Distractions, Distractions...

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJV Surely I'm not the only one who feels like they run in circles all the time? There's always something to do related to family, church, work, social circles, etc. Not that any of those things are necessarily bad, they just overwhelm us at times with the magnitude of what we need to accomplish in one short 24 hour period. I constantly have to remind myself that all good things are not necessarily GOD things. It is possible to take on more than needed & to spread oneself so thin that we become ineffective in all respects. It's not for lack of trying, it's just that we try to juggle so much that it becomes impossible to do. Stress walks into our lives followed by insomnia & we can't rest for thinking of all we need to do & we can't do all we need to do because we're completely fatigued from the busyness of it all, compounded by the stress & lack of sleep. It's a vicious cycle that Satan loves to get us caught up in. He's a sneaky old cuss--yes, he is! Truth is that once we surrender our lives to GOD, the devil has lost us. He doesn't like that, but it's done and as long as we remain focused on our relationship with the Lord, there's little he can do about it. However, he can inject things into our lives under the guise of "doing good" and distract us from what GOD has called us to do and be. It is up to us to make certain that we go to GOD with any new undertakings & determine--with His guidance & direction--if it is part of His Plan for us. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because it's charity, it can't be meant to derail us from the track GOD intends for us. I'm not saying we shouldn't try to go about doing good & serving others. What I'm saying is make sure what we do is of GOD. We need to be so in tune with GOD that the devil can't give us any trouble. The battle begins in our minds. Personally, I'm a very logic-minded person. If it makes logical sense, I can get on board with it. But, all the logic & reason in the world is completely invaluable if GOD isn't in what we're doing. Old Lucifer's plan is to give us trouble, cause us to stumble, an trip us up any way he can. We just have to trust GOD & let Him lead us, so we don't fall in to the devil's traps. Maybe it is time to pare down our list of activities & projects so we can reconnect with GOD & family. After all, those are the things that are most important. Just my thoughts.... Blessings to you all! Tony

The Church of Great Compromise

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV Many times through the years I have made the statement, "The world is having far more of an impact on the church than the church is on the world." Now, I know many will not appreciate my views, and that's OK. Just as I am entitled to my opinion, you are as well. Sometimes, we just have to agree to disagree & continue doing life. Nevertheless, I still feel that in our efforts to become more "seeker friendly", many churches have allowed the world to creep into the sanctuary and in doing so, have more or less evicted GOD and His Holy Spirit in the process. We've adopted the customs & culture of the world in all respects. Evidently, good Christian people desire to look & act more like the world around them than like Christ followers. Our homes, our cars, our clothing, our personal tastes, our speech, our music...our very goals & desires, look just like those of the unchurched, the athiest, the agnostic & those of other faiths. And, not only that, but, we've also become so accepting of everything & everybody that we basically attend church services with the devil himself. Before I go further, allow me to say that I know the church is supposed to reach out to the lost and to love people in spite of their sin. However, when someone comes to Christ, there should be changes reflected in that individual. They should no longer want to live a lifestyle of sin. Their life should now be one lived for Christ and, to as large a degree as possible, to live by His commands & statutes set forth in God's Holy Word--The BIBLE! We should not, however, encourage a professing Christian to live in a way that is contrary to Christ and we should be careful not to allow ourselves to become so accepting of SIN that we open doors in our own lives that should remain closed to the life of one living for GOD. Sin needs to be exposed & dealt with by biblical standards. Otherwise, Sin becomes overlooked & accepted and Christians become complacent in their lives & beliefs. Church should be a place where GOD's Word is taught, sin is addressed, and lives are changed for the good. Sadly, many churches are much like nightclubs or country clubs, rather than being temples of GOD. May pastors fear addressing any topic that might be perceived as "too heavy" or "offensive" in any way for fear of losing their following and the associated monies that are part of that following. Remember this? "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NKJV Candy-coated preaching is not really preaching at all. Light & darkness cannot dwell together. As preachers & teachers, we will be held to a higher standard & judged more harshly because of the gift & calling bestowed upon us. GOD's people deserve more than a mediocre, warmed over, rehashed message borrowed from others. They need to know that we are spending time with GOD, that we are seeking His Face, that we are pouring our heart out in prayer to obtain His guidance & direction for our own lives so we can properly teach & lead them. We must find a balance in reaching out to & loving sinners without welcoming open sin into our midst. I seem to recall a story about sin in the camp & its effects on the group as a whole. Maybe church leaders need to revisit that...? Now, the verse that follows the text listed above reads, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 NKJV Yes, we need to remember that we were once lost sinners in need of GOD's grace and mercy. But, we need to help new Christians grow in their faith & leave the old, sinful lifestyle behind or risk it becoming a cancer in the church body. This is where discipleship comes in and sadly most churches are failing miserably at this. The good news is that there is hope! We, as church leaders and as Christians, need to repent ourselves & recommit to making GOD a priority in our churches. It's not to late to get back up, dust ourselves off, seek GOD's forgiveness and continue on in the battle. But, we must be willing to take the first step. When we do, GOD will take the lead & show us where areas of error might be. So, fellow Christians, put your armor on & get back in the battle! Just my thoughts, but maybe it's something others should take time to ponder... Blessings! Tony