(Faith: Remember to drop your anchor. Make sure your anchor holds.)
By: Pastor Michael Thomas
Imagine that you are in a small boat that has drifted away from the shore into a large body of water and you don’t have an oar. You find yourself at the mercy of the waves and the wind; and you are quickly drifting into dangerous waters with hidden tree stumps; jagged rocks; fast-moving rapids and steep waterfall. The wind and waves push your boat further and further away from the shore; swiftly moving you away from where you want to be. “Contrary winds” are blowing your boat the wrong way; now you find yourself far away from where you once were; and you want to make it back to the now distant shore. You keep looking, and drifting, you set your gaze on the intended shore until it disappears out of your sight as you continue drifting into darkness.
Q. How did the boat drift away with you in it and why didn’t you notice that you were drifting away from shore?
A. You were sleeping and not aware of your surroundings. The other passengers removed the oars and left you sleeping when they made it to shore. They did not bother to pull the boat up all the way up on the shore. By time you woke up it was too late. You did not know that the winds had changed direction and pushed you and your boat into the water and you found yourself simply drifting away.
Q. Why in the world did they take the oars out of the boat anyway? Why did they leave you behind?
A. Because you placed your trust in the people you were with, you thought you would not have anything to worry about, so you did not bother to stay alert. The other passengers removed the oars because they had made it to the place they wanted to be and threw the oars down because they did not need them anymore. Your so-called friends forgot about you because they set their gaze upon what they desired to do and simply forgot all about you. You forgot to look out for yourself and everybody else forgot about you also.
There are at least four basic rules in boat safety that are designed to help boaters survive on the water; and everyone who follows these important guidelines improves their chances of survival; and greatly reduces the risk of drifting away and drowning;
#1. Check the boat for cracks and holes to make sure it does not have any leaks. Make sure there is an anchor with rope tied inside.
#2. In case of emergency, always make sure there are enough life jackets onboard.
#3. Passengers should remain seated; do not stand or make any sudden moves. In other words, “don’t rock the boat baby.”
#4. Once you make it to shore, never toss the oars out of the boat first. Make sure the boat has been dragged all the way up on to dry land and secured first.
Likewise, unbelievers and Christians should learn and follow important instructions from God that will increase their chances for eternal life and reduce their risks of drifting way and drowning in the world. The vast majority of people of the world are at risk of drifting away and drowning in the waters of life simply because they refused to follow basic rules of the Christian faith. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John are instructional letters written to call God’s beloved creation to safety in Christ and back to Faith basics:
- The Truth about Christ, and;
- The Love of Christ
- The Consequences of Drifting Away from God
I John 2:15-17 (NASB)
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
Author C.S. Lewis (“Mere Christianity”once asked the following question about the faith of Christians who drift away from God:
“If you examine a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do most people simply drift away?”
1) The Truth About Christ
I John 5:20-21 says;
“And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
Satan strategically uses the things of the world to draw our attention away from the understanding that God has given us—– “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (vs. 17)
2) The Love of Christ
St. John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
3) The Consequences of Drifting Away From God
Revelations 2:2-5
“I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place- unless you repent.”
- The lust of the flesh: is all our sensual desires; a desire for the forbidden fruits.
- The lust of the eye; is our desire for the things we see and set our gaze upon; houses, cars, business success, and everything that the eye wants to covet or possess.
- The pride of life; is our conceit, self-confidence, arrogance, high-mindedness, and greed. Proud of how smart we are, or how successful we are, by how pretty or handsome we think we are.
Genesis 13:12-13 says “And Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom and Gomorrah……..”
- In other words, he cast his gaze towards the beauty of the land and the man made things of the world. He drifted away into darkness and headed toward sin.
- Lot’s wife was instructed not to look back at Sodom by the angels of the Lord; but Lot’s wife looked back to get one more glance at Sodom; she cast her gaze on a place at a time that God was judging sin and was turned into a pillar of salt.
In Acts 3, there was a lame man begging for charity outside the gate called Beautiful. He was depending on the goodness of people to give him alms and he looked to Apostle Peter for a few coins. Although Peter did not have any silver or gold (natural provision) to offer this needy man, Peter said “Look on us”. In other words, “cast your gaze” and receive the power of the Holy Spirit in the Name of Jesus Christ. By faith, the lame man was (physically and spiritually) healed and jumped and leaped his way in to the Holy Temple.
Drifting through life without knowing your God given purpose is like drifting into darkness. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. By faith, accept Him as your Guiding Light and make sure that every day is anchored in God; navigating the challenges of life through the daily washing of the Word, and prayer.
If you do not have a good Bible teaching church home, please find one as soon as possible. Remember, the Lord Jesus Christ is waiting to lead you out of darkness into His marvelous Light.