My whoa isn't working.

I can remember the feeling of driving an R50 Euclid rocktruck and doing so with little or no operating brakes to speak of. Fun and frightening are words I would use to describe this experience. I mean, you are hauling 30-40 tons of overburden and it is sort of important to be able to stop the machine when you need to. Ascending a grade wasn't so bad, but decending was a whole other matter. Bad! Bad! Bad! NO BRAKES!

Our son recently experienced some brake issues with his pick-up. The rear calipers evidently needed replaced and one of them 'froze'. Simply put, the caliper did not allow the brake pads to disengage the brake rotor. The constant friction wore the brake pads down to bare metal, the pistons in the caliper disintegrated, and brake fluid flowed freely. Bad! Bad! Bad! NO BRAKES!

As we repaired the damage today, I couldn't help but think of the times when our own braking systems get frozen. Those times when we don't monitor and maintain the internal workings of our spiritual health often go unnoticed. We neglect some stuff and don't inspect and maintenance the way we know we should. Somewhere along the line, we may even notice weaknesses in our faith and witness but do nothing to correct it. The penchant to sin has overtaken our ability to put the whoa(s) on when Satan comes calling with temptations.

Over time, temptation turns into sin because we didn't have boundaries in place or our boundaries had holes punched in them. God allows us freedom to set boundaries or not. God allows opportunites to strengthen our faith and mature our spirituality or not. God will not force us to set boundaries and won't make us draw near to Him. God desires we would care for our faith and life but won't intervene to make us do this.

So, how are you doing spiritually? How are you doing? Are you engaging God's Word; are you joining with other believers in worship; are you inspecting your motives and life choices in order to honor the Lord? If not, there is hope. Check it out!

"For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV)