In our Christian walk there comes opportunities from the Alpha and Omega. These opportunities are to have the optimum ability to grow, change, end generational sin, and destroy addictions in our lives. The sign that you are in a season for this opportunity is a fair wind that will enable you to move your ship towards solving your sin issue. The Holy Spirit comes like the wind, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:8). So it is when this blessed season of fair wind enters your life on tepid seas and after great storms. This wind of the Word of God will fill your sails and take you towards salvation, saving you from your sinful struggle. But if you neglect this boon from On High, and instead row in opposite direction or put up the sails, you will find the wind gone and yourself adrift in a black sea and abyss.
Should you decide to repent, and take seriously growing up and changing into the "New Creation," () that you are; you will find no wind, but paddles to row with. Instead of letting Spirit of God sail you on to the shores of salvation and The Rock where you can lay anchor, you find yourself muscling it, having to row until your arms and flesh feels splintered, and your emotions tossed like the waves of sea. You could have had some ease or at least the first push of God's wind to get you going, but instead you chose to row, a consequence of resisting the Lord when he empowered you before. The ancient sailors and captains knew that the winds were divine, and so thanked God for his assistance in their journey. So should we behave when Savior and Holy Spirit send us the strength and stamina to slay a sinful (evil, wicked, selfish) state of being like gluttony (overeating, swallowing food in haste, and hording money). You can sail against such a sin and get some wind in your step to slay an unhealthy appetite, but if you ignore this gift, you will have to do it the hard way with the paddles of Aitkens, Weight Watchers, Jenny Krieg, and other diets instead of divine assistance.
Jesus said, "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." (John 4:34). Christ is not talking about food of earthly kind, but a will and passion, and appetite to do what the Lord wants you to be doing. So many of our addictions, bad habits, excesses, decadence, sins, and over watching of TV, overeating, and any such thing is robbing us of doing God's redemptive work and fulfilling our calling. How often has oversleeping robbed us of opportunities, or overeating hours we have to spend on treadmills and other machines that we could have spent in God's service. Maybe you have a ministry at Gym, in that case the parable does not apply, but I am talking about when a person does not choose to change in Christ's timing, they sacrifice sails and chances to do great things. It is said that the only thing people regret on their repose bed is, "the chances they never took." So much of time is wasted paddling with oars on open shores, when God had wind for our sails and people to help man the ship towards His service.
We are only wasting our time, energy, and life when we choose to row instead of raise the sails for the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). There were so many times the Trinity wanted to take you somewhere, meet someone, and serve Him in the ways you would love, using your gifts, abilities, good passions, and skills, but you in your stubborn heart chose to row. Instead of being the next Christian Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Gordon Fisherman, Herman Melville, Leonard DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, Jane Fonda, and more, you chose to row in resentment, opiates, and wickedness. You will find when you have "renewed your mind," (Romans 12:12) that you have wasted time rowing, but thankful Christ redeems all things, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28). The contingency is you have to keep loving Christ, and then He can turn your rowers back into raised sails. Now there will be time when you have to row, make not mistake, we are not promised a free ride, but the difference is that you could get things out of your life that will make the rowing easier, and allow people to join your ship and row with you, so as to make it further tell the next wind comes.
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