Imbalances between career and life can leave the door wide open for the Devil, who is poised to rush the gate every chance he gets. Discover how to achieve balance so the devil can’t find a way in to your active life.

As a supplying joint in an apostolic church, work-life balance has at times evaded me like a star point guard who weaves his way through the defense and dunks the basketball in the face of his frustrated opponent.

In other words, I chased after balance but couldn’t seem to catch it. All the while my adversary, the Devil, donning his roaring lion persona, chased after me with lying accusations designed to discourage, depress and derail. “You are never going to get all this work done!” whispered the Slanderer. “You may as well forget it!”

“The Devil is a liar,” I would tell myself. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Indeed, but I soon discovered the key to that oft-quoted Scripture. We can do all things that Christ has called us to do. Unfortunately, what He has called us to do and what we are actually doing are sometimes opposing forces that cause us to lean too far in one direction like Italy’s famed Tower of Pisa.

When we weigh ourselves down with dead works – you know, those good things that are not necessarily God things – we quickly get out of balance because the burden is too great. We work harder and longer to complete the tasks. Since God’s grace doesn’t cover those dead works we wind up exhausted and heading straight for burnout. Instead of healthy fruit, we can wind up with a resentful root.

It seems that Lucifer has an insatiable appetite for fruit – the fruit of our labors, the fruit of our family relationships, the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. That’s one reason why the Apostle Peter charged believers to be well balanced: “Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour” (1 Peter 5:8 AMP).

So we see that where there is fruit, there is a gluttonous devil with plans for lunch.  It is the imbalances in our lives that leave a door wide open for the Devil, who is poised to rush the gate every chance he gets. We are not born with balance, nor are we born again with balance. We must be vigilant and cautious at all times to remain balanced.

Consider the meaning of the word “balance.” Balance connotes stability and equality. Imbalance, or a lack of balance, connotes unsteadiness, instability, lop-sided, eccentric or irrationalness. Burnout begins with an imbalance and ends with rotten fruit. We will always pay the price for excess.

Determined to be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only, I began to cry out to the Lord for balance in my life. Apart from Him I knew I was washed up, but I also knew His grace was sufficient. Unfortunately, my travailing prayers didn’t seem to do much good. The problem only worsened.

Fires sprung up every which way I looked. I felt like that frustrated defensive squad member who couldn’t stop the star point guard from slam-dunking in his face. Of course, the accuser of the brethren was ready and waiting for the opportunity to tell me I couldn’t do anything right because I was doing too much. (Sound familiar?)

Oftentimes there is some seed of truth in the devil’s accusation, so instead of just launching out into spiritual warfare with a noisy session of binding and loosing, I took the accusation as an opportunity to examine myself.  What I found was that I was not necessarily doing too much. (Work is good. The Bible says we work six days and rest one.) Rather, I was doing too much of the wrong thing.

How do you know if you are into dead works? One way to is judge the fruit of the works. Does it bring you peace, joy, and a sense of accomplishment? Does it build the local church, save souls, and make disciples? Does it establish the Kingdom of God? Does the fruit have a sweet smelling aroma? Or does it look good on the outside and stinketh on the inside?

Some of the fruit of my labors was like those succulent grapes the Israelite spies brought back from the Promised Land. It would have taken two strong men to carry it. But some of the fruit was just plain rotten to the core. Those were the dead works; the “good” things that led to burnout and hindered me from giving my all to the God things.

Thoroughly convicted of the imbalance in my life, I cried out to God once again for instruction that would thwart condemnation. The Holy Spirit told me “Balance is a learning process.” Then He showed me three simple visions that washed away the anxiety.

First, He showed me a large room. Anybody can walk in a large room carrying a heavy basket of assorted fruit, even if some of it is rotten. Next, He showed me a balance beam. As we mature in Christ and take on more responsibility, it becomes harder to balance without stumbling if we are carrying non-fruit bearing activities.

Finally he showed me a tightrope. At this level, the way is so narrow that our sole focus must be staying on the path. There is no room for bunny trails of unfruitful activity in the midst of God’s perfect will. It takes supernatural concentration on His purposes. So I discovered that balance is a learning process and we have to learn new skills at each level. One of those skills is pruning.

Balance began manifesting in my life when I pruned some of those non-fruit bearing activities that Christ did not call me to do. Pruning is a constant in our lives. God prunes us if we aren’t bearing fruit and He prunes us if we are bearing fruit so that we will bear more abundant fruit. It doesn’t always feel good at the time, but the progress is worth the price.

So be encouraged. Whether you are in a large room, on a balance beam or walking that tightrope, the Holy Spirit, your Teacher, will show you how to make adjustments to your activities that will help you remained balanced and stable – and fruitful – so that ravening devil will find no opportunity to seize upon your destiny.

Identify ourselves as being an attendee only or an equipper.   

The modern idea of being a “church attender” is totally foreign to the New Testament church. We are the church, so we can’t “attend” ourselves! The church is the body of Christ living as His people and carrying out his mission, each of us equipped and equipping others, so that the body keeps on growing.

• Above all, the goal is to remember who we are as a people originally created in God’s image and now- in Jesus- created anew and restored to relationship with God:
• “For you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph. 2:10)

God has always desired a people who would live together in such a way that the world would know what He was like.

• This Family (The Church) has a purpose- or mission- in the world. In Jesus, God is restoring all things to himself.
• Therefore, as his family we are sent into this world to join with him in restoration and redemption.
• We are Missionaries, sent into our generation/culture to demonstrate the redemption that God is bringing through Jesus.
• As we go into our culture as Missionaries, we want to go just like Jesus, as Servants. 
• He came to give up his life for us, as our ransom, and so we are his possession and sent into his world as his Servants.
• We have to actively choose to be an equipper.
• We are disciples of Jesus who together are responsible for the maturity and mission of the church.
• Jesus called 12 men to be his disciples, learning from him how to live the life he created them to live.
• After his death and resurrection, Jesus instructed these disciples to go into the world and multiply themselves, making disciples in every nation, teaching them to obey everything that Jesus commanded (Matt. 28:19,20)
• Each of us has been called to be a disciple or student of Jesus, and each of us are called to help others become disciples of Jesus.
• We take responsibility to grow and develop as disciples ourselves.
• We are disciples who make disciples.
• Jesus made a statement in (Luke 6:40), “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”
• Jesus invited his disciples into a process of learning how to live in his ways and to do his works.

 In (Matthew 28: 18-20) Jesus gathered his disciples together and commissioned them to continue this disciple-making process:

• “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• Some time later in(Acts 2: 1-4) as the disciples were praying together in Jerusalem, Jesus sent them the Holy Spirit to empower them to go and fulfill this disciple-making commission.

The joy of knowing that we are gifted and needed in the disciple-making adventure should lead to a deep desire to be developed and equipped as a disciple so that we can become a better disciple maker!

 Recently, I read a book written by Andy Andrews titled “Mastering the Seven Decisions.” Andrew discusses the importance of mastering the seven decisions and how those decisions will shape the success of our future.  As I read the book, I began thinking about the church and its purpose. The heart of God is to get people born again, filled with the Spirit, and matured in Christ so that they can become vessels of honor that God can use to help establish His kingdom here on earth. In 2 Corinthians 6:1, Paul talks about us being laborers with Him. I believe this should be the heart of the Church. As I finished the book and began meditating on what I had read I asked myself “What if the Church mastered these seven decisions in getting people born again, filled with the Spirit, and matured in Christ?”

The Seven Decisions are:

1)      The Responsible Decision: The buck stops here (stop making excuses)!

• I accept responsibility for winning the lost in my generation at all cost.
• I will stop making excuses of why I can’t win the lost and reconcile the disconnected.
• I will start making decisions of how I can win the lost, reconcile the disconnected, and influence my generation and the ones to come.

2)      The Guided Decision: Seek wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 4:7)

• I will seek wisdom on how to win the lost and reconcile the disconnected in my generation while influencing the next generation.
• God creates the opportunity of His choosing for me to win the lost, reconcile the disconnected, and to influence the next generations.
• It’s up to me to seize the opportunities provided.

3)      The Active Decision

• I will become a person of action in winning the lost, reconciling the disconnected, and influencing the next generation.

4)      The Certain Decision

• I have decided in my heart that I will win the lost, reconcile the disconnected, and influence the next generation.
• People’s criticism, condemnation, and complaints have no power over me and will not affect my decisions.

5)      The Joyful Decision

• Today I will choose to be cheerful in giving whatever is needed to win the lost, etc.
• From this day forward, my life will be fashioned around joy in winning the lost, reconciling the disconnected, and influencing the next generation.

6)      The Compassionate Decision

• I will choose each day to have a forgiving spirit.
• I will choose to establish a heart of compassion for the lost and the disconnected.

7)      The Persistent Decision

• I will pursue the mark without exception.
• My reasoning can only go so far, but my faith has no limits.
• The only limit I have in winning the lost, reconciling the disconnected, and influencing the next generation is the doubt that I cannot do it today.
• The decisions I make in my heart today is what I will become tomorrow. (Pro. 23:7)
• If I do not get weary in pursuing, then I will reap in due season. (Galatians 6:9) 

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“A quality decision is making a decision and sticking to it until you see the results of the decision.”

James 1:8

We celebrated our one year anniversary in July. Praise the Lord!!

We had a Saturday night dinner and a Sunday morning celebration with Pastors Douglas and Debbie Crumbley ministering at both. We have watched the hearts of many change over the course of a year. When people allow the Word of God to govern what they think, say and do their lives are changed, hearts are mended and the Kingdom of God is established.

We also attained a new building and we have been preparing to move in to it. Painting, painting and more painting.

We had our first service in our new building on August 17. Worship was incredible! The Presence of the Lord saturated the whole building.   

…Make Your Mark 

In our previous illustration of a runner preparing for a race, we discussed the starter’s command to get “on your marks”.  Now it is time to see how the next two  commands, “get set” and “go”, illustrate the requirements for us to make a mark for Jesus.  Let’s think for a moment about “get set”.  The runner already has their feet in place on the track.  Getting set is the process of positioning the body in an athletic stance, ready to start running at any moment.  How does this positioning apply to the Christian desiring to make their mark?  Here are 3 ways we can “get set”:

1)                 Prayer

2)                 Study

3)                 Practicing Believing

Prayer is how Jesus started out His day.  He got before God the Father, investing time with Him and receiving direction for the work of His ministry.  The scriptures reveal many miracles being performed after he invested time in prayer.  For example, Mark 6:46 tells us that just before Jesus was seen by walking on the water he had “departed into a mountain to pray”.  That visual impression of walking on the water impacted His disciples then and is a faith building example for us today.  And prayer was a significant part of it happening.

Study is important as well.  We find Jesus at a young age studying by asking questions of the teachers of His day (Luke 2:46).  Paul instructs us to study the word of God to show ourselves approved unto God as His workmen (2Tim 2:15). Investing time in prayer and investing time studying God’s word will build faith in us.  The final aspect of “getting set” involves using this faith.  Practicing believing is our “living by faith” – Gal 3:11.  We must live by faith both to please God (Heb 11:6) and to make our mark for Him.  This can be accomplished by applying His Word in every situation that we encounter.  We won’t get it right every time, but as we continue to be “doers of the Word”, we will grow into mature believers, ready to hear the next call from the starter….GO!

If you’re going to make your mark in the world, you’re going to have to “go”!  Jesus told us in Mark 16:15: “Go ye into all the world…”  Here are 3 aspects of obeying the command to “go”:

1)                 Run

2)                 Endure

3)                 Heal, Teach, Preach

Running is obviously the key part of any race.  It is the action that yields results.  Someone has to be declared the winner.  But, while running, the body and mind can get tired and want to quit.  This is where endurance comes in.  It is one thing to start running as fast as you can, but quite another to maintain that pace.  Hebrews 12:1 says “let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”  The word “patience” in the Greek means “endurance”.  So keep a steady pace.  If you fall down in your run for God, that’s OK.  Just get back up and run.

So with what purpose are we “running” to make our mark for God?  The answer can be found in Matt 4:23:

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

Our call to “go” is to do the works that Jesus did (John 14:12).  He taught, preached and healed.  This standard has not changed.  He has given to us His Holy Spirit and his written Word to help us accomplish the task of impacting others with God’s love.  So, if you have gotten on your mark (taken your place as a son or daughter of God, taken your place in the authority Christ gave us, and taken your place in the righteousness of God) and if you have gotten set (trough prayer, study and practicing believing) and if you have obeyed the starter’s call to “go” (by running the race with endurance and doing the work of the ministry), then and only then will you leave a mark for God and change the world around you.  Be encouraged as God is with you to help you throughout the processes.  So get on your marks, get set, and go!!! 

...Make Your Mark!"

Some of us may remember watching the moon landing many years ago.  It was a great accomplishment for those American astronauts to be the first to step foot on a place where no one had been before.  The video and pictures of Neil Armstrong being the first to walk on the surface of the moon are constant reminders for future generations that what may seem impossible to some can be achieved by others.  The images of the footsteps imbedded in the moon’s surface as well as the American flag placed in the ground are demonstrations of marks that were never before made.

Much like the first mission to the moon, Jesus Christ came into the earth to “make a mark” that would make a lasting impact on the world.  Thousands of years before man went to the moon Jesus was doing things never before dreamed of.  His ministry of preaching, teaching and healing not only impacted thousands of people in His day, but billions of lives in the centuries to follow.  And that same mark He left, which has been made permanent by the written Word of God and the testimony of those who call Him Lord and Savior, is to be the mark that we as His chosen people are to make as well.  A mark is defined as a “visible impression, a distinctive trait or characteristic, an object aimed at, an end desired or striven for, to be a distinguishing feature of.”

Everyone will have a different way of leaving their mark on the world, but the “visible impression” which should always be left is that of Christ.  Never should our mark be showing our own image.  Jesus said that if you “have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9).  His purpose was to show us who God the Father is.  Our mark will reveal to the world who Jesus Christ is, the Son of God.  In order to leave our mark, we must have a strategy to go about doing it.  In the next few weeks, we will look at a way of accomplishing this through the use  of a simple illustration and the Word of God.

The illustration is that of running a race.  Most of us have watched a race run on a track, maybe when we were in school or maybe on television.  The runners walk to the starting line and the starter gives them instructions over the loud speaker.  Can you recall what the starter says?  “On your marks, get set, go!”  This first command to the runners to “get on their marks” illustrates the first part of our strategy to make our mark for Christ.  We’ll take a look at the remaining two in the coming week.

The runners in a race are told to get on their marks.  That is the place at the starting line where they are to begin the race.  It is where they get their feet set, preparing to hear the next instruction.  Similarly, God wants us to be in a place where we can get our feet planted.  In what way should we as Christians “take our place”?  There are 3 ways to take our place: 

1)     Take our place as sons and daughters of God.  We must first be born again to be in God’s family (John 3:3).  We must believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus according to Romans 10:9,10.  The knowledge that we are children of God must gain the ascendancy in us or we will not make a mark.

2)     Take our place in the authority that Christ has given us.  Jesus says in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you”.  He also tells us in Acts 1:8 that he gives us power to be witnesses.  This authority and power must be active in the life of a believer in order to be in our place.

3)     Take our place in the righteousness of God.  According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, we are “made the righteousness of God in Christ”.  This is great news!  Through our faith in Christ, God looks at us in a right standing.  We are in the same good standing in God’s eyes as His own Son.  When we realize that God is not mad at us, but loves us and believes in us, we can then begin to take our place.

Now that we know where our place is and have taken it, we are ready to hear the next command from the starter: “get set!”  Check back next week for the continuation of “Make Your Mark”!

~ Patience ~

The old saying “the only things for sure in life are death and taxes” might need to be updated to include “and gas prices will rise every week”.  Everyone in this country is affected by the rising price of gas these days.  But, despite prices approaching $4 a gallon, gasoline is a necessity and we must keep buying it to function.  We can eliminate many other expenses by simply avoiding making certain purchases, but until new and affordable automotive technologies come to the market, gasoline is required to fuel our cars and trucks.

Much like our dependency on gasoline to keep us moving on the road, there is a fuel that is required for us to move forward spiritually.  Before we discuss this very important fuel, let’s take a look at the engine which utilizes it.  Our “spiritual engine”, so to speak, is our faith.  Imagine a car without an engine.  It would get us nowhere.  On the other hand, a car with an engine won’t run either without fuel.  We must have faith to live.  God expects His people to live by faith.  He tells us in His Word to “live by faith” in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38.  Our faith is the source of all our beliefs about God.  But, to keep our spiritual engine running, we have to keep our tank full of the right fuel.

Hebrews 10:36 tells us what fuel we need: “for you have need of patience”.  Patience is the fuel for our faith engine.  Without patience, our tank is empty and our engine won’t operate.  Patience is defined in the Greek as “cheerful endurance.”  It’s what will keep us moving forward in life.  Let’s look at some Scriptures that emphasize patience.  In Hebrews 6:12 we find this instruction: “that you be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”  1 Timothy 6:11 tells us to “follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.”  The Bible even refers to God as “the God of patience”.  James adds that “the trying of our faith works (results in) patience.”  In Hebrews 12:1&2, we find out that we need “patience” in order to run our faith race.  Can you start to see a connection between faith and patience?  The two go together.  In fact, the minute we have lost our patience, we have lost our faith.

You might be wondering about that last statement.  How can we lose our faith by losing our patience?  Let’s explain this principle by looking at an example of running an actual race.  But, in this race you are the only runner and it is a marathon.  Since there is no competition, as long as you cross the finish line, you win!  It doesn’t matter how long it takes.  So, you start running.  You feel great because you know that you are destined to be the winner of the race.  You are running strong, with a lot of energy.  But because a marathon is 26 miles, you begin to tire several hours into it.  Your thoughts soon shift from the glorious time you will have accepting the prize to doubts of your ability to make it to the end.  And before you get even half way there, you get really tired.  You don’t have anything left, and you quit.  And because you never crossed the finish line, you lost the one-man race.

 This simple illustration is a picture of what happens to us spiritually when we don’t obtain the promises of God in our lives.  His promises are at the finish line.  Faith is simply seeing those promises at our “finish line”.  In our faith race we know we are the winners because “Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).  You are guaranteed to win this race, as long as you finish.  Galatians 6:9 tells us to “not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”.  So, why do we faint?  Remember the definition of patience given earlier: “cheerful endurance”.  In order to win your faith race you need some cheerful endurance in your tank.  The biggest enemy of endurance is the passage of time.  Thinking about how long it takes to get to the end will cause us to get our eyes off the finish line, growing weary and tempted to give up.

There is good news!  Our faith race is not based on time, just finishing!  So, even if you do stop halfway to the finish line, you can simply refuel your tank with patience and get back into the race.  Remember, It takes both faith and patience to obtain the promises (Heb 6:12).  So be encouraged!  In God’s Book, you win!

At this point, you might be asking the question:  “what if I am not eating the good of the land?”  This is a question we have all asked at some point in our lives.  Maybe not in those same words, but in some way, we have expressed frustration over our financial circumstances.  We get weary of having barely enough to live on, with nothing left over.  Bills seem to keep coming and the money seems to keep going.  So, if we are children of God and we believe in His Word that His will is for us is to “eat the good of the land”, then why is not happening for us? 

The answer is found in the first part of the verse in Isaiah 1:19.  “If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land”.  Notice the word “if” in the verse.  Our eating the good of the land is dependent upon us.  God has vast resources at His disposal.  He can provide anything and everything we could ever need or want!  After all, He can create planets!  If He can do that then He can pay our bills and provide enough left over so we can help others.  It is not up to God alone for us to prosper, it is up to us as well. 

So, what do we need to do?  What is being willing and obedient?  Aren’t they the same thing?  Actually, they are not the same.  Willingness in the Bible is defined as “being cheerfully compliant”.  Willingness is an internal condition of our heart.  Being cheerful reflects the willingness of our hearts.  Obedience is compliance, but it may not necessarily be done from a willing heart.  Obedience can be external only.  For example, picture a child at home playing video games and being told by their parent to stop and go clean their room.  The child may throw a fit and be upset.  He or she may go pouting and fussing down the hall to their room and clean it and come out later still fuming.  Was the child obedient?  Yes, they cleaned the room.  Were they willing to do it?  Clearly not.  They were compliant externally to the parent, but internally they were unwilling.      

We can read Isaiah 1:19 this way:  “If you be cheerfully compliant and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land”.  2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that “God loves a cheerful giver”.  Have we ever brought our tithes and offerings to church, but didn’t cheerfully place it in the offering plate?  God desires offerings to be given from our heart, not just our wallets.  In Exodus 25:2 God said: “speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that gives it willingly with his heart you shall take my offering”.  Remember Cain’s offering?  God did not receive it.  Why?  Cain’s heart was not right.  He did not willingly offer what he brought. 

Willingness, however, concerns more than just offerings.  Are we willing to receive correction from a parent, boss, or our Pastor?  Are we willing to do the work we are assigned on our jobs, without complaining and griping?  Are we willing to love our spouse as Christ loved the church?  Are we willing to do anything God asks us to do, even if it is not convenient for us?  God is looking for willing hearts.  He was willing to send His son Jesus into this world to save us.  This one verse in Isaiah perfectly reveals to us why we are not “eating the good of the land”.  God wants us to be obedient, but he also wants us to be cheerful while doing it.  Why is willingness such a big deal to God?  Because if you are not willing then the only thing left to be is unwilling and that is the very nature of rebellion.  So, check up on your willingness.  Ask God to reveal to you unwillingness in any area of your life.  Make the adjustment inside and become willing.  How will you know you when you are willing?  When you are cheerfully obeying!