It seems as if the entire world is headed off the cliff of virtual reality. By it’s very definition, virtual reality is not reality at all! While entertaining at times, this way of viewing the world is permeating all of our culture and leading mankind to vain imagination…to something that cannot hold up when life gets tough. Vain Imaginations will lead us to despair, but God has given us the remedy for such stinking thinking:

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NASB

We live in a world of superficialities. We live and breathe for someone to like us on Facebook or Instagram or whatever the latest, greatest form of social media offers as reality and key to successful living. Most of the world does not operate in reality. It’s more about image and how the presentation of one’s self is perceived than what is true and utterly real.

This produces a false sense of self and leads to either self-worship and performance or to an attitude of ‘love me as I am because I don’t need to change’. Both lead us to somewhere other than reality. Humanity and the wisdom of man tends to lead with assumptions based on feelings rather than Truth. And just who is behind such false assumptions? The enemy of God - the Liar - Satan.

With the busy schedules most of us live in, it is easy to feel as if we are living in a whirlwind or spinning around on a never-ending merry-go-round. When caught is a whirlwind, I look for shelter. When stuck on a merry-go-round, I simply step off. How do we do that in life? We run to Father and find shelter. We step off and into His presence, regardless of our circumstances or feelings. We step out of the world and into his presence…but how?

What is the world and how do we live in it yet step out of it at the same time? Any part of the system of man that says man and his devices are the solution; Any system that takes God out of the equation is ‘the world’. We step out of that world and its belief system by reminding ourselves of who and Whose we are. By reminding ourselves of why we are here. Here are some practical ways to do that:

Step out of the world and into the Word.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”
Matthew 4:4 NASB

Look at what you have and not at what you don't have.

25 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Matthew 6:25-30 NASB

Don’t compare yourself to others. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Joy is based on knowing we are never alone. Walking in this truth leads to contentment - regardless of the circumstances of life.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
Philippians 4:11 NASB

Glance at the problem but fix your eyes on Jesus.

Stop trying to change your past. It cannot be done.

Forgive yourself and move on down the road toward Jesus.

Live in the moment.

When you just don’t know what to do, seek Jesus. Just call upon the name of Jesus.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10 NASB

When feeling covered or consumed with the residue of the world, call out to Him as…
Jehovah M’Kaddesh - Holiness

When feeling put down by the world for foolishly following Christ, call out to Him as…
Jehovah Tsidkenu - Righteousness

When feeling alone, call out to Him as…
Jehovah Shemmah - Present

When feeling like you are caught up in confusion or chaos, call out to Him as…
Jehovah Shalom - Peace

When you feel like you are lacking in an area of you life, call out to Him as…
Jehovah Jireh - Provider

When feeling defeated, call out to Him as…
Jehovah Nissi - Victory

When emotionally wounded, call out to Him as…
Jehovah Rophe - Healer

When needing personal care and guidance, call out to Him as…
Jehovah Rohi - Shepherd

No man has seen the face of God in this life, yet we see His reflection in every place we look. Look for God’s reflection in the world around you and remember He never leaves you and never forsakes you - in spite of your feelings!

See life from the King’s point of view. He sees through the lies of the enemy and into true reality. That is Solid Ground where I want to live. In so doing, we put down vain imaginations and replace them with the truth - with reality!
Dennis Jernigan