StrengthenSample

DAY 1: STRENGTHEN YOUR STAKES

Camping has to be the most polarising holiday activity in the history of humankind. Sitting beneath the stars, living out in the elements, and enjoying all that nature has to offer, sounds like the perfect holiday - for some. But for the rest of us, camping is the opposite of what we would define as the perfect holiday.

The insects, the bugs, the extreme temperatures – all of these are just some of the reasons why camping can be horrible (in my unpopular opinion). But without a doubt, the worst part of camping would have to be setting up your tent. So many meticulous steps, so many parts and pieces and so much effort required. However, setting up your tent correctly can either make or break your trip.

If you have ever been camping before, you would know that a tent is completely vulnerable to its environment. When violent winds and heavy rain come, these harsh conditions will affect the tent's ability to stand. For this reason, one of the most critical steps when setting up a tent is “strengthening the stakes”.

A stake is a piece of metal, plastic or wood that is attached to the corner of the tent and is driven deep into the ground. The idea is that the stake will anchor into the ground and grip the soil to ensure that the tent does not get uprooted, blown away, or destroyed. The deeper the stake goes, the more anchored the tent becomes.

In the same way, we as believers can be vulnerable to the world we exist in. From the temptations that surround us to the struggles that live inside us, when the winds and storms of life hit us, we can also be uprooted, blown around, and sadly damaged and destroyed by life. However, the deeper our stakes go in God, we become immovable, unshakeable, and anchored.

Every time we read the Word of God, every time we gather in community, when we serve each other and sow into His house, whenever we fast, or whenever we pray, we draw closer to God, and as we draw closer to God we deepen our stakes. We solidify the stakes of our faith into the soil of His Word.

The truth is, the larger the tent, the deeper the stakes must go. For us to carry and hold all that God has for us, we must push our stakes deeper into the things of God. To have a bigger life, we must have a deeper faith – To live a bigger calling, we must live with a deeper conviction.

Seasons will come and seasons will go, but our anchor should never change. The call to follow Jesus requires us to embed ourselves into our firm foundation – that is Jesus. As we strengthen our stakes we stay anchored to God, planted in his house, and deeply rooted in faith.

QUESTIONS:

1. In what areas of my life is my faith shaky, doubtful, and uncertain?
2. In what ways can I strengthen my stakes and deepen my foundations in God?