Headwinds

 

One afternoon while my husband was working on post-hurricane repairs at our vacation home, I decided to walk the beach. The outside temperature was 72 degrees; sunlight was reflected in gleaming silvery streaks moving with the rolling waves; and a few lacy clouds dotted the ombre sky, resplendent in tones ranging from aqua to robin’s egg to royal blue, and even a hint of cobalt.

The local air force brigade, as we affectionately refer to the native pelicans, passed overhead in precise military formation. An auspicious beginning to my afternoon stroll, or so I thought. On our morning walk, my husband and I had set out toward the nature preserve in search of shells and fossils, so I decided to walk the opposite direction along the shore to see what treasures I might find there.

But as soon as I began walking down the beach, the idyllic experience became an unexpected challenge. I was attempting to walk straight into the wind, hanging onto my hat to prevent losing it in the surf. The wind rushing into my face took my breath away. The ground stretching out before me was reminiscent of photos of the Sahara Desert, as the air currents had shaped the sand into furrows, and streams of sand hovered a few inches over the surface, perpendicular to the uncharacteristically hilly terrain. Thankfully, I was wearing long pants and sneakers, or the streams of sand propelled by the wind would have blasted my ankles!

When the hope of gathering a few beach treasures and of reaching my daily goal of 10,000 steps no longer outweighed enduring this struggle, I turned around to go home. As soon as I changed direction, my circumstances also changed! No longer facing the headwinds, I now had a light breeze at my back, propelling me gently down the beach. My hat remained serenely on my head, its brim no longer trying to bear me aloft as if I were the Flying Nun in that old television show. The sand was no longer attacking me but was instead inviting me to sift through it in search of cockle shells and shark’s teeth.

After a short, pleasant jaunt in the warm sun, I finally made it back to our comfortable home, where my husband greeted me with an inviting smile and hug, as well as with approval for the fossil fragments I had found on the return journey.

This beach stroll reminded me of how much easier and more pleasant life can be when we experience tailwinds rather than headwinds! Financial analysts speak of socioeconomic headwinds and tailwinds that may affect a stock’s performance, and air travel reminds us that these can result in a late or early arrival. If we are sailing, biking, hiking, kayaking or just traveling through life, our direction can definitely influence whether we’ll encounter headwinds, and their impact on our journey and destination.

Sometimes we face headwinds because we deliberately choose to fly in the face of obstacles. At other times, as in flying to another city, we have no choice but to follow the designated route, regardless of whether circumstances favor or hinder our journey.  

Spiritually speaking, we can be guided by the gentle breath, or inspiration, of the Holy Spirit nudging us forward, or we can fly straight into His face in a headstrong spirit of rebellion. How much better to have Him as our Comforter (John 14:16), Advocate (1 John 2:1), Counselor (Isaiah 9:6) and Friend (Proverbs 18:24) than to face the wrath of our infinitely holy and righteous God!

Yet even when we are attempting to follow God’s perfect will for our life, we may encounter headwinds. Satan may be throwing obstacles in our path to discourage us, and God may allow it to strengthen our faith in and dependence on Him. Sometimes Satan works through others, perhaps even well-meaning Christian brethren who have forgotten the old tale of the sun and wind arguing over who could get a man walking on the road to remove his coat.

In that fable, the wind huffed and puffed and blew at the man with all his might, but to no avail, for the man only pulled his cloak about him more tightly. But when the sun shone brightly, the man soon removed his coat voluntarily to enjoy the sun’s warming rays. The message of this tale is like the old proverb that it’s easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar. To paraphrase, we are more likely to shape others’ behavior in favorable ways by being a tailwind to speed them down the correct path, rather than a headwind impeding their progress. 

My beach experience also reminded me of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-31). He was lulled into a false sense of security when he left his Father’s house, headed in the wrong direction, enticed by the pleasures of sin, lured away by his own greed and selfishness, and facing increasing obstacles every step of the way. When he had finally burned through his inheritance and sunk to the utter degradation of feeding and living with swine, he came to the end of himself and came to his senses.

Only then did he repent, or change direction and turn around, realizing he would be far better off as even a servant in his Father’s house. With each step toward home, his feet must have moved faster and the burden on his heart must have grown lighter as he grew more confident of the wisdom of his choice to return. Can you imagine how his anticipation changed to joy as he saw his Father running to meet him, arms opened wide, welcoming him back with a feast, ring, and finest robe?

When we are saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6)  it is because the Holy Spirit has convicted us of our sin, shown us that we as sinners must face eternal punishment in hell unless we trust Christ as our Savior, and led us to repentance. Once we confess our sins, we have a change of heart and of direction, turning from rebelling against God to following Him. Then we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), as our burden of sin is lifted away.

But even mature Christians can rebel against God and must then face the headwinds of the consequences of sin. Although God has given us free will to choose our direction, He loves us too much to allow us to turn away from Him without a struggle. First, He speaks in a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). If we ignore that, He may take away our privileges or impose punishment. We may lose fellowship with Him, the joy of His salvation (Psalm 51:12), the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), our health, wealth, or even our physical life.

But praise God, once a backslidden Christian changes direction to return to the Father, these headwinds may disappear, according to His perfect will and timing, and be replaced by tailwinds spiriting the repentant sinner along to restored fellowship with the Father. Praise God, no matter how far the born-again believer may roam, he will never lose his salvation, for the Father tenderly anticipates his return home!  

Copyright 2025 Laurie Collett

Don’t Fight Him!

 

I remember a several-day episode of major drama in the ballroom where we practice our dance ministry. Ladies would run out of the restroom screaming, and even gentlemen would gasp and lose their composure while leading a dance move. The source of all this commotion was a small lizard who had apparently sneaked in under the door and refused to leave, appearing unexpectedly at the most inopportune times.

Such lizards are common in Florida, where the sunlight, heat, humidity, vegetation and insects offer them an ideal environment. They blend well into their outdoor surroundings, where their intricately patterned colorations and interesting behaviors usually cause us to admire them as an example of God’s perfect and creative design (Genesis 1:24-25). But within the ballroom, this tiny intruder took on monstrous proportions and was described as “that humongous, nasty creature!”

My husband Richard opened the door and tried to show him the way, getting behind him and shooing him toward the threshold. But the little rascal obstinately stood his ground in the corner, then fled even further into the ballroom. Richard extended his hand to gently scoop him up and out the door, but he scurried away.

Finally Richard dropped an empty wastebasket upside down over the culprit so that he would be safely contained inside. His plan was to slide the wastebasket to the door, then to safely release the lizard outdoors where he could find the sunlight, water, and food he so desperately needed. But that rebellious lizard flung himself against the walls of the basket and even tried to escape through the bottom. In the resulting struggle, a tiny piece of his tail broke off, and when Richard finally brought him into the sunlight, the lizard seemed dazed and exhausted by his journey, resting peacefully in his hand for a moment before leaping to freedom.

“It would have been a lot easier on him if he hadn’t fought me the whole way,” Richard said.

It made me wonder how many times God says the same thing about us. Like Lot (Genesis 13:12-13;19) and Samson (Judges 14-16), we sometimes leave the provision of His presence to stray into places and situations where we don’t belong. Outside His will, we no longer fit harmoniously into the order He has designed for us as members of His body (Romans 12: 4-5; 1 Corinthians 12). Instead, we disrupt the peace and fellowship of others. We cut ourselves off from His life-giving love, safety, and blessings (Philippians 4:19), and strike out on our own as if we could supply our own needs once separated from His nourishing care (John 15:5).

But thankfully, God loves us too much to leave us in our desperate predicament (Isaiah 54:7-10; Luke 15:4-6). When we were His enemies, rebelling against His authority and even against acknowledging His existence, He pursued us to get our attention (Romans 5:8-10; James 4:4) and to show us His love (1 John 4:19).

Fighting God is pointless, for one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10). How much better to submit to His will now and live out His perfect plan for our life, than to realize too late the horrible mistake of rejecting Christ -- an error resulting in eternal damnation.

Saul of Tarsus was arguably the most zealous enemy of Christ, for he persecuted, imprisoned and even killed Christians (Acts 7: 57-Acts 8:1-3). Yet Christ appeared to Him on the road to Damascus, and Saul became Paul, entrusted by Christ with the mission of spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles and writing most of the New Testament (Acts 9:1-2).

Once we trust Christ as Savior and place our faith in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), He will not let us stray far from His will without intervening to call us back to Himself. Like the father of the Prodigal Son, He will be waiting for our return with His arms outstretched in love (Luke 15:20).

The good life the lizard was seeking lay just outside the ballroom door, yet in his ignorance and confusion he ran further away from it, fighting Richard’s rescue attempts with every fiber of his being. When the lizard strayed from his outdoor home into the ballroom, he was so far out of his element that he was viewed as a nuisance and a menace, rather than as one of God’s awesome creatures playing his part in the harmony of nature. When we are out of God’s will, we cannot glorify Him because others see our sin nature, and not His light shining through us (Romans 8:5-9).

Why don’t we listen to God when He speaks to us in a still, small, voice (1 Kings 19:12) and just obey Him, stepping back on the path lit by His Word? (Psalm 119:105). Why do we run further away from His fellowship, and that of other believers, into the darkness of sin? (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) Why do we wait for Him to use drastic measures to get our attention (Hebrews 12:3-11), as He did with Jonah? (Jonah 1-4)

How much better to respond to God's quiet whisper than to wait for Him to smack us on the head with a 2 X 4! When He resorts to such extreme methods, we usually have only ourselves to blame.

I felt sorry for the lizard as my husband slid him to safety in the wastebasket, because he couldn’t see where he was or where he was going and had no idea of his destination or fate. God made us in His own image (Genesis 1:27) with the ability to love, trust, and obey Him, yet sometimes we lack faith (Hebrews 11:6). We panic and fight back like the lizard, which only makes our situation worse.

When we can’t see Him at work and can’t hear His voice, we may think that He has abandoned us or that He no longer cares enough to see us safely home. Yet He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). 

Once we are His children and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35), and nothing can pluck us out of the double grip of Jesus and the Father (John 10:28). We cannot go where His love cannot rescue us (Psalm 139:1-12), and if we take even the smallest step on the journey home to Him, He will run to us with open arms (Luke 15:20).

Even if we can’t understand how He will see us through our distress, we should trust in His love and in His ability to bring about His perfect will for our lives (Romans 8:28). Don’t fight Him – trust Him!

Psalm 19:13: Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins.

“It is as if [David] said, ‘Keep me back, or I shall rush headlong over the precipice of sin.’ Our evil nature, like an ill-tempered horse, is apt to run away. May the grace of God put the bridle upon it, and hold it in, that it rush not into mischief. What might not the best of us do if it were not for the checks which the Lord sets upon us both in providence and in grace!
C. H. Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, March 16

© 2012 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives, edited and expanded

Rebellion and Redemption: Expulsion from Eden

 

 

Like labor pains, the signs of Christ's return are increasing in severity and intensity, including wars, rumors of wars, famine, disease, earthquakes in unusual places, Christian persecution, false doctrine and false teachers, and hatred of others, even the unnatural lack of love for one's own flesh and blood (Matthew 24). All these evils can be traced back to the curse of sin on humanity and on the earth because of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God. Yet praise God, He opened the plan of redemption to whosoever would trust in Jesus Christ His Son (John 3:16), giving us a living hope even in these dark, perilous times. I therefore thought it would be appropriate to repost this from the archives.

The overarching theme of the Bible is that of a perfectly loving, holy and just God creating, sustaining and redeeming His rebellious children. Because He is completely holy, He cannot allow sin into His presence (Leviticus 11:45). Because He is righteous and just, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished (1 Kings 8:32; Psalm 7:11). And because He is love (1 John 4:8), He gave His only Son to pay the punishment for our sins, so that he could shower His children with His infinite mercy and grace (2 John 1:3) and give them eternal life in His presence.

Despite the idyllic, blissful life God provided for Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, where they enjoyed the beauty of His creation, one another, and fellowship with Him (Genesis 1-4), they rebelled against Him.

Satan, in the form of a wise, beautiful and subtle serpent, resorted to his favorite ploy – starting with God’s truth and twisting it into a lie (Genesis 3: 1–3), for he is the father of lies (John 8:44). Eve was deceived and succumbed to the three temptations that are Satan’s signature strategies: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (Genesis 3:5-6; 1 John 2:16).

Before the fall, Adam and his wife were innocent and trusted God, as proven by their obedience. When they disobeyed and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they committed the first sin – rebellion against God’s commandment (Genesis 3:7). They lost fellowship with God and were afraid of Him because they knew they had done wrong (v.:8-10).

Before they had been unashamed of their nudity, as husband and wife should lovingly delight in one another in the sanctity of marriage (Hebrews 13:4). But after their eyes were opened, they knew they were naked and made a pitiful attempt to hide themselves with fig leaves (Genesis 3: 7)

God in His mercy gives Adam ample opportunity to confess (v. 9-11), for when we confess our sins, He is swift to forgive us (1 John 1:9). But instead, Adam and Eve both play the blame game. Adam has the audacity to blame God for giving him Eve, and he then tries to avoid guilt by blaming his wife (Genesis 3: 12). Not that Eve is any better – rather than taking responsibility for her disobedience, she blames the serpent (v. 13). 

Sadly, variations of this scenario are too often repeated, even to the present day. This results not only in failed marriages and relationships, but also in worldwide conflict and even war when rulers refuse to accept responsibility for their actions. Rather than acknowledge their own fault, criminals often blame a failed system or their dysfunctional family for their wrongdoing, which is a major obstacle to rehabilitation.

After Adam and Eve's sin, God first cursed the serpent (v. 14). Before he beguiled Eve, the serpent had feet and walked, but after he was condemned to slither along the ground (v.14). But the true object of God’s wrath is not the serpent that Satan used to tempt Eve, but Satan himself. Since Lucifer’s sin of pride led to his fall from Heaven, he has been the enemy of mankind – looking to kill and destroy (1 Peter 5:8). And the devil is the enemy of the seed of the woman – Jesus Christ, Who ultimately defeats Satan. But first Satan bruises His heel at the cross (Genesis 3 15).

The curse for Eve’s sin is the pain of childbirth and her subjection to her husband (v. 16; Ephesians 5: 20-25), and Adam’s curse is that he must work hard to eat (Genesis 3 17-18) until the day he dies. Sin brought with it the curse not only of hard physical labor, but of physical death (v. 19; Romans 6:23), including eternal spiritual death for those alienated from God.

But the promise of redemption was there in Eve’s seed (Genesis 3: 20). Many generations later, God’s own Son would take on human flesh (John 1:14), be born to Mary – one of Eve’s descendants -- and bring eternal life to all Who trust in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only way to Heaven (John 14:6). 

Through His grace and sacrifice, believers are made righteous and freely receive eternal life (Romans 5: 17-19).

The first death occurred in the garden when God killed animals to clothe Adam and Eve with their skins (Genesis 3:21), which symbolized covering, but not removing, their sin, through shed blood. Thus began the “scarlet thread” (Joshua 2:18) of redemption by the blood woven throughout Bible history. The shedding of animal blood for sacrifices commanded by God covered the sins of His people, but only temporarily (Leviticus 4; 3-7).

Not until the perfect Sacrifice of Jesus Christ Himself would believers be washed clean in His blood (Revelation 1:5), their sins removed as far from them as is the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). through His completed work on the cross.

Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they were marred by the sin of disobedience. If they would eat the tree of life, they would live forever in their sinful, corrupt bodies and would be doomed to hell for all eternity (Genesis 3:22). God had to prevent that so that they and their descendants could ultimately have eternal life in Heaven, so He expelled Adam and Eve from the garden and placed angels with flaming swords at its entrance to guard the tree of life (v.23-24).

Milllennia later, God will finally give His children access to the tree of life. Thanks to His plan of salvation through His Son, those who are born again will ultimately escape their sin-stained bodies and receive glorified bodies that will never age or become sick. In Heaven, in the New Jerusalem, we will eat fruit from the tree of life and its leaves will keep us from getting sick (Revelation 2:7; 22:2,14).

May we lead our lives not in rebellion, but in submission to His perfect will, so that we will ultimately taste the fruit of the tree of life and live forever in His presence!

© 2013 Laurie Collett

Edited, expanded and reposted from the archives

Rebellion and Redemption -- Cain and Abel

As we have seen, God punished Adam and Eve for their rebellion, yet He promised their redemption through Eve’s seed, a Descendant Who would bruise Satan’s head and defeat sin and death (Genesis 3:15). 

Eve thought Cain, her firstborn, was the promised seed that would defeat Satan (Genesis 4:1), but unlike his younger brother Abel, Cain rebelled against God’s commandment for blood sacrifice. That commandment was because of the “scarlet thread,” with cleansing from sin, and hence salvation, being possible only through blood sacrifice.

Instead, Cain committed the sins of pride and disobedience, offering a sacrifice of crops he had grown through his own hard work (Genesis 4:2-3). Abel, a shepherd, offered his first sheep to God, honoring Him with obedience and with faith that God would provide other sheep for his own use. The principle of tithing and giving God our first and best thus began before the Mosaic law, suggesting that the faithful should continue to tithe even though we are no longer under the law (Malachi 3:8-10),

God honors obedience and is pleased by faith, which allows us to be clothed in His righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). Abel’s sacrifice not only pleased God but serves as a testimony to this day (Hebrews 11:4). Even now, we can please God only by having faith in Him and in what He says (Hebrews 11:6). We demonstrate our faith by obeying His commandments. Because of our faith, He no longer sees our sins, but His righteousness and that of His Son (Hebrews 1:8).  We have no righteousness on our own behalf (Isaiah 64:6).

In contrast, Cain was disobedient and wanted to honor God by religious works, not by a true relationship with Him. This was the origin of all false religions, which claim salvation by good works rather than by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). When God calls him out on his disobedience, Cain shows his true colors by getting angry with God, proving that he just wanted to appease God, not to please Him or to have fellowship with Him (Genesis 4:6-7)..

God asks Cain why he is angry, knowing the answer but giving Cain the opportunity to confess his pride and self-righteousness. God is not mysterious or secretive about how we can please Him – He makes it very clear through His Word (Psalm 119:105), and yet we foolishly plead ignorance. God warns Cain that his sin of disobedience and anger (which is the thought equivalent of murder; Matthew 5:22) will lead him into even greater sin (Genesis 4:6-7).

Cain, the firstborn, possessed the birthright and should therefore have been a spiritual mentor and role model for Abel. But we cannot rely on our spiritual heritage or privileged position for our salvation, which comes only through faith in the Lord.

Sadly, Cain ignores God’s warning to flee from sin before it ruins him, as he is envious of God being pleased with Abel (1 John 3: 11-12). That sin of covetousness leads to the sin of anger, which seethes and smoulders within until it erupts in the sin of murder (Genesis 4:8). When we sin, we need to confess our sin to God (1 John 1:9), to listen to His warning not to sin any more, and to remove ourselves from a situation where temptation will overcome us (Genesis 39:12). 

Satan used Cain to kill Abel, fearing that the righteous One Who would destroy Satan would come through Abel’s bloodline (Genesis 3:15). After Cain murders Abel, God again gives Cain the opportunity to confess, but he lies, committing yet another sin (Genesis 4:9). We cannot hide our sins from God – neither our evil deeds nor our evil thoughts (Psalm 139:1-8). Although Cain denies any responsibility for his little brother, we are indeed our brother’s keeper – we need to protect, encourage, and build up one another, not harm those who look to us as an example (Romans 14:13).

Cain had been proud of his ability to farm despite the curse God had placed on the earth (Genesis 3:18-19), not realizing that it was only by God’s grace that he had that ability. But now part of his punishment was that he would have to work even harder to survive by farming. In addition, he would be an outcast from his family and from society (Genesis 4:12).

Sin always has consequences – sorrow in this life, and eternal punishment and separation from God in the next, unless we confess our sins and realize that only the shed blood of His Son has cleansed us from our sin (Romans 3:25). Cain complains and is miserable but shows no sign of remorse. He does not take responsibility, admit his guilt, or ask God to forgive Him (Genesis 4:13).

He realizes that he will be ostracized from society and separated from God, yet he still blames God instead of asking for forgiveness. Cain seems to take pride even in his rebellion (Genesis 4:14). Pride is worse than a terminal illness because it results in eternal death (Proverbs 16:18). Vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19), and He does not want us to take it into our own hands (Genesis 4:15).

Cain began a new life isolated from his family, his society, and from any pretense of attempting to please God. He lived in the land of Nod, which means “shaking” or “trembling,” as he would experience great turmoil and dissatisfaction in his spirit, which always happens when men defy God (Genesis 4:16).

Cain had no desire to follow God and live with Him in Paradise, so he attempted to build his own heaven on earth (Genesis 4:17). For those who are never saved, earthly life is the only heaven they will ever know.

Through Cain’s descendants came the first sin of polygamy (v. 19), going against God’s plan of marriage between one man and one woman for life (Matthew 19:3-9), the first musician (Genesis 4: 21) and the first metal smith (v. 22). Even though God gave us music to worship Him (Psalm 150:3-5), Satan can use music for idol worship or to arouse evil passions and thoughts (Daniel 3:5) and he could use the skill of metal working to make idols (Exodus 32:1-5) and instruments of warfare. Sadly, Cain’s legacy also included the sin of pride. His descendant Lamech killed a man in self-defense, and like Cain, he showed no remorse (Genesis 4: 23-24).

But God, in His mercy, had promised that Eve’s seed would give rise to One Who would crush the serpent’s head – to defeat Satan (Genesis 3:15). She now realized that promise was not through Cain or Abel, but through her son Seth. Two lines were born to Adam and Eve – the evil line, or children of the devil, through Cain, and the good line – first Abel, then Seth, which would be the lineage of Jesus Christ the Messiah. “Seth” means “set,” “fixed,” or “placed,” as he was placed on the solid foundation of faith in God. In contrast, Cain was a wanderer.

The line of Seth feared God and prayed to Him, and became known as His people (v. 26), most likely mockingly by the seed of Satan. Despite the ongoing rebellion of Cain and his blood line, God would fulfill His promise of a Deliverer Who would conquer death, sin and Satan, and that Saviour would come through the blood line of Seth. Praise God that despite our rebellious nature, He offers through His Son redemption for all who would accept this freely given gift!

© 2013 Laurie Collett