Recovery Devotional 327 Safety Net

JMD Devotional 327 2 Samuel 22:37 Safety Net

You have enlarged my steps under me, so that my feet have not slipped.

We are all prone to missteps. I am most apt to stumble after a victory; on the heels of success I drop my guard, and let my euphoria run unbridled. But the bridle (discipline), and the yoke (submission to Christ) and the self-control (fruit of abiding in him) are what brought me to success in the first place. God knows that we are ill-equipped on our own to make perfect decisions. There is no way that we can see all of the eventual consequences that cascade from our choices. To make matters worse, our minds tend to shield us from ugly realities to preserve our egos, thus creating huge blind spots. Anyone who drives knows the danger blind spots present to changing lanes in heavy traffic. I only trust mirrors a little because they never show the whole picture. I ask my wife, “Is it safe to change lanes?” God enlarges our life-changing steps under us by giving us the Church, Christian accountability and His Holy Spirit to check our moves and to sustain us on uncertain ground.

Dear God,

Your Word is full of principles that preserve life and righteousness. When the way is foggy, or if events transpire faster than I can grapple with them, and for the dangers I cannot see: please make up the difference and enlarge my steps under me so that I do not slip. When my own willful disobedience leads me astray, discipline and forgive me; and restore this man to Your path. Help me to see the minor errors as a ‘short lapse in progress’, and for Christ’s sake keep me from major ones.

Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by

the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

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