Not Just Knowing, but Believing

     What jumping off the cliff has meant to me is that I made myself available to be remade by putting myself into a place where I had virtually no control once I made the decision to jump. The most important component of making my decision, though, was in believing that my Parachute (Christ) would open, and so in reality, it really wasn't frightening at all, although it has felt like it. This has also shown me how our feelings betray the truth, and if we continue to cling to them, we will never experience the effects of free falling. In this spiritual scenario, we will just be assured of our Parachute's faithfulness, but never really experience or grow by it. We will be looking down the cliff with our knowing intact, but not engaging with the truth, by believing it, and therefore not reap any fruitful results in our lives.
     That is exactly the point I was at in my life before the jump. I knew that Christ died for me and loved me unconditionally, and yet I didn't choose to respond to that because, it's obvious to me now, that I didn't really believe the truth. When we believe it, we jump. "Faith without works is dead."
      I have previously on occasion made small jumps, more like from the roof of a house, and God had worked with my belief and there have been results here and there. But, the big jump is where you put everything left in you on the line; all at once. And me doing this was HUGE!!! Coming from one who my son remarked that my sense of adventure was wearing mismatched socks. He was right.
     I can't say that I have loved the free falling because my feelings have prevented full release, but I believe that I will as I continue to fall. This is a very large mountain!!! In fact it goes on forever!!!The point here is when we get to a place of letting go of the last things we had held onto, trusting them to Christ, and then believing His promises,( most of which we didn't even know existed), our eyes really begin to open to new vistas in Him. And, abiding in Him becomes the rule of the day!!! Out of that place, comes possessing the Promised Land, full of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Life within us happens.

If you find yourself in a stuck place, feeling up against a wall in your growth in Christ, and can't find your way out and you desire to have that total transformation, I suggest telling the Lord that directly, and then trusting that He will lead you into the Truth (the heart of God in Christ) that will eventually set you free. Ready, Set, Jump!!! You'll never be the same again.