on to Fair Oaks Parkway, I thought to myself, "Well, I certainly don't need my GPS to get home from here. It is autopilot time." 

I continued my drive home on autopilot for the next little while. The podcast I was listening to was amazing. I was completely wrapped up in it. At one point a beautiful story was being shared and I found myself driving along the road with tears running down my face.  It was a beautiful time as a cruised along on my merry journey home.

After I had been cruising down the road for a while, I saw a movie theater on my right. My brain went into "try to make sense of this" mode. The first direction it went was, "Huh...that theater looks just like the one in Boerne. When did they build that? What road did they build it on? Funny it is like a mirror of the Boerne one." Then my brain immediately followed from there to, "Wait! If that is the Boerne theater, it is on the wrong side of the road for my route home. Wait! I didn't go to Boerne, so how could I need to pass Boerne from this direction?"  This flow of thoughts took mere seconds. Then it dawned on me. When I had come out to the highway from Fair Oaks Parkway, without even a thought, I had turned away from home. My autopilot was so engaged, I didn't process the decision as a decision. I just merged onto the access road that would let me jump right onto the highway. 

Once I got myself turned around and was headed home, in the right direction this time, the first thought that came to my mind was, how many times do we do this in our walk with the Lord? How many times do we try to make things fit what we think is true instead of immediately realizing we need to check our map - that we may have taken a wrong turn somewhere. WE then end up headed in the wrong direction in our thoughts or beliefs on something. We make the assumption that any error must be external from us - it couldn't possibly be our error. 

In our daily walk with the Lord, we can go into autopilot mode so easily. We get so settled and comfortable, that our walk can become a routine and not a relationship. We think we already know something or we have already been down this road, so we don't really need to revisit it or spend time there. I can think of so many times when I have sat in church when the pastor starts talking about a passage of Scripture, and I have zoned out because it is something  that I have heard "a thousand times before." Or what about the times when praying that I have turned on autopilot which means I have missed out on the intimacy and relationship with our Lord by not truly being present in the moment? How many times do I think I already know something about Scripture, when I need to be ever vigilant to follow the map of God's Word and not make assumptions based on my thoughts or feelings?

When I am on autopilot and not actively seeking and engaging in relationship with Jesus, I can end up off track very quickly. I can find myself somewhere I am not supposed to be. I need the constant GPS navigation of God's Word to know truth and stay on course. If I want to know who God is and what HE says about things, I need to stay actively engaged with Him in His Word and in prayer. I need to not assume that from my own thoughts and feelings I know God's thoughts and feelings on something. When I do this, I am forming a god of my own making. I am making a god that lines up very well with how I think and feel - which very conveniently lets me keep doing the things I want to do - there doesn't need to be any crucifying of my flesh. I can just cruise along in my life with the autopilot firmly engaged.

We as followers of Jesus need to be alert even when we are on a familiar route. We need to always be intentionally living and walking with our precious Lord. We need to keep the spiritual GPS of the Word of God running at all times AND need we must pay attention to it - not just have it on for background noise. Just having it running is no different than being on auto pilot. In order for us to not get off track in this life journey,  the twists and turns must be directed by the truth of God's Word. I am so thankful He gave us His Word to guide us, teach us, and draw us to Him in relationship. I am so thankful for a clear and true path that leads to life eternal.