Shift Into High Gear

Before my husband and I got married, he purchased a fancy little sports car.  I had never seen anything like it.   It was a black, two-seater Nissan that talked, and boy was it ever fast.  He would take me for rides down long stretches of highway as we held hands and listened to our favorite music.  Those were the good ole days. Everything seemed to be perfect except one thing, I didn't know how to drive a stick shift.  While my soon-to-be husband loved the thrill of shifting gears and zooming down the highway, I on the other hand felt very uneasy at the thought of driving his new car.  Stick shifts seemed way too complicated to me.  Wouldn't it be easier to just drive an automatic?

With the wedding just a few months away, Cliff felt that I needed to conquer my fears and learn to drive the car.  So he decided to take me to a big empty parking lot and put me behind the wheel.  I felt like I was in Drivers Ed all over again.  Despite the jerking motions and screeching tires, Cliff was ever so patient with me.  And after a few weeks of practice, he decided to put me on the road and test what I had learned.  I was actually doing quite well as I cruised down the road.  I was feeling great until I came to a red light on a hill.  This presented a real problem for me because I had not practiced what to do when faced with a situation like this.  Just when I started to panic, Cliff reassured me that I knew all that I needed to know to get through.  He then told me I would have to shift into a higher gear to make it up the hill.  Feelings of fear started to grip me as I looked in the rear view mirror and saw cars lining up behind me at the light.  I had to keep my foot on the brake to keep my wheels from rolling backward.  Surely I couldn't hit the car behind me, that would have created a chain reaction!  I knew I had to get it right, and as my husband always says, "There was no room for error." When the light finally turned green, I eased off the brake, pushed down on the gas, and shifted into a higher gear and I was on my way.  Somehow I had made it through.    

Life is just like driving a stick shift.  You can be going along just fine at a certain speed, and all of a sudden you're faced with a situation that requires more.  Sometimes life can throw us curve balls, causing us to adjust ourselves to deal with them.  During these times we need to shift into high gear to make it through.   These are the times that require every ounce of our faith.  These are the times when we shut off our televisions, our phones, and even food to go before God in prayer like never before.  These are the times when we enlist the help of other pray-ers to join forces with us in prayer to cover our situation.    

Having faced many crisis throughout my lifetime, I discovered what it takes to make it through.  I've learned to shift into high gear by leaning on God and drawing my strength from the Holy Spirit's presence within.  Whenever I'm faced with impossible situations, I've learned to rely on all that I know about God; About His character, His faithfulness, and the integrity of His Word.  Learning to pray and mix my faith with God's Word helped me to make it through the storms of life.      

In conclusion, Be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him], draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. Ephesians 6:10 Amplified

Below I've listed ways that you too can shift into high gear spiritually.   

1. Dig deep on the inside and draw strength from the Holy   Spirit's presence within.

2. Focus your attention on God instead of the circumstance.

3. Rely on the truth of God's Word as the final authority, not on the facts of the situation.

4. Put your trust in God, not in yourself or others.

5. Pray God's Word over the situation and stand on it no matter what.  

6. Remember past victories of what God has already done.

I'm sure you've faced situations where you knew in your heart that you wouldn't make it going about things at your normal pace.  Do you remember a time when you had to shift into high gear in order to gain victory?