Sticking power!

Have you ever watched a little gecko (lizard) crawl effortlessly up the exterior wall of the house or the fence?  They seem to just "grip" the wall, making the effort of staying up against gravity seem like gravity doesn't even exist!  It is raining this morning in Arizona.  How many geckos do you think you will observe on the fence today?  Zero!  Not just because the sun isn't out for their normal midday "sunbath", but because their little feet lose their "sticking power" when they get wet!  They have all these tiny little hairs (hundreds of them) lining their little feet.  These little hairs allow them to "grip" the surfaces they scurry across because they can get all the hairs into the tiny nooks and crannies of the surface - giving them the ability to traverse the surface upside down if they desire!  So, when the water comes, guess what happens to those tiny hairs?  They get slick!  Just like ours!  In turn, the tiny gecko loses its "gripping power" - its ability to "stay" where it normally would want to be.  

I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness in the exuberant earth.  Stay with God!    Take heart. Don’t quit.  I’ll say it again:  Stay with God.  (Psalm 27:13-14 MSG)

Our passage today refers to finding some "gripping power" ourselves.  In using what the gecko has been given, it is able to go into places other creatures cannot.  It can scurry to safety away from those who would want to make a meal of them.  It can skittle into places where little bugs dwell, making a meal of the little nuisances.  In fact, the gecko is something I work hard to keep around my house, even allowing them to dwell in my garage!  They help keep away the other things which may harm me, simply because they have this awesome ability to "grip" and "go" where others cannot!  When the water comes, though, they lose their ability to "anchor" themselves.

We are given "super human" powers ourselves, but we often don't realize they exist!  Now, in examining the "gripping power" we might develop in our own lives, we find a lot of things affect our ability to "stay" anchored.  We all have been given the ability to "anchor" well into the foundation of Christ, but when we allow the very things which "anchor" us to become "touched" by the things which interfere with these "anchoring" things, we experience a lack of "traction" in our spiritual life.  What are some of the "anchoring" things we have been given?  

We are given the Word of God.  The Word of God gives us the ability to "anchor" our thoughts on truth - instead of allowing our thoughts to run wild.  Whenever our enemy wants to interfere with our "anchoring" power, he often disrupts our connection with the Word.  He gets us too busy to spend time exploring it, convincing us it is too hard to really "get" what God is saying in it, or just simply distracts us when we try to get into it.  We need to recognize he is "throwing water" on our anchor!  His main purpose in keeping us away from the Word is so we will never discover the truth contained therein.  What he realizes is the "strength" of the anchor of truth!  Truth in our lives are like those tiny hairs on the feet of the gecko - it gets into the nooks and crannies so small they cannot be seen by the human eye - and it anchors us tightly!

We are given the fellowship of solid relationships who stand as excellent examples in our lives - spurring us on when we would otherwise be stagnant and non-productive in our walk with Christ.  We learn to hold fast in times of trial more by the example we see in others than in the "experiment" of holding on ourselves!  The encouragement of another is often the very thing we need to take the next step in our journey.  If you have seen these little geckos scurrying up the fence, you might just note one smaller one following a bigger one.  They seem almost to be playing, but in fact, I think they are learning from each other.  Learning to climb higher, discovering new heights together.  There is nothing more encouraging than to discover newness with another.  So, if our enemy wants to disturb our anchor here, he encourages us to isolate!  To make a go of things alone.  Silliness - pure silliness!  We lose our "grip" the easiest when we have no other example to show us the way!

We are given a voice.  Now what could the "anchoring" power of a voice be?  Think about this a little.  The power of your words is often more "anchoring" than you know.  When you speak words of truth - your faith is built up, is it not.  When you speak words of fear - what happens to your faith?  It plummets, doesn't it?  Maybe this is why we are encouraged to pay such close attention to the words we speak.  They carry an "anchoring" effect for both the speaker and the hearer!  When the speaker and the hearer are the same person, watch out!  I think there is value in talking to yourself at times.  Some of my greatest break-throughs in life have come out of hearing my own thoughts put into words!  When the thoughts have been wrong, speaking them out has allowed me to see the error in the thought.  It allowed me to make course corrections.  So, when our enemy wants to get us down on ourselves or others, he often uses our words and the words of others to plant the seed thoughts which will change the placement of our "anchor".  

So, I don't know about you, but I want those "super human" powers I have been given to be able to "anchor" me securely.  In the midst of the storms, I want to hold fast.  I think the ability to remain "anchored" is in direct correlation to the use of the very things God gives us which anchor us securely!  Just sayin!