Ready to react

I recently bought new glasses.   I decided to opt for ones that react to sunlight.  They are great.  They get darker like sunglasses when the sun is shining or even if it's bright outside, and go back to normal when I walk into a shop, or the sun goes in.  It's fantastic.  However, there are a couple of issues with them.  

One small problem is when they don't change right away, particularly going from light to dark.  Sometimes, if I go inside, I have to wait a few minutes for them to lighten up before I can see clearly.  

The second problem I have is that they don't react in the car through the glass.   I have to change into my sunglasses when I drive.   It's not the end of the world, but for whatever reason, there is something that stops them reacting when they should!

Christians can be a bit like my glasses!   Sometimes, there is just something that stops us from reacting to the Holy Spirit when we should.  There can be something that distorts the light of the sun and keeps us from seeing clearly, and we feel like we can't see what to do next.   Other times, we get there in the end, but we are slow to respond to the leading of the Spirit, and it's like we are sitting in the dark for a bit, even though we know what to do. 

But God is calling us not to be reactive but to be spiritually proactive.  He is looking for us not to wait until the light changes to make adjustments, but rather, to be prepared in advance by learning to stay in tune with what he is saying to us, even when we don't know what's around the corner.  From that position, it doesn't matter what happens; we are ready and steadfast, so the changes don't take us by surprise and shake us.

It is so much better to be in tune with Jesus.  False doctrines, fake news, fear-based information and all sorts, clamour for space in our heads, and that's not even including the 'normal' stuff of everyday life, business and family etc. 

We don't have to live life tossed to and fro, and simply react to what happens to us. Instead, we can set the tone for our days by keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.  When the stuff of life happens (and it will), we are ready, prepared and already set up for success as we walk through the stuff, because we're not waiting to catch up to what he's been telling us.

The Israelites were dressed and ready when the Passover happened. Exodus 12:11 tells us...

“These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand".  When the time came to go, they weren't faffing around trying to find their shoes and their stick and whatever else.  They were good to go.

David, when he faced Goliath, was in step with God from way before - he had taken care of the sheep, fighting the lion and the bear.  He didn't have to wait in the crisis to fast and pray and get himself psyched up to challenge the Giant.  He was ready,

My challenge today is, don't be like my glasses!  Keep your eyes on Jesus and your ears and hearts open and follow what he says, when he says it, so that you can see clearly when stuff happens!