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I have no idea what I am doing.  I mean that.  I have hopes and dreams about what might work, but I am never really sure.

• I have no idea if my efforts will succeed.
• I have no idea if this will turn out the way I hope.
• I have no idea if this will help or hurt what I am trying to accomplish.
• I have no idea if the sermon is going to be good until it is finished.
• I have no idea if the youth lesson is going to connect until it is over.
• I have no idea how to raise my children to be all that God wants them to be.
• I have no idea what the best actions are to build my marriage.
• I have no idea if people will like this blog.

I really have no idea.

BUT – that does not mean that I quit doing.

I still preach and teach.  I still lead and love.  I still try and work.

As I follower of Jesus and a member of a Church I have learned a few things.

1. You never know what God will bless. I am shocked by what activities have succeeded.
2. What worked for someone else may not work for me (and vice verse).
3. Every situation is unique and God has a unique plan. I especially see this in my own children.
4. It’s okay to fail when trying to do something meaningful. Why be a success at something that no one really cares about?
5. Failure is hard to define by long term definitions. My life has often been touched by people through just a word or statement they never thought important.

Faith is not just a set of things we believe.  It is sometimes about believing that God will work through my lousy efforts.  That He will show up and use my energy to have an impact.  Even if I have no idea what I am doing.

Scribbled on a small piece of paper in my notebook was written a single line – “Faith is hard work.”

You need to know that it was written during a difficult time.  For me it was one of those times that has been called “a dark night of the soul.” My schedule had been busy.  Things at Church were rocky.  People were being difficult.  Plans were not working out.  Family life was less than perfect.  There was this darkness that seemed to surround my life that was not letting the light in.

These are the times that some people quit their faith.  Some people just stand up and say, “I’m done” and walk away.  Most people are far more subtle.  They attend less frequently.  They avoid contact with believers and slowly drift away without a word of warning.

I completely understand that life is full of difficult experiences that push us to our spiritual limit.  In those moments it is easier to drift away than to fight for faith.  It is easier to find an excuse to quit.  It is far easier to blame other people for their failures and walk away.   That way no one will know the struggle of my own soul.

Those are the decisions most people make.

There is another choice though.  You could fight for your faith.

You could pray for help and guidance.  A simple “God get me through this” will often work.

You could tell other people you are struggling.  This is really hard.  Could you ever let down your guard and tell people you are not perfect in your faith?

You could ask other people to pray for you.  You do not have to fight your spiritual struggles alone.

You could draw closer to faith instead of push away.   Intentionally attend Church more.  Read your Bible more.  Spend more time with believers.  Show up early and linger longer.  Decide to draw close instead of hide.

You could visit with a “senior saint.”  Ask them to share their story of faith.  Quite often they have been through great struggles and their faith survived.  Let them encourage you.

You could take the time to serve other people.  Get out of your own head and help someone.

There are other things I could suggest to you but I can boil them all down into one simple statement.  Faith is hard work.  In order to keep your faith there is something that you can do – but you will have to do something.  It takes an effort to remain a faithful follower of God and nothing less.

I do not know the original author of this but it still bears repeating.  I think I wrote down this version from a Christmas card.

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
So God sent us a Savior.

Honestly, you don’t need this.

You don’t need to read another blog.  You don’t need to read another book.  You don’t need to read another magazine article.  You don’t need another Facebook post to “like.”

You don’t need to spend hours on the internet.  You don’t need to post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter everyday.  You don’t need to watch TV.  You don’t need to see another sporting event of any kind.  You don’t need to watch another movie, listen to another song or radio broadcast.

What you need to do.

You need to read your Bible.  You need to say a prayer.  You need to walk across the street and visit a lonely neighbor.  You need to attend Church this week.  You need to clear up your calendar of selfish activities.  You need to take your children out of activities and eat dinner with them and ask about their faith.

You need to stop talking and start doing.

You need to say one time, “God I will do anything you lead me to do” and mean it.  Even if you have to change your calendar, drop some activities and do something difficult.

You need to stop thinking about faith and start acting.   Real faith exists in your head but it makes its way into your actions.  We need to stop being deceived into the concept that faith is all about what we believe.  Faith is about the actions of your life based on what you believe.

So close this blog.  Shut down your phone or computer and go do something that shows the world what you really believe about God.

My mind is filled with incomplete thoughts.

I keep files on my computer and phone that help me track my thinking.  Right now I have 66 blog ideas that range from 3 words to 3 sentences.   I also have a file with 6 posts that are more than halfway finished.  These contain a paragraph or more of some idea I had one day.   Some of these ideas may take years to reach completion.

I have other files that are directly connected to my sermons.  I keep a file of illustration stories that I live and that I read which I might one day use.  I have file of sermon topics and titles that I would like to preach.  Still yet one more file of sermon graphics from other churches that caught my attention and I might use.

I use an app called Evernote and I have used Microsoft’s One Note program.  I use the notepad app on my phone as well.  My favorite thing is to keep an old fashioned clip board with me where I hand write ideas.  Later I transfer them to some type of file so that the idea does not get lost.

You see I live with a firm conviction that God might try to speak to me anywhere.  I don’t mean that I hear audible voices.  I mean God often speaks to me through conversations, through TV commercials, movies, songs, books, articles and events.  I am continually trying to learn about how God touches my life and how he can use me impact other people.  I think God most often speaks to me through natural means.

I also believe that God is trying to speak to you.  He is trying to mold you and shape you through the events, circumstances and conversations that you are involved in each day.

What if today you listened for God to say something to you in a subtle way?

What would happened if you listened closely to everything going on around you and asked yourself, “What are you teaching me God?”

As I get older my physical hearing gets worse every year but my spiritual hearing gets more acute.

Be careful that you do not grow deaf to the voice of God in your everyday life.

Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” Matthew 22:29

Jesus is being questioned about marriage and resurrection.  His examiners had reached conclusions about both issues and wanted to know Jesus’ thoughts.  He explains the truth to them but he prefaces his response with this one great line.

First, his inquisitors simply did not know the scriptures.  Interestingly enough the group asking the questions were the Sadducees. The Sadducees were a religious group trying to live righteous lives.  They had a high view of the Torah or the first five books of the Bible.  Apparently they held these books in high regard but they did know really know what they said.

Is is possible to believe the Bible is God’s word and value it above all books and yet have no real idea what it says?

Second, Jesus states they his listeners did not know the power of God.  The people asking the questions did not believe in supernatural activity.  There were no miracles and nothing has happened that could not be explained in some natural way.  Apparently they had limited God’s power to actions that only they could understand.

Is it possible to believe in God but have no real trust in His power?  Could someone say, “I believe in God” but not really believe the God will ever work in their life?

In reading this passage I was reminded of a teacher who continually reminded his students that “all wrong actions are the result of wrong believing.”

I think Jesus wants those in the crowd that day to know that if we have a limited view of God and a limited knowledge of His word then our lives will be frequently lived with errors.   We will make  mistakes and have problems that we could have avoided because of our limited knowledge and faith.

Thankfully both of these issues have a solution.  We can change our mind about God and usually that comes through the reading of scripture.

All of this is to ask what your Bible reading plan will be for 2016?

Maybe it will help you live a year without so many problems.