Music Monday: “When I Fall” by Katy Nicole
by: Debbie Waltz
Last week, I challenged my readers to look at the new year differently. For some, the new year symbolizes a fresh start, a clean slate wiped clean of the past year’s mistakes. For others, it serves as a necessary time of reflection and renewal, rejuvenating them with hope and optimism for the coming year. My latest blog post reminded readers that there is a much better way. As Christians, God has provided us with everything we need to sustain both our physical and spiritual needs. Rather than relying on a daily animal sacrifice, his body serves as a final act of repentance and cleansing for his Chosen people. In that one simple act, the sanctification of our soul is complete.
But what about the rest of our bodies?
Sadly, it is not as easy. On the one hand, our souls have been “positionally” sanctified through Jesus; we still have our sinful natures to contend with. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “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.” (NIV).
Yes, our minds know of God; but our inclination leans the other way. It’s only “natural.” Just like our bodies must be trained to exercise to remain healthy, our minds must be conditioned as well. Paul writes in Philippians 2:12- 13 about the importance of developing our faith, saying “Therefore, my dear brothers, as you have always open – not only in my presence but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation in fear and trembling,…”
But I thought you said…
Hear me clear. Our job is not to “save” ourselves. Jesus completed that mission by sacrificing himself fully on the cross. His job is finished and our fate is secured. Our souls are destined for heaven if we put our trust in the Lord. (Ephesians 1:13-14) While we wait for the fulfillment of this promise, though, He does want us to develop a relationship with Him-one stemming from a grateful heart and full of adoration and awe for his selfless act of love.
He knows this process will be a difficult one as our hearts are bent one way. But in getting to know Him and understanding his ways, we find our hearts being changed. We are more inclined to Him. Make no mistake, it’s still hard and we will constantly struggle and battle with ourselves. But we are not alone. God is with us, fighting alongside us and for us..
Not only that, He has given us all the tools we need to fight. What are some of these instruments of spiritual warfare.. Besides the full armor listed in Ephesians 6: 10- 17, it is vital that we focus our attention on things of eternal value. Philippians 4:8 says “Finally whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Prayer is also important. We must plead with God to help us when we fall.
Full disclosure: I’ve struggled a bit lately to get back in the swing of things since the holidays. Not spiritually in the sense of sinning per se, just trying to get back into the full purpose of this blog and moving forward. I struggle to see the fruits of my labor blog- wise- even as I wait for word from my writing coach on my finished manuscript. That’s why I’ve found it hard to post on here lately.
But here’s the good news. God knows this and loves us on both our good days and bad days. He will be there to cheer for us as well as lift us up when we fall. That’s what a good Father does!
Katy Nicole’s “When I Fall” reminds us of this. It can be accessed here: