Everyday we make a decision as to where we are going to place ourselves. I’m not talking about where we go physically, although that is certainly a part of it. Instead I’m talking about where we place ourselves spiritually. The truth of it is, our physical location and our mental location both directly influence our spiritual location. We are fundamentally spiritual creatures and nothing that we do is merely physical or mental.
This is an important concept to understand. Far too often we buy into the idea that we have little power over our world. We begin to act as if we are simply reactionary beings who are only able to respond to the things that are being thrown at us. This type of thinking is victimization thinking. We become victims of our circumstances, victims of the people around us and victims of even our own shifting emotions.
We are swayed by what we hear. We are worried about the future. We overreact to the smallest things. We are first convinced and then we are doubtful. We are hot and then we are cold. We believe God is for us and then we are not so sure. We are overjoyed that so and so is our true friend and then our worst enemy.
It is easy to identify these tendencies in other people, but all of us are drawn into this kind of instability to varying degrees. The key is to place ourselves in the right location.
Psalms chapter one says, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
There are many places we can put ourselves. We can place ourselves in worry. We can place ourselves in lust. We can place ourselves in anger. We can place ourselves in the worship of money or sex or stuff. But according to the Scripture, if we place ourselves where we find joy in following God’s voice and obeying His Word then He places us by a stream of water and makes us fruitful.
So this is the key, we place ourselves in God, and then He places us where we need to be. Jesus said, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you....” Our location is incredibly important. If we are placed in the right location then we don’t need to worry or fear and we can deal with the cares and challenges of life in a new way.
So where are you placing yourself today? Maybe you need to put yourself in the hands of Father God and allow Him to plant you by a stream of living water. You might just find that the fruit that comes out of your life is better then you have ever experienced.
The pastors in Kings County would love to teach you how to abide in Him. I encourage you to get in His house this weekend, He’s got places all over town.
Andrew Cromwell is the executive pastor at Koinonia Christian Fellowship in Hanford. E-mail him at andrew@kcfchurch.org or call 582-1528.
