I live in a fast growing city. Just about every major thoroughfare is under construction. The roads and streets that aren’t under construction or under repair need to be. No matter how carefully and responsibly people drive, sooner or later, one of those award-winning, VW-swallowing, chug holes will cross their path. Eventually, each of us is going to knock our front end out of alignment. It’s inescapable.

    The resulting alignment problem isn’t very noticeable at first — just a little wobble, bounce, or vibration at a certain speed. As the miles pile up, however, the problems intensify. Before long, the tire begins to wear in the wrong places, the vibration is magnified, the tire is ruined, rattles get worse, and other damage follows. Replacing the worn tire won’t fix anything, either. Because the front end is out of alignment, before long, the wobble will return. The vibration will intensify. Much sooner than later, the once new tire is ruined, the rattles are worse, and the alignment problems have multiplied.

    So often we approach our spiritual problems with procrastination and band-aid solutions; we just replace the tire rather than getting the car re-aligned. Rather than dealing with the real spiritual issue, we change churches, go to the latest seminar, find a new Bible study group, or change our set of Christian friends. Meanwhile, the spiritual damage accumulates because we refuse to deal with a secret sin, our pet weakness, an unresolved conflict, a bad habit, or some false thing we’ve said about someone else.

...we just replace the tire rather than getting the car re-aligned.

    Of course there are times to make changes in our church, or go to a seminar, or become part of a new Bible study group, or get involved with other Christian people. These changes, however, will not be beneficial if we leave the core spiritual matters in our lives un-addressed and out of alignment. Jesus warned us that we need to get our own spiritual matters resolved before we talk to others about their spiritual problems. I loved the image he used to drive his point home:

And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? (Matthew 7:3)

    So let’s get personal. What is your log? What is out of alignment in your life that needs to be addressed? What changes do you need to make so that God can use you in new and powerful ways?

    It’s hard to know where and how to start on these kinds of internal problems that we have allowed to continue so long. So let’s do several things to address our alignment problem:

1. Start!

Begin by praying to your Father in heaven and confessing your fault. Ask for his help and forgiveness. Commit to deal with the out of align areas of your life. (1 John 1:5-2:2)

2. Search!

Seek God’s will for you in the Scriptures. Seek God’s direction on the issue in the Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:13-17)

3. Submit!

Make yourself accountable to a spiritual person about your growth in this area. (2 Timothy 2:1-2; James 5:16,19-20)

4. Spirit!

Do the things that open you to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life (see Ephesians 5:17-22)

5. Celebrate!

Thank God for the changes he is making in your life. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

    Let’s not put off the spiritual changes we need to make. God longs to make us all that we can be! Our loving Father wants to help us avoid the damage in our lives that being out alignment can bring to ourselves and those we love.

Title: "Out of Alignment"
Author: Phil Ware
Publication Date: March 4, 2002

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