There is only one place that cannot sink. Christ the solid rock. To stand on that rock is to be perfectly, eternally safe. He is the rock that cannot be moved. He is a bulwark of security. If we are found in Him we are safe. Not just safe but eternally safe.

“On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.”

He formed me in my mother’s womb. He conceived my life before time existed. Ransomed me from deep darkness. Knows the beginning from the end. His path is perfect. His plan is marvelous.

I can trust Him without reservation.

“As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9-10

But surely things go on as they always have;
See here, we eat, we drink,
We marry, we give in marriage.
Why, don’t you know that “peace and safety”
Are the promises of the day?

You say “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,”
Or “Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.”
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky,
But you cannot interpret the signs of the times?

See, darkness covers the earth
And thick darkness is over the peoples.
Indeed the people have become lovers of themselves,
Lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
Disobedient toward parents, ungrateful, unholy,
Without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
Without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good,
Treacherous, rash, conceited,
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Do you not recognize the escalation in wars,
The many rumors of wars, the earthquakes,
And the terrible famines in various places?
You must see all of this as more than just coincidence?

And you cannot deny the fact that hatred toward you is on the rise,
That more and more of you are experiencing persecution.
Can you not see that the love of most is growing cold?
I warned you that there would be terrible times in the last days!

So if all this is true what kind of people ought you to be?
Should you not live holy and godly lives
As you look forward to the Day and speed its coming?
For did I not tell you that I will certainly establish a new heaven and earth,
The home of righteousness?

Therefore seek not to be removed from the coming trials.
I have told you that I will not come again until the rebellion occurs
And the man of lawlessness is revealed.
You yourselves will see him set himself up in my holy temple,
Proclaiming himself to be God.
So be strong and very courageous.
Rejoice that you participate in My sufferings
So that you may be overjoyed when My glory is revealed.

Behold, I come like a thief!
Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him
So that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.

Dr. Gary Parkhurst

1. An act of kindness
2. Giving out of your need
3. Becoming the servant of those around you
4. Saying thank you
5. A word of blessing

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42

We must press upward towards the kingdom of heaven. Pressing upward means we must leave this world behind. In fact our ability to move up and our letting go of the world move in proportion to each other. We can’t reach for the prize and reach for the world. We have to choose what we desire the most.

Once we make that choice. We have to make it again everyday. We either press for more of God, sit with what we have, or drink in this world. Only one of these, pressing for more of God moves us towards the heavenly prize.

It is obvious what reaching for the world will get us. What is not so obvious is what sitting with what we have will get us. We can pursue God and find Him. But once we find Him a great yet subtle danger is becoming satisfied and no longer pressing for more. Once we stop moving upward we are headed down. In reality there are only two destinations in the pursuit of the kingdom. Higher and lower. There is no neutral gear in the pursuit of God. Only drive and reverse.

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:4

Stop. Read that quote from C.S. Lewis again. Digest that for a minute. This stopped me in my tracks when I read it. How many times have we tried to aim for earth. It goes against the natural mind to seek the kingdom heaven instead of earthly things. We “were” creatures of the flesh. Aiming for the earth came quite natural to us. But not anymore. If we have been born again we are new creations. We can defy spiritual gravity. The darkness that surrounds can’t hold us unless we choose to stay on the ground.

If we do not seek to move upward then gravity will pull us down. We must constantly be seeking the kingdom. There is no safe neutral place. It dangerous to stay neutral. It is not beyond the pull of darkness. If we stay suspended gravity will eventually draw us into an earthly mindset. Only to be consumed by earthly things.

We have to wake up every day and defy gravity. Determine to push upward towards that high call in God. We have what we need to soar above. God did not hold back. Everything we need has been supplied in Jesus Christ. If aim for Him we get it all. Aim for the earth we get nothing.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (NASB)

He allows us to participate or partner with Him in the things He is doing. So He allows us to come against walls that will not move. We get the opportunity to develop character and learn to use the weapons He has given us.

One way we defeat the enemy is by being persistent. Another way to say that would be to persevere. We just have to keep praying, keep believing, and keep telling the wall to move. We just have to wear out the resistance. Don’t let it rest. Just stay at it until it caves. It will move because God will make it move. Every day you stand and fight is a day you move closer to victory.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12: 1 (NLT)

In addition to our articles at catalyst7. We are going to publish short takes. Which are shorter thoughts only a paragraph or two. We may later develop these takes into longer articles or just let them stand. The section for these articles can be found Here.