Make Christ Your Life's Compass

Who would have imagined, this same time in 2019, that we will be living through a pandemic in 2020 that has changed life as we know it? Indeed, for most of us, the year 2020 has been a year like no other. The unprecedented changes to our work and social lives, not to mention the devastating stories about the significant loss of lives due to COVID-19, the growing despair due, in part, to racial injustice, climate change, and in part to the pandemic, and increasing cases of depression and suicides, are all enough reasons for us to worry about what the next year will bring. While we cannot downplay the terrifying ways the pandemic continues to wreck lives and how our individual lives have been impacted by other events that shaped 2020, it is important to acknowledge that the enormity of life's uncertainties is not peculiar to 2020 or any other year because uncertainty is a fact of life.

So, how do we deal with anxiety from the uncertainties of life, you may ask. Obviously, there are several alternatives. There is a wide range of advice from life coaches, psychologists, health practitioners, and even economists for dealing with anxiety related to uncertainties. The advice from the afore-mentioned experts can range from simple tips that focus on self-help to expert guidelines that focus on receiving therapeutic support. I believe that all these different ways may help, but only to an extent. There is a tendency for most Christians to turn solely to worldly solutions when facing any storm in life. However, we must recognize that as Christians, our first point of reference for addressing storms of life is the Word of God. If there is anything that the encounter between Eve and the serpent in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3) has taught me, it is to engage first with God in any and every situation we face in this life. Christ, who is also described as the Word, is our ONLY sure answer to navigating the uncertainties of life. In John 1:1 &14, we read:

“1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [b]Himself. 14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1:1, 14‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

Imagine for a minute that you are about to sail on an uncharted ocean and need the best compass for the sail. You would agree with me that a rational person would need the best compass for this trip. I believe most people would even choose to have all the necessary equipment before embarking on this trip. To be forewarned is forearmed, which is exactly the case when we consider dealing with the uncertainties in life. One Compass that I have depended on to navigate life is the Son of the Most High God, Jesus Christ! In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way..." meaning he knows the way, and his guidance is what you need to experience fulfillment in this life and beyond. Every Christ-follower must recognize that Christ is our only Compass for navigating life in this world. This means placing Christ at the center of our lives. Navigating life without Christ at its center is akin to navigating an uncharted ocean without the right compass. 

But what does it really mean to make Christ your life's compass? Christ's words in Matthew 7:24-27 is instructive. In the passage below, Christ talks about the two foundations upon which we can build our lives: on the rock ~ hearing and living out his words; or on the sand, ~ hearing his words but choosing to live anyhow. 

24 “So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great and complete was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27 AMP

We cannot claim to be Christians when we choose to live anyhow we please. Yes, God allows us to choose how we want to live our lives; however, He also encourages His followers to choose His way. In Deuteronomy 30, God presented some choices to His people, but He was clear about which path He wanted His people to choose. God said to His people: 

15 “Listen closely, I have set before you today life and prosperity (good), and death and adversity (evil); 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk [that is, to live each and every day] in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments (precepts), so that you will live and multiply, and that the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to possess..." Deuteronomy 30:15-16 AMP

To choose life is to choose to obey His Word even when the world dictates otherwise. When we build our lives on the solid word of God, we have nothing to worry about when faced with uncertainties because when troubles come our way, we would be well-positioned to stand with confidence in the God in whose hands we have placed our lives. As I write, I am reminded of the classic hymn by Priscilla Owens ... 

Stanza 1: 

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,

When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,

Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

 

Chorus

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Stedfast and sure while the billows roll,

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

The hymn above suggests that personal stability in the face of life's storms can only come when we have the right foundation, which is Christ! In the third stanza of the above hymn, the writer said, 

Stanza 3: 

"It will firmly hold in the straits of fear, 

When the breakers have told the reef is near; 

Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow, 

Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow," 

While life uncertainties can sometimes make us doubt or even fear, we are constantly reminded in God's word to "Fear Not," and indeed, God has not giving us the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). When our lives are built on the Word of God, then Christ is with us to still the storms of life as he did in Mark 4:35-41:

"35 On that [same] day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee].” 36 So leaving the crowd, they took Him with them, just as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him. 37 And a [a]fierce windstorm began to blow, and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already being swamped. 38 But Jesus was in the stern, asleep [with His head] on the [sailor’s leather] cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?” 39 And He got up and [sternly] rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still (muzzled)!” And the wind died down [as if it had grown weary] and there was [at once] a great calm [a perfect peacefulness]. 40 Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith and confidence [in Me]?” 41 They were filled with great fear, and said to each other, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”           Mark 4:35-41 AMP 

Beloved in Christ, what is there to fear when the one who controls the wind is with you? There is absolutely nothing for you to worry or stress about when Christ is at the center of your life. In Philippians 4:6, we read from The Passion Translation:

“Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life,” Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭TPT‬‬

As we enter the new year, I invite you, if you haven't made Christ your Savior, to invite him into your heart and make him your life's compass and to dig deeper in your relationship with Christ if you are already a believer in Christ. Get into a covenant with God as you place Christ at the center of your life. Ever since I learned to covenant with God, I have known Him to be a covenant-keeping God. Covenanting with God involves making a commitment to carefully obey His Word and holding Him to His promises. When faced with any situation, let your words align with God's Word. This means you must know His Word. I encourage you to make reading the word and prayer part and parcel of your life by asking the Holy Spirit to help you, and you will have nothing to fear as we face another uncertain year. It is only then that we can boldly declare, in the face of life's uncertainties, that On Christ the solid rock we stand! 

Happy New Year! And may God bless you, abundantly!