Survival Mode

Survival mode is relative. For some, it is searching for the next meal or nutritional survival. For others it is tangling with a teenager, or parent survival. For some, it is the struggle to define themselves, or survival of purpose. For still others, it is desperately seeking a way to make ends meet, or financial survival. For some, it is the healing of a broken and wounded heart, or emotional survival. For others, it is the ability to withstand conflict at home and work, or relational survival. For some, it is the unending and confining responsibility as a caregiver, or physical, emotional, and financial survival. And most important, for some it is the inner struggle with God and the meaning of life, or spiritual survival. Indeed, it is not all bad to experience a sense of desperation. It is when we are at the end of ourselves that we are most in need of the Almighty.

Sometimes, our circumstances strip us naked before our Creator. We feel exposed, vulnerable, embarrassed, and exhausted. It is an uncomfortable position. Life seems to be swirling out of control because we are in survival mode. We feel as if we are two steps away from total despair and depression, even to the point of contemplating suicide. Survival mode means we are on the verge of giving up. We are not sure the marriage is worth it anymore. We are not convinced that Christ is all that He is cracked up to be. Life stinks and we are just trying to get through another day. Our goal is to eke out a living and get by the best we can. Indeed, survival mode can become a way of life if there is not an intervention of eternal consequences. Therefore, do not become satisfied with survival mode; instead let the Lord love you through this. Scripture teaches:

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

The abundant life (John 10:10) in Christ is much more than survival mode. So, use survival mode to lead you to revival mode. Ask God to use this time of desperation to revive your relationship with Him (Psalm 85:6). Pray for the Holy Spirit to ignite your soul and revive your heart of intimacy with your Savior, Jesus. Repent from watering down the Word of God, and revive its application to your everyday life. Ask Jesus to transform your life into robust revival rather than sedentary survival.

Survival may be for the fittest, but revival is for the faithful. It is not those who “gut it out” alone who experience God, but those who invite the Lord and others into their inner circle of influence. Break the cycle of cynicism by turning your hurts over to Christ, your caregiver. Allow the gentle Spirit of God to lead you through survival to revival. Pray for a revival of relationships, finances, health, work, parenting, and emotional energy, then trust God with the results. Do not continually strive to survive. Instead, rest in Him to revive. A revived soul does more than survive. It flourishes by faith in God. Live through survival mode into revival mode. But do it all by the grace of God.

Post/Tweet this today: By God’s grace persevere through survival mode into revival mode. #survivalmode #wisdomhunter

Taken from the December February 1st reading in Seeking Daily the Heart of God v.1

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