“The path of the just, as a shining light, goes forward and increases, shining brighter and brighter until it reaches its full strength and glory” (Proverbs 4:18).

As I continue on this journey of purpose, God has been showing me that I’ve been accepting the erroneous belief that life for the child of God is supposed to be an undulating experience: up for a season and down for a season, just as it is for unbelievers. While it sounds logical, it’s not biblical, per Proverbs 4:18 above.

Let me clarify, everything may not always seem to be working in your favor, but as God promised, we can trust that it’s all being worked out for our benefit.

To the average onlooker, Jesus’ death on the cross didn’t seem to be working in His favor, but over 2000 years later we see things very differently. He was in the center of the Father’s plan of redemption.

To our physical or natural eyes, Paul’s life seemed to be the perfect roller coaster journey, but when we view it with our spiritual sight, we see that he was always engaged in ministry, and in the center of God’s will. For example, some of my favorite scriptures written by Paul; Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, are referred to as the prison epistles. No undulations there! You get the point right? It’s all about purpose. Yes, purpose keeps things in perspective.

I recently heard a pastor say, “Anything that is contrary to the word of God, is not true, regardless of how appealing it sounds, it’s simply not true”. That’s it! Full stop! Period! Nothing more needs to be said, and no clarification is needed.

What erroneous beliefs are you holding on to because they’ve been accepted for generations, or become they sound clever? I repeat, if it doesn’t line up with the word of God, it’s not the truth.

Seasonal undulations happen when we fluctuate between self-reliance and dependence on God. When we are self-reliant, we tend to look inwardly and down instead of forward and up. We assign undue importance to catchy phrases and witty sayings in society.

Things that tickle our intellect and reasoning take our attention from the truth of God’s Word. So, we trade in prayer and reading the Bible for listening to TikToks and other ‘shorts’ by successful pastors, athletes, television personalities, etc. There is no substitute for communicating with our Heavenly Father.

One very popular and seemingly wise saying that I’ve heard many believers quote as scripture is, “God helps those who help themselves.” This phrase was actually coined by Algernon Sidney in his book “Discourses Concerning Government.”

Sidney was an anti-royalist who was refuting the notion that ‘God bestowed absolute dominion upon the King, and therefore one served God by serving the king’.

Isn’t that interesting? It was nothing more than a rebuttal, in a political argument, and has absolutely nothing to do with the Bible. It is actually contrary to the Bible which tells us in Isaiah 25:4, “… For You have been a stronghold for the helpless, A stronghold for the poor in his distress, A shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat.” Let me ask again, what erroneous beliefs are you holding on to and making them ‘gospel’?

Let’s consider David. He was called a man after God’s own heart, not because he was without fault, but because he always sought to do the will of God. His heart’s desire was to please God. As such, he was tuned in to the same frequency as Abba Father, and throughout the Bible, we read that he constantly “inquired of the Lord”.

Before each battle, David asked God if he should engage the enemy. For the average person, this may seem like a lack of growth: after all, we should learn from our experiences right? After battle number 5, or definitely by battle number 10, David should have known the signs that would indicate whether or not he should attack. Not so for the child of God, we are consistently dependent on Him for direction, because our main focus is purpose.

The result of this constant communication is that we, like David, can receive correction, wisdom, direction, encouragement, etc., and “…Everywhere David went, the Lord gave him victories.” (2 Samuel 8:14)

This isn’t to be taken lightly. David was successful because he was completely dependent upon God. Like David, I want God to describe me as a woman after His own Heart, not ‘after my own heart’. How about you?

One thing I especially admire about David is that although he was anointed from a young age, He didn’t act entitled, and try to run ahead of God. Are you running ahead of God, because you know you’re anointed?

Like with David, the process is important. Here are some lessons from David. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see how each is specifically significant and applicable to your life.

* We need to be so focused on the task at hand that we can fight off the lion and the bear to protect our sheep.

* We need to have spent sufficient time at the river so we know where to find the best stones for slaying giants.

* We need to have dedicated hours of practice to perfect the swing of the sling so that we can aim it, and hit the giant right between his eyes.

* We need to be so in tune with God’s voice and know His heart so well, that we refuse to seize the unexpected opportunity to ‘touch God’s anointed’.

* We need to be so open to correction, that we acknowledge our errors and repent instead of trying to make excuses.

* We need to be so convinced of how deeply and unconditionally our Abba Father loves us, that we are free to be our authentic selves with Him. That we know without any question that He hears and answers us every single time we call to Him.

Is this speaking to you, because it’s speaking volumes to me? I clearly need a lot more time on my face before God if I’m to measure up to David. Yet, David is not our standard for holiness. The seemingly impossible charge in 1 Peter 1:16 instructs us to ” Be Holy, for I (the Lord) am Holy “.

I love that our Abba Father, the Good Shepherd, thinks of everything. He knew that our righteousness was as ‘filthy rags’, and would never parallel His holiness, so He facilitated ‘our being holy’, by tying our righteous to Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 clarifies the issue. It says, “God made Christ, the one who did not know sin, to be the offering for our sin, so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us.” No undulation there! I only see purpose. How about you?

Praying from Proverbs 4: 25 – 27 and Hebrews 12:2. Heavenly Father, help us to keep “our eyes look forward. To fix our gaze directly before you. To … be steadfast in all our ways,… and to not turn to the right or the left….” May we “…look away from all that will distract us, focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith”. Amen.

If you’ve never asked Christ to be Lord of your life please pray this prayer. Lord Jesus, I am sorry for my sin please forgive me, cleanse me, and make me your child. I commit my life to you today. Amen.

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