Brave the Deep

A part of me has always wanted to go scuba diving in the ocean.

To see the beautiful array of coral and fish

To play with the friendly dolphins

To experience the underwater world

But my desire to venture into the depths has been largely overshadowed by my fear of what lies beneath.

I could run out of air and drown.

SHARKS!!!  (Isn’t that reason enough?)

The water pressure could crush me.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Those excuses have about a 3% chance of happening. 

But, c’mon, that’s still a very real possibility.

And I don’t typically do things that I’m not sure 100% sure are going to work out.

Do you?

Personally, I like to play it safe.

But, I have been feeling a slight nudge in my Spirit lately to go deeper.

You know what I mean.

Like God is saying, “ You are living too safe. I have so much more for you. Jump in . Dive down. I want you to throw off your fears and live reckless with your faith. BRAVE THE DEEP."

I’ve never been what one might call the “brave” type.

I like my life in definite terms. My future to be clearly outlined.

Give me a set of rules, a list of objectives, something concrete...and I’ll  gladly come along.

But to move with the wind of the Spirit, not sure where He might lead me...that’s just plain scary.

Do you know what SCUBA stands for?

Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

An oxygen tank allows the person to breathe, explore, and swim around freely in the aquatic atmosphere.

I find this such a great analogy for the Christian life.

With Jesus we can move around with freedom in unfamiliar territory.

We have our own breathing machine….the breath of Jesus...to keep us from drowning.

We have access to the source of life...the only way to live without fear...at all times.

He is our Scuba tank!

When I recognize that my ability to brave the deep is not dependent on how much I can do on my own but on the very presence of Jesus Christ living within me, then I feel empowered to conquer this fear.

I can go beyond my very real and very daunting limits by allowing the Holy Spirit to navigate the waters for me.

He wants to take us to a deeper level of trust and intimacy with Him.

But we have to let go of our fear...and allow Him to be our oxygen tank.

Unlike the physical tank that Scuba divers use, the breath of Christ is always available...it never runs out.

He can keep us from crumbling under the pressure of a rapidly changing environment.

He can keep us from being eaten alive by the sharks of social media, negativity, or unforeseen circumstances.

He can keep us from drowning due to personal lack or insecurity or past mistakes.

Because He is the breath of life, the conqueror of fear, the never-changing One.

What are you waiting for?

This is your chance to go somewhere you've never been before.

Let God lead you into uncharted waters.

Let's brave the deep together.