Friday Fight 156: Our Writing Standard

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF156.

Have you ever read a captivating book and found yourself drawing parallels between the story and your life? Our reading preferences may vary from fiction to nonfiction, poetry to prose and our perspective. Suppose we were to view our lives as a story, a narration still in progress? Would this perspective alter our anticipation for the unwritten pages, and how might it enrich our spiritual journey?

Our Writing Standard:

In a previous post (FF 112), I discussed how God incredibly restores our story. For this post, I want to shift our focus to the present tense. Our current writing standard is not just a product of our efforts but a reflection of His ongoing work in our lives. Yes, God graciously restores painful chapters, but if we turned to the current page of our manuscript, would we see evidence of His writing standard? If so, what would it look like?

A considerable part of writing is understanding the purpose, the reader, and the tone in which the message is conveyed. Yes, sometimes it is as simple as reflecting on the message to the reader, whether it has color or tone and whether my intentions are being expressed in a way that offers evidence of where my writing is rooted. Other times, confusion in transitions make writing more difficult.

If God is the author of our narrative, are we granting Him full access to our lives, or are we allowing fear to control our decision-making? If we are, our anxieties can impede what God has planned for our future chapters, which can begin with confusion in transitions. He has given us the choice to trust Him. Psalm 27:1 reminds us that the Lord is our light and our salvation-whom shall we fear? Worrying about the future does not demonstrate trust in His writing standard when we are tightly gripping the pen or are fearful of the tempo or color. Reflecting on the past will not alter what we wish to change because change can only happen by focusing on each present day. Following Christ and his incredible story transforms our narrative because our desires, purpose, and perspective shift.

When we walk with the intention of drawing closer to God, our reflection shows our new life in Him, and our story gives evidence of where it is rooted. Does this mean our writing tone, or our life is always easy or light? Of course not! But when darkness comes and attempts to hinder our spiritual growth with fear by focusing on previous chapters, we know that through it all, the light of Christ offered glimmers of hope in our pain. Those watching who live in and experience darkness will find peace and comfort in the light of Christ that illuminates from our story.

As we reflect on the most profound story of all time - the life of Christ, let His words be the guide that we follow, the narrative that others can't wait to read! Let each of us have page after page of illustrations of Christ invading the darkness in our lives, transforming the color and tone with every paragraph representing another day we have surrendered. In our story that is currently being written, let's strive to show evidence of our faith through lifting others in prayer, worshiping together, and impacting those around us in a way that honors God. It's not our role to edit, delete, or rearrange another person's narrative but to illuminate the life of Christ in our own. When we fully surrender to God, He will use us to set a writing standard for others to follow. Let's praise God for this incredible opportunity.

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert