A follower of Jesus should not always be busy. That sounds so counter-intuitive to us in so many ways. We believe, if we want to make an impact for the kingdom of God, then we need to be doing as much as possible. We need to attend more classes and small groups. We need to volunteer for every good thing in which we are asked to help. We should allow our children to be involved in anything to show them that we love them as God wants us to do. The fuller our schedule, we think, the more significant our imprint on the world and the better we appear as a believer.

Through the years, I have noticed that there is one major flaw in this thinking. We do not leave space for God to work. Reading through the stories of Jesus, I am continually reminded that he never seemed to have much of an agenda. People would sometimes come to him, and other times, he almost blindly walks into things. He happens to be at a well when a woman comes for a drink. He runs into a funeral procession on his way to something else. People stop him for conversation, healing, and confrontation. His days always appeared full, but it is not because he is overly committed to activities. He moves and works, and God puts everything together.

One of the primary reasons you need to keep free time in your schedule is so that God can use those moments to do his work. I am not saying he is doing nothing when your days are packed, but I think you may be missing some interactions that might be divine appointments.

There are two questions God is placing on my heart this week. First, do I have enough room in my life for God to direct my steps? Are there moments in which I have no agenda? Second, am I allowing God to work on me and through me during those times?

This week is full of possibilities for God to do amazing things with your life. Have you left enough room for him to do his work?

Here are some of the best articles I have read in the past few weeks. I hope you enjoy them and have a great weekend.

‘You may think you’re too far gone – you’re not’: 90-year-old accepts Jesus as Saviour and gets baptized – This post makes me so happy.

THE “OTHER” 10 SECOND RULE – This is incredibly thought-provoking.

How to Have an Affair-Proof Marriage – Vintage Bob Russell

What Makes a Good Marriage? The 3 Ingredients that Matter – Sheila writes so many good articles about marriage. This is a prime example.

Why You Might Want to Reconsider Your Short-Term Trips – I have had dozens of conversations about this very topic. Worth considering.

Sometimes the Problem with the Gym can be a Problem with the Church – simple encouragement with an easy to understand analogy.

I cannot be trusted. I don’t mean I cannot be trusted as a pastor in this Church, although to a minor degree this is true. No, I mean that I cannot trust myself. The prophet Jeremiah writes in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (NIV 2011)”

It is hard to imagine in some ways, but the person we should trust the least is ourselves. Our own heart can deceive us and do it very well. In the next verse in Jeremiah, he pleads with God to examine his heart, but then he adds an interesting line. He wants God to reward each person according to their deeds and what their actions deserve. What Jeremiah sees is what few of us like to admit; we deceive ourselves when our hearts and our actions are not aligned.

We spend so much time inside of our heads, and we know our thoughts can be good, just, and righteous. Our natural tendency is to evaluate our relationship with God and our spiritual growth based on what goes inside of ourselves. We know the right thing to do. We have excellent intentions to one day do them. We are against people who don’t do those righteous acts we admire. We support people who are living out what we believe. The only problem is that we never do anything with it. Our actions do not reflect our heart.

In the New Testament, James, the brother of Jesus, writes to the Church and says this, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22 – NIV 2011)” James tells the followers of Jesus that we can deceive ourselves by knowing God’s word, but never acting on it.

One of the biggest tests that I encourage people to use is to listen to yourself. When you talk about faith as something between you and God, that is a warning sign. When someone questions your commitment, and you say, “God knows my heart.” This can be another warning sign. I once heard Edwin Louis Cole say, “We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions.”

The other way to check yourself for internal deception is even more practical. Write down your actions each day for a week and see how much of it reflects your heart. My professor told the story about a class at Bible college. The teacher asked the student to list their priorities on the chalkboard in the front. The class was happy with the list they compiled as good Bible-believing leaders. Then the professor said, “Now take out your calendars and see how that looks compared to your listed priorities.” Suddenly everything changed because their actions did not line up with their perceived needs. Why? The heart is deceitful.

There are other things you can do to test yourself like having an accountability partner, having close Christian friends and seeking wise counsel, and perhaps those would be helpful to you. Find a tool that works for you and aim to become more self-aware. All of us lean toward self-deception, so I am here today to warn you, be careful who you trust.

Recently I heard another pastor say that this year he had to make a decision about his ministry. He needed to decide whether it was time to resign or re-sign. As he said it, I made a quick note of his words. I mean, that one little dash is enormous.

A resignation is a decision to voluntarily quit what you are doing. In my experience, a few departures are forced. As in, “you either resign, or you will be fired.” Would you like to save face at this time? A few of them are the result of poor performance. You tried to be the best possible coach, and you are not talented enough in this situation, so you willingly give up. Many of the resignations I have witnessed were years in the making. A person had once worked diligently to make things happen, and then they began to coast. Eventually, they quit working altogether and tried to sail into the future off their past performance. Slowly the erosion of the past led to a change in the present. One day, after months, if not years, of nominal effort they throw in the towel and quit.

A determination to re-sign is entirely different. This is a statement to the world that you want to keep working. You are not giving up. You are going to give your best effort to make a better future. It involves a commitment to hard work.

In any form of service to the Lord, whether paid or unpaid, there comes a moment of truth. A time when you need to ask yourself if it is time to resign or re-sign. Are you riding your past work and hoping no one will notice? Are you willing to commit to working hard to make a better future? These are two completely different attitudes, and we must be honest about what is going on inside our hearts. Following God is not the work for half-hearted people to do with minimal effort.

There are days, months, seasons, and years in which it is essential to re-evaluate your level of commitment. Maybe now is one of those times. Perhaps you have been thinking about resignation, and God is providing opportunities for you to make a more significant impact. Are you up for the challenge? To me, there is nothing worse than someone who keeps going when they just want to quit. There is also nothing more powerful than people who are sold out on that they are doing. Is it time for you to resign or re-sign?

When I launched a new Church many years ago, I began by hiring a consultant to come to our location, do an analysis, and give me ideas to help us get started correctly. My newly hired associate hated the idea. This staff member came from the business world, and his experience with consultants was never positive. He explained to me that usually, a consultant was a person with all kinds of ideas about how things should be done, with little personal knowledge. Those who did have experience left the competitive business world years before for the security of a consulting business.

Recently I heard a preacher use a two-minute illustration that reminded me of that exact experience. He said, “the Church has no more need for Christian consultants.” Then he further explained, “You know what I am talking about? People with lots of ideas for everyone else to do, but little personal experience.” Immediately all those words from my associate filled my mind.

Consultants may have a place in the world, but their usefulness is limited. And yet, I have encountered numerous people who feel their God-given call is to be a Christian consultant. They no longer work in sales or development; instead, they fill their heads with ideas, and they enjoy telling other people what to do.

The Church needs disciples. It needs people who are fully devoted Christ-followers. It needs servants and shepherds. The Church has many needs, but it does not need more people whose idea of faith is merely telling other people what they can do better without doing it themselves. So before you instruct someone else on how they should live in faith, ask yourself, “Am I speaking from personal experience or being a consultant?”

I have no idea what goes on inside of other pastor’s heads, but I assume I am not the only one who struggles with this issue. At least, I hope I am not alone in this. Sunday afternoons are an incredibly emotional time for me. I spend most of the afternoon and evening replaying the mornings’ events. I think about who was not there. I wonder if I did something wrong or have inadvertently missed something. My mind replays every conversation and asks if I said words that represent Christ well. Thoughts often dwell on people who are coming, but there are no visible signs of spiritual growth. The weight of the world comes down on me as I process the morning and the people who fill it.

I openly admit that I am a pessimist. The glass is half-empty. The people are half-committed. The Church seats are half-empty. Things are not as good as they could be in my ministry. The people I lead are mostly disappointed in me. Jesus weeps over me instead of rejoicing.

Through the years, I have tried to overcome this mental war that goes on inside my mind each week. The only remedy that seems to help me is replaying a parable of Jesus. In Matthew chapter 13, he tells a story about a sower who plants the seed in four types of soils. One is hard, another is shallow, a third is surrounded by thorns, and the final one is fertile. My heart hurts when I think that three out of four are bad soil. They will never produce the fruit that God desires. My mind likes to focus on those poor soils and how I can I help change them into something productive.

To remain in ministry as a paid worker or even as a volunteer, you must spend time thinking about that fourth soil. Some days, it is the only thing that keeps me going. Jesus said, “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:23 NIV 2011). He states that there are people who will hear the gospel and take it very seriously. Not only will it impact their life, but they will produce a harvest for Jesus that will touch up to a hundred lives for him.

There are people who attend our worship every week that are deeply committed to their faith. They read their Bible, pray, give, and serve selflessly in numerous ways. Some parents are guiding their children in the direction of the Lord. A group of people is representing Jesus in their family, work, and community. They are a blessing to the world and are touching hundreds of lives for Jesus. It hurts that it is only one-fourth of the people I lead, but I rejoice at the impact that one third is having.

I can close my eyes and think of face after face of people I know who are living sold-out lives for Jesus. Their faith is a light that blesses the world and encourages me. At times when I am down, I think of that handful of people who are good soil. I hope you are one of those people. If so, I thank God for the blessing you are to everyone, including me.

It has been said that the best definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, each time expecting a different result. It’s crazy to keep trying the same approach to anything with no success.

Recently, I noticed that the definition of success is very similar to that of insanity. Success is found in doing the same thing over and over again to formulate a different result. For example, to become fit, you must exercise every day. If you would like to gain knowledge, it requires reading and learning every single day.

The difference is not about how you do things as much as it is about the results you are achieving. If you are not improving, then you probably need to stop something or start something new. If you are moving in the right direction, then keep going. Keep doing the right thing over and over, even if it looks crazy to some people.

For a believer, the ultimate question is, “Are my actions bringing me closer to God and his will for my life?” If the answer is yes, good work. If not, then stop it.

As a Church leader, I am often the one speaking during a group prayer. Recently I was a part of a Church conference, and I was no longer the leader, but a general worshipper. The first night I noticed that everyone who went to the stage wanted to say a prayer on behalf of the group. That meant we were praying about a dozen times within the short span of the evening. During one of the prayers, I thought to myself, “What is the best way to pray with a group?”

When the followers of Jesus come together for worship, study, or a meal, inevitably one person will stand up and say, “Let’s pray.” Then they will proceed to talk while everyone else listens. Well, are we supposed to listen or are we supposed to be praying too? How does all this work?

Interestingly enough, there is minimal Biblical discussion that I can find on the topic. We have groups of people praying together in the book of Acts, but we have no idea what was going on inside the people’s minds. So let me make a few suggestions on what I try to do.

1. Repeat Concepts. I learned this practice from a Pentecostal friend. Whenever I would pray, he would repeat out loud the concept I had just said. I would pray, “Bless this meal that we are about to receive.” And he would repeat, “Bless it Jesus.” At first, I found it annoying, and later I found it an effective practice. Now, I do not do it out loud, but inside my mind, I do the same thing. The prayer is “be with her cancer and the treatment,” and inside my mind, I think, “cure her cancer, Lord.”
2. Focused Thoughts. Sometimes I try to listen carefully to whoever is praying and let them use the words for me. In my mind, I am listening closely, and the only thing I think is “yes” or “amen.” This can be more difficult to do depending on who is praying. Some people like to use a lot of words to say a small prayer. With these, I use the practice above.
3. Say My Own Prayer. There are certain situations where I will somewhat ignore what the speaker is saying and take the opportunity to talk to God directly. One example of this for me is after a sermon. Someone may stand up after to say a prayer to close out the program. While they are speaking about the evening or whatever happens next, I use the time to talk to God about what he has laid on my heart. Often I find at times like this that I am still praying after the speaker is done if God has put something profound on my soul.

Last week at my conference I used all three of these tactics. There are also the less spiritual things you can do during a group prayer time. These can range from checking your phone, looking at everyone else, going to the bathroom or checking out mentally and thinking of things like lunch. Once again, I have not only seen all of these, I have done them at one point or another.

I hope to grow with God on my journey of faith, and this past weekend, I realized my need to develop better practices during public prayer. Maybe I am not the only one. Please comment and tell me a way that you approach public prayer that has been helpful. If you have nothing, then maybe one of these approaches will help you the next time someone says, “Will you pray with me.”

I grew up watching TV on Saturdays with my brother. First on was cartoons. I mean the good stuff like Sylvester the Cat, Foghorn Leghorn, and Yosemite Sam. Once the cartoons were over there were then two options. One was to watch college football which was great depending on the game. The other option was professional wrestling.

The wrestlers of my youth were heroes of their own making. Names like Dick the Bruiser, Andre the Giant, and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka were legends in my mind. I hated the Macho Man and a host of other evil characters who was defeated regularly by the stars.

In those early years of watching wrestling, my brother and I learned a “go-to” move for all competitors. When someone was hurting, they would go to work in that area specifically. For example, if you did a flip and came down on your knee wrong, then the opponent would start focusing all his moves on that knee. As a young boy, I had no idea that most of what I saw was staged for the audience, but the tactic stuck in my mind. Whenever my older brother and I would wrestle at home, we would immediately start working on one part of the body to bring as much pain to that area.

Paul tells the Christians in the city of Ephesus that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Our adversary, the devil, attacks us and seeks our destruction. What I have noticed through the years is that old Saturday morning tactic still works today. Evil likes to find my weakest point, and then he goes to work on it trying to bring me pain to the point of me quitting or at least surrendering to his will.

Evil knows all about your weaknesses. He sees you are struggling in your marriage, and so he connects you to a person who you think will make everything better. He understands how success is going to your head, so he whispers in your ear about how great you are. He knows you are feeling lonely, so he offers a way out that is contrary to God’s will. He knows about the emails and text you are sending so he encourages you to throw in a few words that will push the boundaries. He knows you are depressed and so he offers a quick fix in the form of a bottle. Satan knows your weakest point, and he tries to exploit it.

Paul tells the Church in Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (NIV 2011)” The following verses tell them to use the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. I explain his words by merely saying, “Be prepared to fight.”

Wherever you are weak, Satan will attack. We need to be wise. We must be prepared. We must work vigilantly to overcome the schemes of the devil. He will try to pounce on you whenever he sees you struggling. He knows your weakest point, and he is ready to exploit it and find a victory over your soul. My words to you are simple. Stand firm, fight back and don’t ever surrender. Especially, don’t let Satan outwit you. “For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)

Today is September 24th. In my one-year chronological Bible, this is the day I finally start reading the New Testament. Around one year ago, I decided that in 2019 I was going to use a chronological Bible to help my reading. This means that the Bible is assembled not in the traditional groupings, but in the order in which the events occurred. It has been a fantastic way to shed some new light on old passages. This journey takes about 15 minutes a day to read roughly four chapters.

I have worked through this Bible page by page for almost nine full months. Yesterday I finished what is thought to be the last words of the Old Testament written by the prophet Joel. Today I opened and saw the title “Luke 1” at the top of the page, and joy filled my heart. There are two thoughts that went through my mind this morning.

1. The Old Testament is longer than you realize. It takes 266 days to read the Old Testament according to this plan. That is almost three-fourths of the year. You need to know that if you are reading the Bible in this format, it takes a long time to complete. The Old Testament is a massive collection of writings that require a commitment to complete.
2. The New Testament is shorter than I remember. It will take only 99 days to complete it. That is only a little over three months. This is the reason I encourage people to read their New Testament before they try reading their whole Bible. Reading just four chapters a day for four months, and you will be finished.

I know that neither of the realizations is anything exciting. I have often had high school students open their Bibles to the first page of the New Testament and show them the mere number of pages of which the Old Testament is composed. Today, because this is a new way for me to read the Bible, it highlighted the difference in reading the Old versus the New.

The challenge for today is simple. Think of this as January first. If you start a reading of the New Testament today, you can be done by the New Year. Today is a great day to start reading or listening your way to deeper spiritual growth. I can think of no reason for you to delay another day.