Friday, June 30

You've Got To Find A Way!

I attended a Church Planters' Network meeting in Northern Virginia yesterday, and we really had a great time... A friend of mine (actually, we just recently met), Ben Arment - pastor of History Church in Virginia - facilitated the meeting, and did an awesome job! His passion for Jesus is downright contagious, I tell you! One thing that Ben said yesterday that stood out to me was that we've "got to find a way" to push past all the obstacles and hurdles that would keep us from fully obeying our Lord.

The context of what Ben was talking about was the fear that sometimes keeps us as church planters from fulfilling what God has called us to do. But there are hurdles and obstacles for every believer, and those hurdles are many, aren't they? Like Baskin Robbins ice cream, things that keep us from obeying God come in many different flavors: the inability to get up early in the morning to spend time with Him; the refusal to let go of bitterness for a wrong (or wrongs) that's been done to us; we gossip; we lie; we lust; we speed (yup... that's sin, too); we manipulate... so many different things. God calls us to be holy... yet, we take advantage of His goodness (because we think He's "safe"... more on that in another post), and we don't press towards Christlikeness. But, like Ben said, we've got to find a way - no matter what's going on inside of us, no matter how difficult the situation, no matter how appealing the temptation, no matter what... we've got to find a way to press on to obedience.

The Holy Spirit won't miraculously do for us what we can naturally do for ourselves. True, there are times when we just don't have it in us to obey... and in those times He strengthens and empowers us to do so. But there are also times when we have the wherewithal to obey and we just don't do it. I know that's true, because James says "it is sin to know what you ought to do and then don't do it" (James 4:17). Most often, we can... we just don't.

What is that thing that God has His finger on in your life right now, that He's speaking to you about, nudging you, saying, "You've got to find a way... just do it"? Is there something you need to do now? A person you need to call? Something (or someone) you need to flee from? Like God told Cain, "You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master" (Gen. 4:7)

Just do it... you've got to find a way.

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