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Yesterday we introduced the concept of being sober minded. I talked about how sobriety is so much more than just ending our dependence on substances as a coping mechanism. We are in a place of real sobriety when we stop trading one coping mechanism for another and start to deal with the issues that make us want to cope in the first place.
You see, I think God wants us to be sober minded because He can't stand for us to just cope. We were made to thrive. Coping falls way short of what thriving means to me. Which would you like to have defining your life? Is just getting by good enough for you or would you like to be thriving in all that you do?
Problem is that, even that last question has to be viewed from the proper perspective or victim thinking will rule the day. You see, if we come to expect our definition of what thriving is to look like in our lives, victim thinking can't help but to be a real possibility. Thriving to God might be something totally different than what you might think thriving should look like in your life. It is when we come to grips with God's perspective on what thriving is to look like that victor living starts to be a real possibility.
I happen to believe that we fail to be sober minded when we do things to help cover over the disappointment and hurt that comes when we fail to get what we think we need to live like a victor. It is when the challenges of this life make thriving look like something we never intended that our minds take over in ways that make sobriety challenging at times. The root to many of the addictions we all face in this life can be found in the pain of failure. Whether it be the failure to succeed, the failure to be loved or the failure to connect in meaningful ways, it is when we fail that sober minded becomes a trait that goes missing in the life of a victim thinker.
If we look to our bank account as proof of a life that is thriving, we will ultimately be disappointed. If we look to our family dynamics to make us feel like we are leading a thriving life, we will find our lives wanting from time to time. Anything in this world will leave us short when it comes to the confidence to live the thriving life God wants for all His Children. It is when we look to God for all we need to thrive that victor living becomes something we can come to expect.
I happen to believe that I am able to thrive when I live in the reality that God is with me all the time. It is when I believe in His Presence that I can weather the storms of life in a way that way that can be described as thriving. It is when I trust in His presence that the storms of life don't rock me like they have in the past. Believing in and trusting in God's presence is a strategy that promises to make the circumstances of my life less impacting when it comes to whether I live like a victor or not.
Jesus had to view thriving from The Father's perspective just as we do. You see, Jesus was just as much human as you and as me. I hope that doesn't offend you, but it is the truth. That humanness in Jesus made it just as important for Him to believe in and trust in God's Presence as it is for us as well.
It was just before Jesus was to be crucified. His disciples were feeling the pressure of the time that was drawing near. Though they didn't understand what was going on, they knew something was up and they were feeling the stress of the fullness of God's plan playing out right before their eyes. One days Jesus was with His disciples and was trying to comfort them as best as He could. Phillip asked Jesus to show them The Father. He said, "... that will be enough for us."
Phillip was struggling to believe in and trust in God's Presence. It was getting hard for Phillip to remain sober minded because he doubted God's presence in His life. Though, God Himself in man form was standing right before him, Phillip wrestled with trying to thrive. Jesus answered the disciples with our reading today. Check it out with me now.
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. John 14:10-11 (NIV)
Jesus was trying to get the disciples to recognize the presence of God Himself. That's what Jesus is trying to do in our lives as well. He wants us to realize that God is right before us. You see, the death of Jesus paved the way for the Holy Spirit to come and live inside of every believer. You and I have God Himself living with us 24/7 just like Jesus did.
Sad thing is, is that this world makes it so hard to recognize God with us from time to time. It is so easy to let the stresses of this world take us to places where we think God's presence can't be expected. It is when we fail to trust in God's presence in our lives that we implement strategies that fly in the face of being sober minded. Our coping mechanisms can be some of the most victimizing strategies that our loved ones will ever face in this dark and evil world.
Jesus starts today's reading with "Don't you believe..." Reality is that, all too often I don't believe. I don't believe God's love is with me. I don't believe God's love is for me. I don't believe that I can trust in what God says is best for my life when it comes against what I desperately want for myself.
Sober minded is a characteristic of the victor. Being sober minded happens when we believe that God is with us. He's not just with us when things are going well. He's right there with us, in the trenches with all hell is breaking loose. It is when we can stand strong on the solid rock of a relationship with God that the storms of life don't knock us around like they can when we think God is somehow missing in action.
When you get that next piece of challenging news, stop. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and say God is with me. Say it over and over again. Say it until you start to think you might even believe that He is there. Reality is, He is!!! Live in the power of who you are, knowing that God is with you. Let your victor status be empowered by God's strong hand in your life today.
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