No temple needed

I am going to be honest, one of the most difficult parts about having a relationship with Christ is that there are so many distractions. No matter how disciplined you are in your walk, there are distractions everywhere. With the lives that we live right now, we have to put in effort and take time out of or day in order to really grow.

I believe that Christ's presence is always there, we just aren't aware of it most of the time.

Going to church takes effort. Most of the time we wake up, get ready, and spend a couple hours at church on Sunday mornings. As of late, we stop what we do and we pull up online service. It takes time and effort.

So none of this is bad. That's not it. But what if I told you that someday a temple won't be needed...

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their spender into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those who names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
(Revelation 21:22-27)

Does that excite you or what?!

I know when I read that this morning and really medicated on it, I can't wait to get to that point where the glory of God will give everything light and we will always be in his presence. I think about how fulfilled Christ makes me feel in the midst of all the distractions and I cannot even wrap my mind around what that will feel like when there aren't any.

It's a feeling that my soul and my heart long for and I hope you feel the same way.

I hope you are encouraged by what things will be like someday...I know I can't wait to get to that point and I want to make sure that I live a life on earth that is honoring to God always.

Perspective

I don't know if you are anything like me, but sometimes all I need to see is an inspiring quote or bible verse and I will be motivated by that for quite some time.

I came across a tweet over the weekend from one of my favorite speakers and it really motivated me heading into this week. My hope is that it can motivate and challenge you as well.

"Are you waiting for the pandemic to end or are you preparing for it to end?" 

Even though some restrictions are starting to be lifted, I personally feel as if it will be a long time before things are back to normal. Heck, things might never be back to normal. Imagine how behind you are going to be if you were waiting for it to end the entire time vs. preparing for it to end.

You'd be months behind.

I am not a motivational writer by any means, but hope that I can motivate you with this as you get your week started. Start to prepare and you'll be amazed at what happens to your mindset because everything will start to become an opportunity.

All you have to do

This morning, I want to write to you about taking a proper step. Or in other words...a step in the right direction. 

There is an evil system out there that is often hard to keep ourselves away from. Have you experienced it? I know that I have. 

Many bright individuals are tempted to take advantage of an evil system to enrich themselves. As Christians we are warned to stay free from the lure of money, status, and the good life. We are to live according to the value Christ exemplified: service, giving, self-sacrifice, obedience, and truth. 

But how can we stay away from the evil system? 

1. People must always be more important than products.

2. Keep away from pride in your own programs, plans, and successes.

3. Remember that God's will and Word must never be compromised.

4. People must always be considered about the making of money.

5. Do what is right, no matter what the cost.

6. Be involved in businesses that provide worthwhile products and services-not just things that feed the world's desires.

So what is the proper step? The proper step would be to set boundaries on the things that we desire. 

'They will say, 'The fruit you longe for is gone from you. All your luxury and slender have vanished, never to be recovered.' (Revelation 18:14)

We have to make sure that our desires lead us in the right direction. We have to put boundaries on them and remember to not go after everything we see. 

If we become caught up in what the world has to offer, we will be extremely broken when our time comes because we can't take any earthy possessions with us.

I really want to encourage you to keep your desires on serving God and building his kingdom by helping others...if you can continuously do that for the rest of your life, I can promise you that all your desires are going to be filled. 

It's that simple I promise. 

You know...it's crazy how easy it is to forget that. Sometimes when I don't feel like my desires are being fulfilled, I will write out in my journal that I want God to fulfill all my desires. I forget because I often over complicate things. 

As long as we serve God and build his kingdom by helping others, that is all that we ever need to do in order to feel the way we want to for the rest of our lives. 

step back Saturday

Do you ever take a step back to reevaluate your life or to slow down?

Sometimes the only way we can get a clear view of reality is when we step back from our daily lives and the patterns of evil and sin around us.

I think I have said this before, but I am so regimented in what I do, that I often don't like to sit back and think. I like to have a routine, I like to be disciplined, and I like to be efficient in what I do. So this is definitely in area where I lack. It's silly that I do it. 

I try to do things on a daily basis that make me like a well-oiled machine. Which I have to remember I am not. I am a person who is just as not perfect as everyone else.

Maybe you're this was too, maybe you're not. But that doesn't matter.

What matters is that we take a step back. It's something that we have to do consistently. 

Retreats, conferences, and days of prayer and fasting can help us extricate ourselves from jobs, the media, and distractions and bring us to new spiritual heights. 

Why should we rely on those things though? I believe that we should put more of an effort to step back on a daily basis. No matter how much it might throw your routine off. A quick 10 minute step back from reality could be enough to fuel you with an entirely new perspective for your day.

Take time to view the reality of your life and evaluate its direction and activities. Do these glorify God and renew you to serve others? 

My challenge for you it to make today - 'step back Saturday.' 

Take some time to step back and evaluate things in your life. Hop of the treadmill of life and really take a look around. My prayer is that this starts to become a daily habit and that God will use this time to challenge you to new things and change your life. 

seven bowls

Every morning when I wake up and get out of bed, there are not many things that I fear. I don't know if that is arrogant to say, but it's the truth. A big part of that is because I know that as long as I can control the controllable, things are going to work out.

I don't fear having a bad workday because I know that if that happens, there are things that I can do to make up for it. I can call more people, dive into learning, etc.

You can call it having crazy faith or being fearless, the choice is up to you. I say crazy faith because I believe that as long as God is your number one priority, and you really trust him, that things are always going to work out.

Things won't always work out the way that we originally wanted them to, but they will work out. Because God is good and he loves us more than we could ever imagine.

I do have one fear...and that is the fear of God. I fear God because of the power, control, and ability that he has over my life, in which I made him the center of.

I fear what God is capable of when I read stories in Revelation about the wrath God will bring to those who don't believe. Especially what I read in Revelation chapter 16 this morning. Check out what will happen when the seven bowls are poured out:

- ugly, festering sores will break out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshipped its image
- the sea will turn to blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea will die
- the same will happen to all the rivers and streams
- the sun will be allowed to scorch the people with fire
- the kingdom will be plunged to darkness and people will gnaw their tongues in agony because of their pain and their sores
- the water in the Euphrates will be dried up to prepare the way for the king from the East
- there will be a loud voice that says, "It is done!"

My fear isn't in what my days will look like or what I will experience, my fear is what will happen to those who don't believe.

My challenge for you is to remember who and what should cause you fear...it's God. Above all else! Remember this: Fearing God will bring you wisdom!

a seat at the table

Too often, we limit ourselves to one person of whom we get advice from. We become set on who is going to be our go to and that is it.

I titled this post 'A seat at the table' because it is important to make sure that you have a strong group of people who all have a seat at your table.

Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is found through many advisers. (Proverbs 24:6)

Victory is found through many advisers...think about that. There is no way to get where you want to go someday if you only rely on one person. I am not Mr. successful by any means. But I am who I am today because of the people around me. I have made sure that I have powerful and strong group of people sitting at my table.

I need help from all sorts of people to get me to where I want to go. We are all so incredibly gifted that we can use other peoples gifts to help us learn. God is so good that he doesn't limit the blessings he provides us. We can use our blessings everyday to have an influence on so many people.

My one thing for you today is to take a look around. Who is at your table?

Are you limiting yourself with keeping one or two people at it? Or do you have a huge table?

My challenge for you is to start filling the seats at your table and you will be amazed at how your life will change.

stuck in our ways

I think this weekend it's supposed to be in the 70's and sunny. I don't remember the last time that we got to experience that. With my post this morning, it's not going to be too long, I just want you to be motivated to try something new this weekend.

How often do we get stuck in our ways? Meaning...for the most part we do the same things over and over and over again.  Which isn't a bad thing. But we need to continue to be open to new ideas and new fun things to do.

We grow and gain knowledge the more that we try new things and step out of our comfort zones.

Apply your heart to interaction
and your ears to words of knowledge. (Proverbs 23:12)

People who gain knowledge are those who are willing to listen. It's sign of strength to pay attention to what others have to say. People who are eager to listen continue to learn and grow throughout their lives. If we refuse to become set in our ways, we can always expand the limits of our knowledge.

My challenge for you is to refuse to be set in your ways. Even if they're working out for you! Try new things. Learn something new. This relates to all areas of our lives.

But for fun, I am challenging you to try something new this weekend, get outside and really experience what it's like to learn something new. I am a strong believer in the more new things you try physically, the more you will learn mentally.