...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. - Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

A novice hiker prepares for his three-day journey through the mountains with his friends. His friends tell him, only to pack a survival kit with just the basic essentials needed to survive for three days if he were to get lost. The tools in this kit amounted up to enough to fit inside of a fanny pack. His friends packed the more heavy-duty stuff in their backpack survival kits because they were hikers who had more experience and stamina to carry a heavy load. After only a couple of hours into their hike, the novice hiker somehow became separated from his friends. Instead of searching for them, he decided to stay where he was at, because he was confident that they would find him. While he was waiting, every fearful thought of being lost in the mountains came over him. His fear caused him to forget about his survival kit that was on his waist, as hours passed by. Day had turned into night by the time the novice got a grip on his fears and his survival mentality kicked in. Everything that his friends taught him about survival began to circulate in his mind. Immediately, he remembered the fanny pack and pulled out a small flare from his kit, and shot it in the air. Unknowingly, his friends allowed him to think he was lost and they had been watching him the whole time to see how he would handle being lost in the wilderness. As soon as they saw the flare signal, they knew that it was time to get him. They allowed almost two days to go by before they came to him and were impressed at how he did everything they taught him if he were to ever get lost in the great outdoors. This experience caused the novice hiker to grow and mature and his friends' mission was completed.

In this journey called life, there are going to be many mountains that we have to hike up. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the mountains do not go away, but we do get a survivor kit called 'The Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth' also known as The Bible to help us overcome what we are going through and live our lives to the fullest. Those who are beginners in Christ learn the essentials of The Bible and are held accountable for less, but as the person goes through the process of becoming a more experienced (mature) believer their accountability is heightened and they become responsible for more because they are advancing in Christ. Yet neither the beginner nor the more experienced Christian will be able to comprehend God's word fully, or know why He allows certain things to happen in our lives, but we have to be confident and know that whatever God is doing, it is for our good and He will complete that good work in us. So, when placed in situations that cause us to advance in Christ, let us not allow our fears to cause us to forget about the survivor kit that God has given each of His believers, but allow it to circulate through our minds, everyday, so that we can survive and thrive in this life. Remember, no one knows the day or hour that our Savior is coming back (Matthew 24:36). He is coming back like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2), so we must all be prepared, making every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him (2 Peter 3:14), so His good work can be completed in us.

Written By: Chase Sutton
www.GenuineLife.com