Boats are designed to float on top of the water. Even in the roughest seas, they will remain afloat as long as they don’t take on H2O. Why? Because the density of water is greater than the density of a boat. However, all that changes when a boat takes on too much water. Eventually, it sinks because its density becomes heavier than that of water.
The “Unsinkable” Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg, ripping 6 holes along the starboard side of the ship. Six of the 16 watertight chambers that were responsible for keeping the massive ship afloat filled with water, causing the unthinkable to happen. Sadly, if only four chambers had been affected, the Titanic would not be at the bottom of the sea today.
The Christian life is a lot like a ship floating on the ocean. As long as we keep the lies of the enemy at bay and the negative emotions and wrong thinking from penetrating our hearts, we will remain afloat, even in the midst of the most tumultuous storms of life. We were never meant to consume or take on these negative emotions and wrong thinking. They poison our hearts and cause us to look at our circumstances and people through a distorted lens. That’s why Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, warns us to guard our hearts. In the New Testimentent, it says:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV).
Our thoughts are the precursor to our actions. So, if the enemy can build strongholds in our thinking through wrong thought patterns, he can keep us from experiencing God’s best. That’s why the Apostle Paul encourages us to “put on” the full armor of God so that we can stand our ground against the devil’s lies.
Ephesians 6:11-17 NLT
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
If we are going to keep from sinking spiritually, we have to learn to use the armor of God to fight back against the devil’s schemes. The enemy wants us to hold unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy, rage, anger and pride in our hearts. These negative emotions and fleshly desires are destructive and will cause death to our relationships and our God-given dreams. If we are full of these detrimental mindsets, then we won’t have room for the good that God wants to deposit in us so He can work through us to benefit others.
I recently had a situation that illustrates this point. One of my weaknesses that God is helping me overcome is when I feel disrespected by people, especially a person close to me. The enemy knows this, so he works hard to cause me to become offended by what friends, family or coworkers say or do to me. I have come a long, long way in this area, but I still have room to grow. This past summer, I went on a family vacation to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday. It was a ton of fun. I was able to be with my mom and stepdad, my siblings, their spouses and their kids.
One day one of them said something to me that got under my skin. This person told me I was being selfish! And not just once, but multiple times in the same conversation. In my mind, I was preferring others over myself, especially my nieces and nephews. I was constantly catering to their needs and helping out whenever and wherever I was needed. This person’s statement was hurtful and I felt disrespected. He wasn’t around me 24/7, so he couldn’t have possibly known all the sacrifices I was making to benefit the family. Instead of humbling myself and keeping quiet in the moment, my flesh got the best of me and I started arguing back. My mind was full of anger and I kept replaying the incident over and over again. The more I meditated on the words he said to me, the angrier I became. I devised a plan to give him the silent treatment, hoping my silence would make him feel bad and remorseful. But it didn’t. The only one that was miserable was me! My negativity eventually started spoiling the trip for others. The toxic emotions and my fleshly, carnal desires were now ruining the trip for everyone else. That’s what sin does when we let it get down on the inside of us. It destroys everything! We sink into a deep, dark pit of self-loathing…a royal pity party.
I could sense God wanted me to humble myself, drop the bad attitude and forgive. With God’s help, I was able to let it go and move on. And not only move on but be kind, respectful and engaging with my family member. I was able to, not only enjoy the rest of the trip, but I was able to be life-giving to my entire family, including the one who “hurt” me. Those negative feelings and mindsets were poison to my soul. I had a hole in my boat and my spirit was being filled with ugliness. I was sinking!
The good news is, we don’t have to stay in a negative state of mind. We can choose to replace those lies and strongholds with the truth of God’s Word and stop taking on water. For instance, when the enemy whispers to you, “Hold a grudge. Stay offended. Keep pondering what they did to you.” You can say, “No thank you. Love is not easily offended. It keeps no record of wrong” Or if he comes knocking on your door with these words, “Be jealous of your coworker who got the promotion you wanted.” You can say, “Love is not jealous or envious of others. God has a good plan for me and if He wanted me to have that job, then the door would have opened. He has a better plan for me. I am going to be happy for my coworker. God withholds no good thing from me!” Or maybe the enemy will say something to you like, “You are no good. You will never amount to anything. No one likes you. You are a failure.” Respond to him with, “I am dearly loved by God. I am fearfully and wonderfully made in His image and I have incredible worth and value. I may have made some mistakes, but in Christ, I am forgiven. God has a good plan for my life, plans to prosper me and give me a hope and a future.”
Knowing the truth from God’s Word is critical to living the victorious Christian life. It helps us combat lies that are trying to infiltrate our hearts. Hold up the shield of faith, which extinguishes the fiery darts of the evil one and wield the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Jesus even quoted Scriptures back at Satan, so plug those holes in your boat by declaring truth and standing on the Word of God! Maybe you are at a place where you feel like you are at the bottom of the sea spiritually and your mind is filled with all kinds of negative thoughts and emotions. God has resurrection power to help you. The Holy Spirit, your Helper, will assist you in plugging the holes in your boat (your mind and heart), so you can rise to the surface once again. In Elisha’s day, God caused a heavy iron ax head that had fallen into the Jordan River to float to the surface of the water. If He can take a solid iron object and cause it to supernaturally float, He certainly can help you rise again. Don’t give up just because it’s hard. Renewing your mind takes time and cooperation with God. Receive His grace and mercy when you fall down, get back up and keep learning. God created you to stay afloat no matter how difficult the storm!
