Breaking Point

‘Time in the Word’ By Clayton Adams

Have you ever come to a breaking point in your life? I think most folks have a time in their life when they find themselves in a very bad set of circumstances and something or someone must change. Usually, a person experiences some type of breaking point.

What leads to a breaking point can be one or more of the everyday events in our lives; marriage issues, finances, work, disappointment with God, disappointment with self, loneliness, loved ones or friends dying, regret, unforgiveness, sickness, a new job or the loss of a job and the list goes on. These experiences lead to anxiety and stress. Anxiety and stress lead us to asking questions. Most questions are never fully answered (and some are never answered) and this leads us to loneliness.

Loneliness leads to vulnerability; vulnerability leads to feelings of abandonment. Feelings of abandonment leads one to self-pity and this leads to sin in our lives. This vicious cycle is sometimes hard to break.

But others have conquered this cycle and it is from them we learn.

I especially like reading the Hebrew Scriptures, what we Christians call the Old Testament. In these writings are accounts of many people reaching their breaking point. One of my favorite accounts focuses on the prophet Elijah (1 Kings).

Elijah was a mighty prophet (speaker) for God.

Elijah’s breaking point came when Queen Jezebel physically threatened him.

Elijah ran away and hid in a cave feeling sorry for himself. Elijah asked God to kill him because Elijah falsely believed he was allalone and that he alone was serving God. Elijah was at his breaking point: he was physically tired, emotionally fatigued and spiritually weak, he felt threatened and wanted out of life to the point that he asked God to take his life! Does this sound like desperation and depression? It does to me!

Have you thought or said; “I am the only one…,” “No one cares about me,” “It’s not fair!” “Why me God?”

These false beliefs can and do separate us from God and quickly usher us to our breaking point. But God said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). His warning to “Be sober, be on the alert, for your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8) serves us well. When we reach our breaking point, we become weak, unaware of and ignoring the danger signs flashing in our lives.

If we are not careful, if we do not live each day in humility, we are prone to mistakes. The mistakes in our lives during these times in our lives is the devil’s ammunition, and he uses it against us in many ways.

It is easy to think you are the “only one” but you are not the “only one” this is one way the devil attacks us in our mind and spirit.

Feelings misguide us, fool us and often move us in the wrong direction. After God intervened, Elijah was stronger, no longer confident in himself but confident in God. You too need to know God can and will intervene – will you listen to Him?

Will you follow Him? Will you allow Him to love you as you are? He does!

Clayton Adams has a message of faith he would like to share with the community. He would also like to hear from you. E-mail him at claytonpadamslll@ gmail.com.