18 Inches Away

I once heard that salvation from Christ Jesus is only 18 inches away (or there about) from head to heart. We hear about Salvation and we receive it in our minds but sometimes, for some of us, it can take a while to find a home in our heart.  That makes me think of God’s truth as a whole.  It’s “a process” that is continuing as we walk with the Lord. And our faith builds little by little as we live out His word in our daily lives.

Lately I know I’ve shared about a lot of trials that many I know are going through. My heart breaks for each and every friend. Sometimes there are ‘highs’ and sometimes ‘low’s’ in these trials. Sometimes these trials come to an end sooner that we thought and others there seems to be no end in sight. We can get so tired and weary. We get so burdened down that our spirit and heart tires and feels burnt out or we just have nothing left to give.

As I was lying in bed with my son last night I was thinking about these trials my friends are going through and how it affecting them and me. I recently shared on how we need to be careful in HOW it affects us as in losing hope etc. (Proverbs 13:12).  We do need to be very careful but this time the Lord showed me something different.

Colossians 3:3 “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” How many times we’ve read this verse. Underlined it. Circled it. Claimed it. Prayed it. Everything it. Yet this time the Lord showed me that when it says “your life is hidden with Christ in God” the word ‘in’ caught my attention.  Because our lives are now “hidden with Christ IN God”, that means He is on the “outside” of us and we are on the “inside” on Him.

To put it another way- when our life is hidden in God that includes our hearts and our thoughts as well. We are encouraged in many scriptures what our thoughts are to focus on and to protect our hearts. And it’s not all of these burdens, cares and heavy hearted situations and circumstances that we are to think on. Though they seem to bear down on us at times, to where we are almost suffocating and gasping for just a gulp of air it seems, but really, they are on God…first.

 This is where preparing our hearts comes into play and again that happens by getting to know Who He is, what His word says and our identity IN Him.  Jesus says to cast our burdens on Him as His burden is light (Matt 11:30). When casting our cares on Him and taking His light burden, we should not feel so weighed down as it were.  That’s  not to say we do not pray, intercede or feel heavy from time to time, but we do not take on ourselves what the Lord has told us to give Him. I’m not trying to take away anyone’s hurts or pain but we need to trust Him and continue pressing into Him with faith. For others and for ourselves.  

No matter what ever may come into our hearts, be it emotional, spiritual, mental, Jesus always gets the brunt of it first. Because we are hidden inside of Him. That is why He is our shield and our buckler (Psalm 91:4). A shield takes the blows for the one BEHIND the shield (that's us). 
 It’s never truly about others or even us – but Christ Jesus.