"Quick and Easy"

"But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded." (Psalms 64:7) You know I love those two words, "But God"; they express the power of new beginnings, no matter what direction your life might be headed in, God can change it in an instant. As incredible as that might sound, there is nothing too difficult for God, but the difficulty is in us: Are we willing to trust Him in everything and always? Sometimes it's just a matter of a hard heart needed to be softened; while other times, it's about the destruction of a strong will. Either way, it's God desire for our life to be whole and complete, how difficult that might seem to happen is totally up to us. Again, this Psalm is about "A Prayer for Protection", and whether you agree with that synopsis or not, it is really all about the direction in which we are headed, both physically and spiritually. I had a friend tell it to me like this, "You need to get low, in order to be lifted"; which is pretty much the point that Peter makes in 1 Peter 5:6, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time"; or as in James 4:10, as James expresses the perfect direction that this body is meant to go, saying, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." Here is a quick and easy way to define these two opposite directions: this body is headed towards the grave, therefore it is gravitating downwards; but our spirit is headed towards heaven, therefore it is ascending upwards. Simply put, but hard sometimes to accept, the real protection that we need requires laying down our lives. That is not about dying, although it might involve death; it's more about giving up what we are holding onto that is keeping us from giving God our all. You may know what it is that I am talking about; it's like, "Two steps forward, three steps back"; we might think we are headed in the right direction, but that other one step back will sooner or later catch up to us...
"For you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, "Everything is peaceful and secure," then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman's labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to the darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation." (1 Thessalonians 5:2-8) NLT