Who is the captain of your soul?

“Obeying the (Holy) Spirit instead of your own self- centred whims will lead you to places you’ve never been.” — Bill Hybels

Praying with nine other men, gathered together in a circle, in the middle of a mall was not something I expected to ever do. However, because of the circumstances of our situation, and the need for God to intervene on our behalf, we chose to stop what we were doing and to seek the help of God.

Walking with God, being people of faith, and living in relationship with Him, can indeed lead us to places we’ve never been.

A man by the name of Enoch, is one of only two people mentioned in Scripture to have escaped death. It is said of him, ‘that God took him away.’

Why he was taken away in this manner, escaping death, we are not told. We all know that death is a part of life; but for some reason, Enoch was privileged to, as Bill Hybels alludes, to go to a place he’d never been.

It was said of Enoch that he walked faithfully with God. The writer of Hebrews adds he was one who also pleased God. These qualities in Enoch’s life were apparently enough for God to take him home, without facing the call of death.

This is pretty amazing — hearing of one being taken from this life without experiencing death. But it is also, to what we know experientially, pretty unbelievable.

Just because our reason or experience doesn’t help us understand such things, doesn’t mean that such things do not happen. If there is a God (of which I am convinced), then nothing is too difficult for Him.

I admit that I do not understand everything about Him, or His ways, but then again, if I did, He would cease being God.

I expect some day to die. Most throughout history have. Barring the return of Jesus, for those who follow Him, we all have an appointment with death.

But those, whose hope is in the Lord, aren’t done at that point. It is just the passage into eternal life, where we get to dwell in the presence of the living God forever.

We should seek to follow Enoch’s example by being men and women who walk faithfully with God and seek to please Him with our lives.

As Keith Loy points out, “We have to remove any and all distractions that would keep us from God’s Word.” He follows this up with, “Don’t expect your faith to grow if you have too much else going on. For the number-one way God speaks is through His Word.”

It is easy to get distracted from trying to please God. Whether by doubt, ignorance or rejection, we can dismiss God in our lives. When we do, we miss out on the ways and means that God designs to act within our lives.

As His creation, God doesn’t reject us. He longs to have a relationship with you and me. When we push Him away for our own self-centred whims, however, He allows us to go that way. When we reject Him, or exchange His truth for a lie, we miss out.

Lysa Terkeurst has stated, “…we must start by asking God to help us see and address what we need to within our own hearts.”

Paul the Apostle wrote, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

It really boils down to humility. Who is the captain of your soul? Andy Stanley states, “Humility is an invitation for God to do extraordinary things.”

Let God lead you to places you’ve never been.