Under Fire

Do you know where to go when the heat is on?

Anyone who works outside of their home is probably aware of their company's egress plan.

It shows in brief detail where to go if an emergency occurs.

I think a spiritual plan is just as important.

“When your SPIRIT IS UNDER FIRE... do you know where to escape in the Word?”

I once worked with a retired fireman, who's now gone to be with the Lord. Whenever I'd work fire trainings with him, he'd always share the same lesson from his emergency rescue days:  It's important to know your escape plan when there's a fire in your house or workplace.

He made a point that your home and your job are the two places you spend the most time. However, because you're/ we're so comfortable there, we actually don't know how to get out. His trick to test a persons ability to escape was to blindfold them, spin them a few times, and give then give them 30 seconds to get out of the room they were in. Mind you, this was at their workplace. An environment most worked in more than a few years. Yet any time we did this... very few people could get out. He would always make the point of saying the place they end up in a room was were they would be found dead when a fire fighter got to them.

Dramatic? Yes. But the point hit home every time. Not because the statement was scary, but because it was true. Even more shocking was always the follow up sentence.. what would kill them was not the actual fire, but the inhalation of the smoke. 

When you're nervous, in a high pressure situation, you breathe deeper and faster. In a setting with a lot of heat and smoke... your basically killing yourself because you've freaked yourself out. A place you call home becomes a death trap because there was never true preparation for an escape. 

Sooo.... Let's say you get overwhelmed with depression RIGHT NOW. 

What scripture would you turn to? 

You lose a very close friend or family member... what verse do you quote to yourself?

You lose your job tomorrow, who do you call for encouragement? 

When your SPIRIT IS UNDER FIRE... do you know where to escape in the Word? 

Christians looooooove to say "the Lord is my refuge in strength." But do you know exactly where that scripture is in the Bible? (Its Psalms 46 by the way.) Don't worry... i had to look it up,too. I'm preaching to myself as well. :)

My point isn't to judge whether you memorized all 66 books of the Bible. My challenge is for each of us to have a plan. A place in God's Word to go when you need help. 

I've been there... Had a really bad day and in my spiritual ignorance and love of God, I figured... I'll just open the Bible. With no direction, I opened it up and flipped through some pages. I ended up in the middle of a genealogy passage. You know..so-and-so begat so-and-so who begat so-and-so. And i was lost! I was mad! 

REALLY GOD?!? This is your Word for me right now? 

But that wasn't God's fault. It was mine. That was me walking into a wall when I needed to get to the door. 

On a normal day, when nothing is wrong. A wall serves its purpose. It helps keep the ceiling up. You can decorate it. Paint it. Outside your typical aesthetics, a wall is integral to your house. 

That passage was the genealogy of Christ. If I wanted to know how David slaying Goliath ended up setting the scene for Jesus... son of God. On a normal day it would be encouraging.

But when my life feels like it's crumbling around me, I need to know to turn to know Isaiah 41:9-10. I need to know, "I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."  I need to know that. 

When I experience loss I don't want genealogy... I can't process 50,000 names (dramatization... but you get it). I need to know Psalms 37:23-24. I need to know "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by hand."

I need to know WHERE TO GO!!! DON'T YOU? 

Looking back on my time with my favorite fireman/coworker, something else he said convicts me in this message as well. It wasn't just about that individual knowing how to get out of their home in an emergency. But their families as well. A story he reflected on many times in fire training was how unprepared him household was, when it came to fires. He was used to being THAT GUY... THE FIREMAN. If something were to happen in his home, he knew how to get everyone out. Then one day he realized, "what do they do if I'm not at home? I'm the fireman, not them." As that thought resonated with him, it did with any individual under the sound of his voice. We all thought the same thing, "I should make sure my family... my CHILD... knows how to get out." 

With that being said, does your family know where to go in the Word? 

If the answer is no... It's because of one or two things: YOU DON'T KNOW, or .YOU DIDN'T SET THE EXAMPLE. This isn't me judging at all. This is me.... Realizing me. I was both. Remember, I was the one looking in genealogy for comfort. If I didn't know where to go, my kid definitely doesn't. Our kids are following our example. If your children don't see you SEEKING GOD when hell is breaking loose around you, then you are setting them up to fail when they are the ones in the fire!

When the Bible says "raise/ train up a child" (Proverbs 22:6) It's not just saying YOU need to get YOUR KIDS together. I think it implies, considering most of the Bible is about YOU equipping YOURSELF for spiritual warfare, you children will continue what you start. 

If you only praise God when the going goes good. They'll think God is just a gift-giver and not a way-maker.