As a preteen, I enjoyed going quail hunting. I would sometimes come to a barbed-wire fence I had to cross. Some were tightly strung between the posts; others could be easily grasped and moved. Straddling a barbed-wire fence could be extremely uncomfortable and dangerous, so I was as careful as a preteen could be.
In life, I also sometimes found myself uncomfortably straddling a fence. I was raised in the church, and I had been taught right from wrong. But there were temptations on the other side of the fence.
One Sunday, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, “Throw your other leg over to My side of the fence.” I thought to myself “Why am I sitting here if I am not going to fully follow Him?” So I did.
I realized God wants me to live; not hung up on the woes or the cannots of life. Move on and live. Obeying God’s promises and having His power inside of me has permitted a change in my heart that has led to a change in direction.
What did it mean to stop straddling the fence?
I finally believed that Jesus died and paid the price for my sins. My belief in Jesus and what He did on the cross for me led me to the point of not being weighted down by my sin. A weight had been lifted off my shoulders; thus permitting me to move.
God began to do His work in me and is still working in me. He impressed on me was that even though I was fatherless, He was my Father. God loves me, because God is good. He is love. The Creator of the universe knows how to be a good Father.
I have learned and am learning that He watches over me. He is quick to pick me up. When He shows me to do something and I step out and do it, He supplies all I need.
Since I have made that decision to follow him, He has never failed. He tells me in His Word that He will never leave me or forsake me. Which simply means, He is always with me. He is there to show me the way and what I should do, when I pay attention and hear from Him.
I now place my confidence in Him. The circumstances can look dismal, but since He is with me, He will show me what to do, if I am willing to listen.
What a joy to live on His side of the fence!
If you’d like to talk to someone about what it means to follow Christ, email Blue Ridge at info@blue-ridge.org.