Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I stepped outside to breathe a breath of fresh air and to see what kind of morning the Lord painted before my Time with Him. The cool air met with the warm air last night and the fields are so foggy you can’t see too far into the distance at all. But I know what’s beyond the fog and if I close my eyes I can see it all. I can see the fields and the pond. I can see the deer and the squirrels eating their morning meal. I can see it all because I am so familiar with it. Isn’t that the way it is in our Journey of Faith too? We can’t always see what’s up ahead, and we don’t always Know what God is doing through our Circumstances, but if we close our eyes we can see His face and we can recall His Word, and every once in while, we can even feel the Touch of the Master’s Hand. Isn’t that the way it is for your Journey of Faith too?

They say that the average “regular church attendee” reads the Word of God approximately one hour a week. If that’s true, it’s alarming! How could any student learn any topic if they only focus on it for one hour a week? How could any professed Believer get to Know Him and how (or why?) would He speak to them if they refuse to meet with Him? Not only is one hour a week not sufficient for you to become familiar with the Word of God and to embed it into your Heart, but it’s also not enough to “paint a picture” so vivid that you can recall the Words in your Heart even when you Bible is not in your hands. There is coming a time…in your lifetime or beyond…when Christians will not be permitted to gather together for church and Bibles will be against the law. You don’t think so? Hmm…perhaps you need to be putting more than one hour a week into His Word so you can see the Truth about our future too? Sadly, if there is ever a time when the Word of God will be needed for instant replay 24/7, it will be then! If that day comes in my Lifetime I’ll be sad not to have my Bible in my hands BUT I’ve spent so much time there that I am confident that I will be able to “see” it through the fog even with my eyes closed because it’s embedded in my Heart.

It’s painful for me to see so many “regular church attendees” walking around IN the fog when I know that all they need is a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ and more time in His Word. They scoff at the Truth just the way the Bible says they will and they settle into teaching that tickles their ears because they hunger to be entertained. They might have a Bible app on their phone but it’s rarely opened or read outside of the church. Sometimes they might reach for a copy of the Bible in the pew ahead, but they can rarely find the verse in time to read along because they aren’t familiar yet. Jesus really does “love the little children” but He expects them to grow up! He expects His Children to learn and grow every day. He expects His Children to hunger to be in His Presence every day. He expects His Children to be so familiar with Him that they recognize the voice of their Shepherd without hesitation or doubt. He expects His Children to know His Word like the back of their hands and He expects His Children to obey the “rules”. That’s what growing up (or maturing in Faith) looks like and it’s the ONLY way to be Confident and Capable when the fog shows up.

If it’s foggy today, that’s okay – I can see see the beauty with my eyes closed. If my Bible was taken from me today I’d be very sad because I love it so much and I love to spend Time in it with Him every day…but I wouldn’t be lost. I’ll always have the Holy Spirit to guide me and the Holy Spirit will illuminate the Words when I’m struggling if I ask Him to. I can still close my eyes and see His Words. My Heart knows what His Word says because I Know Him. I’m a grown-up Christian still in the works so I Work on getting stronger and better every day. I appreciate the fog but I’ll never be walking in it…church or no church…Bible or no bible…I’ll always have His Spirit and I’ll always have His Word embedded in my Heart. I’ve put in the Time and effort to Mature.

How about you?