Something I have noticed recently is that many of my friends who are making major decisions for Jesus are struggling.  I have seen this to be true in my own life.   Whenever I have made a serious spiritual decision that was a serious leap of faith, from salvation, to deciding to change a sinful life pattern, temptation has come into my life like a house on fire.

It seems that our enemy, Satan just cant resist coming after people who are making major life choices to follow Jesus.  In fact, if you feel major opposition to something you know is morally right, chances are that is the best validation you could ever receive to stay the course.  Temptation that I have seen come at me have been in the following areas:   an impossible obstacle, ridicule, lust (the desire to go outside God’s boundaries sexually), or just plain reluctance to be motivated.

If you are feeling resistance from outside forces as you pursue God, I offer the following advice.  Pray and push through.  Pray, asking God to help you by his mighty hand, and secondly push forward as hard as you can.  God will show you a way through that hardship.  Do not waver because God is for you.  He wants you to follow him and he will give you the means to overcome temptation.

Here is a cool passage of scripture to think about:

1Peter 5:8-11

⁸ Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil  is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world.

¹⁰ Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little.  ¹¹ To Him be the dominion  forever. Amen.

check out my podcast!

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=274809927

Hey,

I don’t know if you are into listening to sermons but you can catch my latest sermon at Green Hills Church on this link.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=274809927

My sermon is called “The Way”  and is about the cost of discipleship.  The price of following Jesus and being a part of the way of God.  I look at the 4 responses toward Jesus found in John chapter 7 and tie how we too struggle with responding as a true follower to Jesus.

This was a hard message to teach but one that I think will be a blessing to those who hear it!

I just mowed my yard today for the first time this year.  Check that, I mowed the weeds that had sprung up where my grass used to be.  I think I have about 1 million dandelions in my front yard.  Absolutely disgusting. The crazy thing is I don’t want to do much more than mow my yard since I am renting and don’t own our home.  My wife and I decided to wait a little bit until we get our own home.  Stuff like the fact that we are church planting and we don’t know enough about Nashville to really know where we want to live long term have weighed into our decision to wait.  

Anyway, I noticed how even though I am bugged about the weeds in my yard, I don’t have any motivation to spend any money on it.  I think that is because I am not really invested in living here long term.  Why spend all my time and money on fixing the yard if I wont be around to really enjoy it?

In my ramblings today, I was thinking about how we are only here temporarily on the earth, about 80 years is the top end of our time here.  I have no idea why I spend so much time investing in this world instead of my future home in heaven and the life to come.  Its like spending all my time fertilizing, seeding and watering the grass at my rental house.  Instead I should be investing my time and my energy on my future home, heaven.

Wow!  I never thought Bill Gates was a philanthropist on this level.  I love his heart to change the world and reduce human pain an death.  You need to listen to this video if you get a chance.  

http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_unplugged.html

By the way, him releasing the mosquitoes is awesome!

I just spent my Saturday doing nothing.  It was actually very enjoyable.  I woke up late.  Surfed the internet.  Watched a movie, and my North Carolina Tar Heels lose to Florida State, worked out and pretty much did nothing else.  Didn’t even read a book.  At about 6 PM tonight I realized I have been numbing out all day.  I don’t know if you numb out but I am guessing you probably do.  Numbing is doing activities that require minimal brain effort in order to not think about what is really going on in your life.

Most of us numb out because life is too painful to interact with it or really think about what is going on in our lives.  We may watch a lot of TV, go out every night, spend a lot of time surfing the net, or just sleep a lot to avoid what is really going on internally.  The primary reason we numb out is because a major piece of our life is broken, or we are missing an important cog in our personal world.  

I think the reason I am numbing is because my wife was out of town on a Girls weekend and I don’t know what to do on weekends without her.  This has been a good reason to feel like there is a big piece of my life is missing.  But… I know that having this time without her around has made me take stock on how I am doing spiritually and emotionally.  I realize I have work to do in my own life.  I need to face the big questions of life.  Where am I going?  What does God want from me?  How can I live a life that leaves a legacy?  

If you are numbing, take stock of where you are.  What issue is causing you pain?  Why are you hiding in mindless activities?  If that is you I encourage you to look courageously upon your fear or pain and work to overcome it.