Savage2Saint Sobriety March 22, 2024

" I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." - Psalm 32:8 (KJV).

Not too long ago, Shevon and I were on our way home from Shreveport, LA. We got to Little Rock, AR, and the GPS started speaking through our truck speakers that we were being rerouted due to strong storms along our current route. We had a choice to make…continue on the path we were on or listen to the GPS and take a different path. A path that would have taken an additional 2.5 hours to get home. Even though it was clear skies and not a storm cloud in sight, we had to decide...trust our eyes or the GPS. After consulting our weather app (a trusted second opinion!), we decided to pull over and get a hotel room for the night.

Don’t you wish life came with a GPS? A voice that speaks to us when life’s storms are ahead. A device that reroutes us when the road is treacherous, even when we don’t see any clear danger. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I think about the relapses in my life that would have been prevented. The needless pain I have caused my family and friends. Erased. If only I had an early warning system installed that would have intercepted my course before disaster struck. A loud voice that said, "If you get in that vehicle, it will cost you the next five years of your life." If only my brothers, Justin and Bobby, had something to alert them that their lives were going to end around the next curve in car accidents.

You see, our eyes can and will deceive us! Our eyes will misinform us and tell us that since there’s no clouds in the sky, everything must be okay. Full speed ahead. No stop signs. No speed limits. That we don’t need to change our course because life is going great. The "if it's not broke, don't fix it" mentality. But what we don’t know is, trouble could be brewing, and a storm might be just over the horizon.

We may not have a life GPS available, but we do have the HS. The Holy Spirit. Psalm 32:8 - "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." (KJV). When we are in relationship with Jesus Christ, we give up the need to be in control. We speak to Him through prayer, and He speaks back to us through the Word of God. We submit our wills and our lives over to Him because many of us have learned the hard way that listening to ourselves can be the choice NOT to make! God gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us like a GPS. This is Jesus speaking in John 16:13 - "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future." (NLT).

The Holy Spirit is that early warning system we have to guide us through life’s storms. What we see with our physical eyes is irrelevant because we have learned to be led by the Spirit. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:25, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (KJV). To 'walk in the Spirit' is to walk in newness of life. To walk as a new creation who doesn't walk by sight, but by faith. Faith in the One who died for our sins, Jesus Christ.

Does walking in the Spirit mean you will never encounter another storm? I wish, but walking in the Spirit does allow you to put your faith in the Saviour who can speak 'Peace, be still' over any storm you may be facing in life. When you put your trust in Jesus, you are standing on the promises in the Bible. Promises that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6), and that He will always make a way to escape temptations you're dealing with (1 Corinthians 10:13).

You're not going to prevent storms from happening, but when you spend time talking to God everyday through prayer and reading your Bible, you will know what to do when the rain drops start hitting your windshield. Listen for the Holy Spirit's voice recalculating your route. Trust Him enough to walk by faith, and not by sight. Then obey Him. God bless!!