What You Turn To is What You Turn INto

What do you turn to for strength? Whatever (or whomever) you repeatedly turn to, especially at your weakest moments, is what you eventually turn into.

For example, people who rely on alchohol to numb their emotional pain or give them a sense of "courage" can become alcoholics; likewise those who turn to drugs can become drug addicts; those who espouse "sexual healing" as a routine method of escape or look to it to build their self-worth can become sex addicts; those who turn to violence to release their pain, frustration or fears can become abusers; those who bury themselves in work can turn into workaholics.

The list goes on and on because there is no shortage of things available for us to turn to as a means of handling this rollercoaster called life. The only problem is, none of the things on the list above, including others that could have been added, ever provide a permanent solution or truly set us free from whatever ails us. In fact, often, just the opposite occurs. Some of the things we turn to for freedom or release actually end up putting us more into bondage and further away from freedom than when we started. We simply trade one set of chains for another.

So, what are we to do? Well, remember the saying, "you are what you eat"? If we want to be healthy, we have to eat healthy. As Christians, if we truly want to be able to withstand the trials, tribulations and temptations of this life, God tells us to look to Jesus Christ ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," Phillippians 4:13). After all, we are called Christians because we aim to look like Christ. The more we lean on Christ, the more Christ-like we become.

In John 15:4, Jesus tells us to "remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." What's on your vine? Whatever is on your vine gets into your veins.

When a drug gets into the body, it works its way through to the brain and affects how information and situations are processed. God's Word works the same way. When we meditate on God's Word, it gets into the brain and the heart and it begins to affect how we view and respond to situations.

What did Jesus Christ do in times of anguish and trouble? He talked to God. He trusted God. He waited on God. He was obedient to God. He stood on the Word of God. Following this example means that we may not always have a quick fix and that sometimes the fix might be painful for a while. But, if we want to do more than just exchange chains, we'll finally stop leaning on our own understanding and in all our ways acknowledge Him so He can direct our paths.

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen