In the original Karate Kid movie from 1984, we are introduced to Mr. Miyagi. He is a wise older adult who is going to teach Daniel karate in order to defend himself.

In a now iconic series of events, he has Daniel sand the floor, wax the car, paint the fence, and paint his house. Finally, Daniel feels like a slave and wants to get out of the situation. Little does he realize that Mr. Miyagi was using a method to teach him some basic maneuvers. He was having him make a motion over and over to develop his muscles and have a consistent pattern of movement. The shift happens when Mr. Miyagi shows him how it has formed several basic defense strategies for fighting. As it all comes together, it suddenly becomes clear that he is using simple tasks to teach more significant lessons. 

This way of teaching can be used in several disciplines, including spiritual ones.

In discipleship, one of the things I am trying to accomplish with a person is developing daily habits. Going through a book with daily readings forces people to set aside time every day to do spiritual reading. Having a one-year Bible reading group pushes people to read their Bible daily or at least weekly.

I hope that people will not only complete a book or read the Bible one time; it is that they will develop a habit that will stick with them for years to come. The point is not always the task but the mindset and “muscle memory” that is created in the process.

When growing disciples, this pastor uses a little of Mr. Miyagi’s technique. So don’t be disappointed if you do not instantly grow as a believer. Sometimes, your basic movements need to be mastered in order for you to take the next step.  

It happens weekly. I am preaching, and something happens that is a distraction. They come in all forms. Some weeks, it is a cell phone, while other weeks, it is someone going to the bathroom, a child crying, a loud noise, someone walking around, or a hundred different things. In over thirty years of preaching, I think I have seen almost everything while trying to deliver a sermon.

In some senses, it doesn’t usually bother me. I am focused on what I am going to say, and I will be able to get the words out. What bothers me is how it impacts other people. I can watch from the stage as all the eyes look in one direction. The heads will all swivel, and at that moment, I know that no one is hearing what I say. It could be the most valuable piece of information, but it has little impact while everyone is watching little Johnny crying while he dumps his candy on the floor.

What I have come to believe is that our enemy, the devil, will try to use any means necessary to keep the word of the Lord from impacting lives. In fact, in Mark’s account of Jesus’ parable of the soils, he says, “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” (Mark 4:15)

Lately, I am starting to approach distractions with less disdain and more prayer. Evil wants to use everything, including Johnny’s candy, to snatch the word of the Lord from people’s lives. Now, each week, in my prayers, I include the worship team and the people running the projection system, but I am also asking God to eliminate distractions from the crowd.

I think any public speaker will tell you how they hate distractions, but instead of complaining, I am using it as an opportunity to pray. I hope you will join me.

Then what happens? What happens after we have confessed our faith, repented of our sins, and been baptized into Jesus? What then?

I explain it by using marriage as an analogy. A wedding is vastly different than a marriage. A wedding is an event. Marriage is a process of becoming one. 

Unfortunately, just like marriage, too many people are focused on the big event and not the long-term commitment.

One pastor friend used to take out a paper calendar. He would tell people, “If you decide to follow Jesus, please understand that impacts every day after. It will impact where you go to college, who you will date, which job you take and where, who you marry, what you will do for fun, and what you will do every Sunday for the rest of your life.”

Following Jesus is more than saying you would like him to save you from your sins. It is daily waking up and saying that you are going to live for him. He is both Savior and Lord.

The park map was laid out with colored walkways. If you start on the red trail, it will lead you back to the parking lot. Start on the blue trail, and you will eventually have to get onto the green trail to get to the parking lot. A dozen trails, all color-coded for where each one would lead you. Every path had a predictable ending.

If only life were so easy. You start heading in one direction, and it is clear exactly where your life will end.

What if it was somewhat predictable?

Would it change our behavior if we knew what would happen if we made certain decisions?

If you knew where these paths led, would you still take them, or would you change?

Some things are clear. When you neglect your spouse emotionally and physically, you will eventually divorce. When a dad is not the leading influencer in his children’s lives, especially girls, they will have long-term issues with self-image. When you say one thing and do another, you lose credibility in the eyes of those around you. When you value everything else over your spiritual life, you will eventually abandon the faith.

Our lives are often quite predictable, which is why counseling and therapy work for so many. The problem is that most of us are convinced that if we are sincere in our efforts, the blue path will go wherever we want, not the one that is already marked out.

Instead of being all over the place in your service to the Lord, what if you focused your attention on one or two areas of ministry? Do a few things really well as opposed to lots of things partially.

When I was young, a preacher illustrated it to me with a laser. He would say that light can fill a room, but when it is extremely focused, it can cut through metal.

It is wonderful to attempt several different ministries as you start serving the Lord. When you see an area where you feel gifted and are seeing results, then focus your energies there. Be the best worship leader, children’s teacher, greeter, cook, or whatever you can be for the glory of God.

Determine where God is taking your unique life and skill set and head that way with reckless abandon.

Stop lying to yourself and saying, “After this, it will get easier.”

After this season of sports, my kid’s life, my work situation, the holidays, this family transition, or even a season of rest, we are convinced life will be different.

After that current situation, it will be easier to pray, read my Bible, attend a small group, serve in ministry, invite people into my home, or be more generous.

That is a lie you keep telling yourself because it will never be easier. There will always be a new season in which things are a struggle. Time will always be limited.

The difference between people who have a thriving spiritual life and those who don’t is not the number of issues in their lives; it is the willingness to include God in every season they walk through, even the ones where it is difficult to do so.

This is also called the “Argument from Authority.” Perhaps it is better understood as “The Misattribution of Authority.”

Simply stated, just because someone is an expert in one field does not qualify them to be an expert in other areas.

Some examples are easy to see. Your mechanic may be the best on the planet, but that does not qualify him to give marital advice. Someone might be a great ball player, but that does not mean you should listen to their thoughts on investing your finances.

Other examples are more complicated. A famous actor may not be the best person to teach morality. A popular writer might not be the person who should give psychiatric advice. A well-known podcaster is not your best source for unbiased news. And even a preacher, like me, needs to know his limits.

Be extremely careful when accepting someone’s authority on a topic because you like what they have to say about some other subject. People are often led astray by those with good intentions.

This Sunday, I am preaching about loneliness and our lack of close relationships.

One thing I do not address is our desire to remain distant. While it is easy to say we would like to have people close to us, it is also less intrusive to keep them at a distance.

It is much easier to fool people and make them think you have your life together and are a committed believer, great spouse, or parent at a distance.

Use a few of the correct phrases, and people will think you are growing as a Christian. Be seen in a few of the right places, and people will believe your relationships are strong. Post a few of the best pictures on social media, and the charade is complete.

For many of us, the question is not, “Do I want close friends?” Instead, it is, “Do I want to let people get to know the real me?”

Sometimes I play a game inside my mind that I call, “Would you rather?”

When I hear about a situation that someone is going through, I ask myself, “Would I rather this happen or that happen?” This helps me clarify my values and assess what I am doing in my present situation.

For example, would I rather serve the Lord every day for the next twenty years, or would I rather have six months to leave a powerful testimony through a difficult situation? Possibly, I might think, would I rather give away a large sum of money to change someone’s life one time or give away a little money to a lot of people over a lifetime? One last one: would I rather have one extra close friend or have five people who I am relatively close to as a friend?

It is a silly little game, but it helps remind me that life is rarely made up of big moments and events; it is about the daily actions over a lifetime. If I am presented with an opportunity to do something great, I will always be ready, but greatness is usually the result of a lifetime of small investments of our faith.

Your actions reveal what is going on in your heart. They reveal what you genuinely feel.

Your words reveal what is going on in your mind. They reveal what you genuinely think.

If those two things are not aligned, then your actions supersede your words.

If you say you love someone and then treat them poorly, you don’t truly love them.

If you say, you don’t depend on a substance, but you cannot make it through the day without it. Then you are addicted.

If you say you are a follower of Jesus and then do not do what he says, you are not a Christian.  

In the end, you must be brutally honest with yourself about what your actions are showing the world, no matter how much you protest that you believe something different. A heart for Jesus will lead to doing the things Christ desires for your life.