Why can’t we just learn to be still? I mean really isn’t being still so hard to do? People that sit down while talking on the phone just flat bug me…how can you just sit there? I have to walk…get up…MOVE! Of course, we are always on the move…we move from one kiddie sport to another, from one appointment to another, from one engagement to another…and the whole time we are thinking in the back of our minds…when can I get home so I can just stop moving! It’s the American way though. I compare how busy I am to in the hopes that my busyness trumps how busy you are in the hopes of winning the “Most things on my plate” award.
I wonder if this is why we struggle for clarity in our walk with God. But, surely, that can’t be it…I mean He is God. He can talk to me in all this busyness? I mean if anyone understands a lot of irons in the fire it has to be God…right? But then again, who likes to talk to anyone if they are distracted? My staff picks up on the signals I give when it comes to their conversations with me…I easily get distracted. Why talk to someone distracted? You don’t get their best. God wants our best…not our leftovers!
Want to be still? Want to hear from God? Want to take your life back? Some simple tips for clearing out the busyness and putting God back in the picture.
I used to tell everyone to learn to say no. But, now I am saying learn to say no to the right things. Because most people will always say no to church because they had a busy work week. Or, say no to spending quality time with their kids because they are tired. Learn to say no to the right things. Like the nagging desire to have more!
Manage your time…don’t let it manage you. Some people are busy because they can’t manage their time.
Setup, maintain, develop, and protect your personal devotion time. This is a must! You need to have all four of these working in order to make your devotion time stick.
This one is big for me…don’t feel guilty for just doing nothing. Sometimes the best spiritual action is to just do nothing and let God take over. Check it out here.
Take some time to be still. Paint, cook, write, hang out with your kids, or just veg. Being still takes work, but if you do it, it will have big payoffs.
“The greatest impediment to a real move of God in our society is the thin veneer of Christianity laid on top of unrepentant people, as exemplified in our Christian music pop culture… this veneer inoculates them against any real calls to repentance and discipleship.”
Wow! Are we truly inoculated against calls to repentance? I think so. The longer I pastor the more I come to realize that most people use “Christianity” as a security blanket. It is a “belief system” entangled within many other belief systems. There is no real call to move out into a deeper relationship with God…laying down our lives…and certainly…no talk of crucifying ourselves with Christ. It is mostly about what church I attend, what denomination I’m affliated with, or our “title” within either one of those…
I wonder what would happen if we stopped looking over others shoulders and started looking in our own backyard?
Mark Driscoll was asked by a reporter, “Does is make much sense celebrating Easter when most people do not believe in sin? (my paraphrase) Mark responding by saying, “People still believe in sin…just not their own.”
I have had two conversations with people in our church in the last 24 hours that have rocked my world. Stuff that has been confessed…repented of…and then asked for forgiveness. Neither of them were spurned by me but by the Holy Spirit working on the hearts and lives of those individuals…and trust me…they were not your “average” screw ups.
“If, my people that are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ” (ESV)
What needs to be healed in your life? Who do you need to let go and forgive? Healing only comes when we humbly come to Dad, repent, turn from our idols, and then sit back and watch as our Heavenly Father does wonderful things in our lives.
Sunday was powerful. We talked about worship and this video…but when I watch it I want to slap someone.
And…I don’t know which one either.
I get embarrassed watching this video…the host is annoying and the way the lady responds is so out of proportion to what is going on around her that it makes her seem ungrateful.
This can be our worship if we are not careful and the host is the worship leader…and the congregation can be the homewinner.
