Easily Bent

(Ephesians 4:14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 

If there was ever a season when this scripture needed to be heeded it is now. There has never been a time when more people were “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” than today. According to our text, the cure for such a problem is to grow up and stop being “children”.

I am not sure how we got to this place so quickly, but one thing I am sure of is that we desperately need to go back to the fundamentals of the gospel.

I wonder…whatever happened to the ‘old time religion’?  I am not talking about religion in the negative sense, but just simple basic Bible truths where it is not necessary to analyze every word for hidden meanings.

As a result of not having this basic Bible truth as an anchor…insecurity has crept into far too many Christian lives. For many, the Bible and prayer are no longer the source of direction for making important decisions. They feel safer relying on the opinion of others.

There is certainly nothing wrong with seeking the wisdom and counsel of others, but when that is one’s primary source for direction…personal disaster is soon to follow.

I have noticed lately that more and more people are basing the direction for their lives strictly on other people’s opinions. Like reeds, they usually bend in the direction of the last wind (or opinion) that blows.

The reason this concerns me is because this is a setup for “...the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive,” as our text says.

At this point in my Meditations I usually give a personal example or story in order to support the point I am trying to make. However, I want to refrain from that today because the intent of this Meditation is to encourage and not bring more insecurity.

There is nothing quite as freeing for one than to discover they can actually hear the voice of the Lord for themselves.

That does not mean that I am suggesting the Lone Ranger theory of being un-teachable and not seeking the wisdom of others. I simply want to encourage the children of God that they can learn to hear the voice of their heavenly Father for themselves.

Father,

Help us to practice hearing Your sweet voice as we walk together in the cool of the day. Help us to understand that we talk to You in the natural, but You talk back to us by the Spirit. Heal our insecurity so we will not be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine”.

Amen