Spiritual Visibility

FINALLY...a measurable snow fall in Connecticut! Our winter has been mild, which I like, but it is also a joy to watch the snow fall and enjoy the clean, white winter landscape. I took a few photos this morning, mostly to show my parents who are wintering in Florida, but also to use in this blog. This photo was taken from my living room window...I live on the second floor.

As I watched the snowfall, I immeidately noticed that visibility was not good. I was relieved when my employer called me and suggested I wait until later in the day to determine what my work schedule would be today! (Roads nor driveways have been plowed as of 11 am!) I listened to CBS News Radio early this morning and heard that the major metro NY airports had significant delays and smaller airports were closed due to weather and visibility issues.

As I sat down to spend some quiet time reading my Bible and studying God's Word, I prayed, as I always do, that the Holy Spirit would teach me and reveal Truth to me today. As I prayed, I was struck by the thought that, just as the snow causes visibility issues, so the 'snow' of sin causes 'spiritual visibility' issues. Ever feel 'distant' from God or feel that you just aren't 'connecting' with the Master as you know is possible? This is what I'm calling a visibility issue...it's like there's a cloudy flim shrouding the face and the person of Christ.

What causes the poor 'spiritual visibility' and what can we do about it? Matthew 24:12-13 (from the New International Version) states, "Because of the increase of wickedness (sin), the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Wow....sounds pretty serious. We all can relate to the dangers of traveling on the highways or in the air in circumstances of poor visibility, yet too often we ignore signs of impending spiritual danger by 'traveling' in a state of poor spiritual visibility.

What can we do about this dangerous state of poor spiritual visibility in our lives? (and I'm speaking to the person who has previously turned to Christ as their Savior, Redeemer and Lord of their life.) When sin creeps in to cloud our connection and relationship with God, we must examine our lives and confess and clean up the known and unknown sin in our lives. Jesus paid the ultimate price so that we can, through Him, be connected with God. Get rid of the sin that's causing the visibility issues and you will find that God is there waiting to pour out His merciful, unfailing love on us. James 4:8 says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." This is another promise from scripture that we can trust. When we draw closer to God and look to Christ in all things, God reveals Himself and draws close to us! If that isn't enough to motivate us to keep our lives clean and free from sin...nothing is!

May we all check the 'visibility' of the path as we "Walk God's Way" and may we take whatever measures neccessary to clear the path ahead of us!