What’s Holding You Back?

Does anyone remember this ad campaign run by law enforcement in hopes of getting people to wear their seat belts?  This was promoting the seat belt as the way to help keep the user from having major injuries if they are in an accident.

I thought about this the other day when putting on my seat belt.  I was thinking that the slogan could also apply to our spiritual lives.  All too often we allow our busyness to hold us back from God.  We have the kids' events, our own events, work, family, and the list goes on and on. We just allow all of these things in our lives to hold us down from the life that God wants us to live for Him.  I’m not saying that they are bad things, and in fact I’m all in favor of taking part in most of that stuff, but if they keep you from God, then maybe they should be reevaluated.

So, today I just wanted to take a moment and help us all reexamine our lives and make sure that our priority is God.  If we have Him in our lives and make him the priority, then the rest will fall into place.  Don’t allow anything to hold you back from God and what He wants you to be doing with your life.

Be Careful What You Ask/Pray For

The other night I was on Youtube checking out a few live concert clips from some of my favorite bands. It got me to thinking about how much the people in those groups must have really wanted to play their instruments or sing in front of people. I thought about the journey they must have taken to get there, all the work they had put in, etc. Then I started to wonder how many of the people I was watching were bored. I mean, how much fun can it be to play the same songs, in the same order night after night at concert after concert? Do they still enjoy what they are doing? Is the dream that they achieved all that they thought it would be?

The reason I bring this up is because I think very often we as Christians pray for something, not totally prepared for the results. We do the Prayer of Jabez study and pray for God to enlarge our territories and then have no idea what to do when He give us what we asked to have. We then get overwhelmed, and instead of using that opportunity to further grow with Christ we instead shrink back to something that we never wanted to be. Instead of going out there and being bold for Christ some go back to what they were before they had a relationship with Him.

Today I want to encourage you to prepare for what you ask or pray to have. Just like the bands that I’ve discussed above, I’m sure that there is joy in getting what you are asking to have. God wants to keep you advancing in the Kingdom and for the Kingdom. You should pray expecting to get what you have asked for! If you are going to get it, God knows that you can handle it. Yet, too often our human minds get the best of us and tell us we can’t handle it! Know that He is ready to expand your territory. Know that He wants to answer your prayers. Now you need to be careful what you ask for, and be prepared to take what you’re given and run with it for Him! Those bands I was watching are leading worship for millions of believers all the time. Talk about running with what God has provided! Now it’s your turn. Go out and pray, expecting God to answer those prayers….Oftentimes He’s just waiting for you to ask!

Solving Disputes - Who is In Control?

Currently in Norwalk there is a bit of a battle brewing that I’d like to discuss some today. Although I don’t know all of the circumstances on how everything came about, I can tell you some of the facts of the debate:

Fact 1: The VFW owns a bunch of land.

Fact 2: That land has been used by Lefty Grove Baseball for years.

Fact 3: A piece of that land has been offered to Norwalk Jr. Truckers Football.

Fact 4: Norwalk Jr. Truckers Football is a quality organization that has been helping youth for years.

Fact 5: Lefty Grove baseball is a quality organization that has been helping youth for years.

Now those are the facts as I know them. I haven’t had many dealings with the VFW here in Norwalk personally so I don’t have expertise on how it is run, its leadership, etc. However, I like to assume that it’s a quality organization as well.

The problem is that there is a dispute going on that is going to cause damage to all three organizations. My personal problem is that I can see all three sides of the argument. I can see why the VFW should be able to repurpose their land as they see fit. I see why Lefty Grove wouldn’t want to lose the space. I also see why Norwalk Jr. Truckers would want the space.

Now I’m not going to spend my time here today discussing what I think should be done, as frankly that doesn’t matter at all. Sure I have an opinion, and I’m on the fence right now as I support all of the sides of the argument one way or another. Instead, today I’d like to focus on one thing: God has already decided how this will work out and for the glory of His kingdom this will all get worked out in the long run.

Saying that doesn’t easily make the sides of the argument agree. Saying that doesn’t make it easy for anyone either. Yet, it’s not the saying it that helps at all. It’s believing those words that allows us all to start to find an answer to situations like these. When we believe that we’re not in control and that He is in control instead allows us to keep a level head in these types of debates. That allows situations like this to not boil over and spill into other areas that have collateral damage. This knowledge will allow all three organizations to reach a compromise that not only helps all involved, but continues to advance His kingdom. It will allow the children of Norwalk to be served by these quality organizations today and for years to come.

It’s my sincere hope that those involved in this will work daily to glorify Christ in all the decisions they make. I know as a parent I’m extremely thankful for all that each of these organizations have done for our youth, and I look forward to years of their continued service to the community. It’s my sincere belief that this will be solved without anyone getting a black eye and that the Glory of God will be evident in the resolution.

Maybe It Doesn’t Matter After All

So over the past few weeks I’ve gone over a variety of different topics and hopefully you’ve found them helpful in one way or another in your personal walk with Jesus. Yet I’m sure there are some who have read some, or even all, of the blog posts and still don’t think that any of this matters. There are some that will scoff at the notion that parenting, budgeting, or maybe even church doesn’t matter for one reason or another. They have had bad experiences in the past in one of these areas and so they don’t feel that it really matters for them. Then there are others who have read all of my postings and have absorbed the information, but their life hasn’t changed at all. Many of those same people believe in God, but they don’t have a personal relationship with Him at all. Instead they keep living their lives and don’t think He really matters because nothing has changed in their lives.

Today I’m here to tell everyone that all that I’ve previously written here does matter. The problem is that oftentimes people read blogs like this, daily devotionals, or even their Bible and don’t make changes in their lives. Instead they expect things to change for them, even if they don’t make the effort. Today is a wake up call to each and every one of you. It’s time to start taking action and being responsible for your life. It’s time to take control of your spiritual walk and make a change. Make a budget, start working on being a better parent, look at church differently, etc. If you just keep sitting there “like a bump on a log”, as my Grandma has said to me in the past, then nothing is going to change in your life.

Up to this point many people have just read this blog week after week and said it was a nice little diversion in their life. Some people read it and forget it a couple minutes later. Still others read this information and never think about anything written here again. To each and every person who reads this I say that it’s time to take action. It’s time to realize that your spiritual life does matter to you. It’s time to show the enemy that he doesn’t have a hold on you and that you dare him to attack you because you have God on your side and you’re not hiding that relationship any more.

Don’t let the words here go in one eye and out the other. Read the words, absorb their meaning, and take action. You’ll find your life stronger, and you’ll show the world that God does matter in your life, and He can matter in theirs as well.

Church Matters

So, I’m sure what a lot of you are asking is that if faith matters…and I talked about that last week…why go on and talk about how church matters as well? Well, because there are lots of people who attend a church who don’t have genuine faith. They sit in their normal seat week after week and go through the motions of being there, yet they don’t have a clue of what God and having faith in Him are all about. So, they have to be separate, right? But does that make it sound like I’m saying you should make sure you are at your church every week? I know it does, but you’ll have to let me explain further in the next couple paragraphs. I think you’ll figure out the differences from there.

First off, you need to stop viewing church as something you HAVE to do every week. In fact, church is something you GET to do every week! You get to be with a group of other believers and spend time worshiping God. You get to sit near people who cover you in prayer. You get to pray in a large group of people. You get to hear God’s word together, and so much more.

Second, church isn’t about rituals. I’d encourage you to change where you sit every week instead of having a “regular seat”. There are more than enough people with regular seats at the church. What happens when you move? Well, you get to meet new people. You hear other people pray, worship, etc. So this can change your experience every week. Now, I should also mention in this section that I realize that church needs to have some structure. We have to do worship songs at a certain time in the service, or do communion when you do, etc. I’m not saying those things shouldn’t be done. In fact, I’m very much in favor of that structure. Yet, if that structure is rigid, then you don’t allow space for God to work, and that is a mistake because it’s supposed to be all about Him. Right?

Third, I think church matters because of all of the people you get to come in contact with while you are there. Just hearing other people pray can change your prayer life. Having people pray for you in the aisles can make a huge difference. Maybe when worshipping you get just a glimmer of God working in your life or those around you. But most of all I think the people matter because when you are there you have the support of others. You don’t have to fight the world as much when you are there at church with others who have the same mindset. You get strength from those gatherings, which can fuel another week of your striving to be a light for Him out in the world the following week.

So, does church matter? In short, yes it does. Does it have to be a small church or a mega church? No way. Church can be you and 3 other people in a living room, or in a building as big as Madison Square Garden in New York City. What I do know for certain is that being around other believers is always a good thing, and I’d encourage you to make church matter in your life as well.

Next Week: Maybe It Doesn’t Matter After All