Wild Horse

When our lives feel like they're spiraling out of control, we can place ourselves under the control of the Holy Spirit; that's where we need to be consistently. In 1st Corinthians 9, we can read:
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

Verse 25 says in another translation: "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things."  

There are certain things that we think we can control in life, but human wisdom is inadequate for navigating this life in the way God would intend.  We can try to control ourselves, but we need the power of the Holy Spirit in order that we might live a life of surrender.  We can try to control others, but that path is certainly one of disappointment.  We need to relinquish control of our lives and place Christ first so that we might do His will.

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In Philippians 1, Paul, a man whom you could say was out of control as he persecuted the church and who was brought under the control of Christ, is writing to the church at Philippi, sharing how he is thankful as he remembers them, and in that chapter, he writes:
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

Anthony Thomas grew up in Australia and wanted to be a cowboy.  He developed a love for wild horses and in a sense was a wild horse who needed to be tamed.

That's according to a GodReports.com story about Anthony's journey that includes material from CBN.  Anthony's parents tried prescription meds to control him and ended up sending him to a boarding school. At school, he landed a job working with "unbroken" horses. The article says that he related to CBN, “They were confused and they had used their defense mechanisms to protect themselves and I could definitely relate to them in every way..."

He learned to "break" them and learned to ride them - he started to compete in rodeos and especially liked bareback riding.  The article says that Anthony was considered one of the "top 15 bareback riders" in the world.  But, even amidst that high level of achievement in the world of rodeo, his life was far from winning: he degenerated into the party lifestyle, which left him empty inside.

But, a lady named Amanda, who is now his wife, invited him to church. There, he had an encounter with God.  The God Reports article says that he experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in a profound way. He said, "I started crying, didn’t know where it come from. And God was just speaking to me and it was an undeniable sense of conviction.”  The article adds, "Anthony repented of his sins and received Jesus as his Lord and Savior."

The story also says:

While Anthony trained wild horses to trust him, now he sees the necessity of fully trusting God. “God prepared me to be a professional bareback rider just because I need to trust the Lord and the Holy Spirit’s plan 100 percent, surrendering to the Lord. Then it’s not up to me what happens.”

Thomas also speaks of the topic of "platform," saying, "Every one of us has a platform right where they are and teach them about the love of Jesus. No matter what – there’s a God that’s always there for you, that has more for you than you could ever imagine."

I came up with three principles that we can take to heart, based on Anthony's story.  First of all, we have to learn to see ourselves practically.  Thomas saw himself in the wild horses that he tried to tame and ride.  We can allow the Holy Spirit to show us our strengths and weaknesses and direct us in relying on His strength.

Which leads to the second thing: we can learn to see our potential in Christ.  We can be confident in who we are in Christ and anticipate who He is making us to be.  We can indeed do all things through Christ who gives us strength, and know that He is at work in us.

We can also learn to embrace our platform.  Anthony Thomas gets that concept now - he sees that God has a purpose for him and that he has placed him in rodeo competition in order to give glory to Him. He has great things in store if we are willing to allow Christ to express Himself through us.