WV 2018 - Part 1

There was so much good that I got out of the WV meeting this year, it's going to have to be a couple of parts. For one thing, some of the thoughts are separate from each other, and for another, I'm on a trip, so I don't have time to write out long posts.

One of the first things that I was blessed with came from a message Bro. Danny Adams preached titled "Spiders." He talked about how spiders catch their prey, then bite them, and suck the life out of them. He related it spiritually to how the devil can catch us in a vulnerable position, bite us, and suck out all the spiritual life that we have. We are weak when we have left the safety of dwelling with God. Spiders won't normally dwell in a well-kept, clean area, but they will dwell under a brush pile. Likewise, the devil doesn't usually lurk in the house of God, but he'll definitely be in places that aren't wholesome for our spiritual benefit.

These things make me cautious. I need to be careful where I allow myself to go and to what things I allow my affections go out. I don't want to give the devil more opportunity to wreak havoc in my life. I have to be watchful. There's a song in the ELS (#302) that says "My soul be on thy guard, 10,000 foes arise." There will be many foes that rise up against us, and many spiders that we'll see in life. We have to squish them before they have chance to become a problem.

That puts a challenge on me, though. If spiders lurk in places that are messy and unclean, what areas of my life are more susceptible to allowing spiders to live? I have to maintain my life and keep it clear and clean before God. I don't want to give room for spiders to make habitation, they're a danger to my soul. I want my spiritual life revitalized, not sucked out. There are several areas where I know I could use some "cleaning up." It's important to both recognize those areas but also to take action to prevent spiders from becoming a problem.

There are several different ways I can go about keeping my spiritual life intact and cleaned up, but one of the most important ways is reading and praying. There was a lot talked about reading and praying at the meeting this year, especially in young people's meeting. The Lord showed me a verse during the meeting that was a real encouragement to me. It's Joshua 1:8, and it says:

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

This verse gives much instruction. The book of law is the Bible. It should never be far from our conversation, and it should be the topic of our meditation all the time. If we are faithful to heed this instruction, and sow its seed, we'll reap the benefits and be blessed with GOOD success. Prosperity (of the soul) is appetizing. It doesn't sound like a prosperous soul would be infested with spiders and a zone dangerous to our spiritual walk. It sounds like a safe, comfortable place with an environment conducive to drawing closer to God and walking daily with Him.

I was talking to a friend at the meeting, and we both found that we were lacking in some areas of our spiritual walk. It's an encouragement to realize we are not the only ones who have struggled with a certain thing. We're not alone in needing to draw closer to God and being more faithful to consistently spend time with the Lord. We're all young people in a difficult world striving for Heaven. Sharing things with each other can be a way that we feel encouraged that we're not the only ones who have struggles, but we can also share ways that God has helped us with things. This is just a little bit of what God showed me during the meeting, and I hope to share more. Don't give up! This life is worth living.

Keep encouraged!