Preparing To Win

Anytime you get out of your normal routine, it's always hard to get "plugged" back in. In fact, for me, I find myself becoming more disconnected the longer the break is and such has been the case with me having a meaningful daily quiet time with the Lord. I've still been able to find a little time here and there since Kaitlyn's been out on Christmas break but it's not been the same. I've been interrupted by the kids or distractions of the day because, and it's my own fault, I've tried having this quiet time when things are happening around the house.

It used to be I could get up at 6am and have a good quiet hour alone with God but with my daily routine being disrupted, that quiet time has become more of trying to hear a whisper on a playground.

So yesterday morning, as I was getting ready for church, I commented to my wife how disconnected I'd been feeling lately...about my quiet time, about feeling like I wasn't growing any deeper with Him and how generally unmotivated I'd become about a lot of things. The problem I was seeing, I confessed, was that not only was I beginning to feel sorry for myself but also started to see things with a bit more skepticism and negativity. I was expecting everyone around me BUT me to live up to God's standards and I wasn't happy with that internal feeling within.

However, I knew I needed to get plugged back in to hearing God's voice, following His plan for my life and being consistent in this new year to read the Bible and discover new truths.

I don't believe in pure coincidence. What I do believe in, however, is God's timely intervention in our lives and yesterday's message from Pastor Floyd was just that. In fact, I wouldn't just call it a timely intervention but the good, swift kick I needed in my backside to shake off the duldrums of indifference and self-pity I'd been going through.

We all need those now and again, right? LOL

Pastor's message was called "3 Steps To Prepare Yourself For What God Wants To Do In Your Life This Year." Don't let the long title scare you away though...it's 3 extremely simple principles not only make complete sense but they're very basic in understanding. Yet it's sometimes the most basic of ideals that we struggle with the most.

He began his sermon by talking about how everyone wants to finish their lives victoriously and finish it well. The key to winning and being victorious begins with preparation. Regardless of the task that lies before you, we can only succeed if we've prepared completely for it. Facing the challenges of life is no different.

The scripture he used initially is from Proverbs 21:30-31. It says:

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle but victory rests with the Lord." (NIV)

Victory ultimately comes from the Lord but that doesn't mean you don't prepare for the battles in your life. Psalm 20:7 says it quite well:

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (NIV)

The 3 steps he mentioned on how to prepare yourself to succeed with God are:
-humility (characterized by a teachable spirit)
-availability (characterized by a willing heart)
-opportunity (characterized by a fruitful life)

In the first example, we need to humble ourselves before God...get rid of our stuff and ideals that we know it all because frankly, we don't. Most of the troubles we get ourselves into is due in large part to our "intellect". So, let's get past our own way of thinking, lower ourselves before the Father and become humble before Him. By doing so, we then become...

available to what He has in store for us. If we have that willing heart to do as He asks us, to follow His plan for our lives, He can then use us better and bring us better results in life. Ask yourself...what does God want me to do? Once you make yourself willing, He'll show you where you need to go. Once He shows you where He wants you to be, be looking for that...

opportunity. Be ready (or prepared) for that special "God moment" in which He has prepared you for. Allow Him to not only prepare you but also work through you, reaching others and showing them all He is doing in your life. As such, your life will begin to produce that "spiritual fruit" the Bible talks about in Galatians.

He left us with this thought: When preparation meets opportunity, therein is a divine appointment.

I sat there and really soaked in what he was preaching yesterday and realized the disconnect had come from me. God had never unplugged Himself from me or abandoned me. I was the one who allowed the outside distractions to pull me away from Him, from humbling myself before Him and thus, was not being prepared for those opportunities He has in store for me.

It solidified, however, a feeling I've had for a while and am excited to pursue. This Wednesday night begins a new class at our church called "Sharing Jesus Without Fear." This has been a cry from my heart for a while now and I've been really looking for something like this to equip me for those special "God moments". I've decided that with the class being offered the same time I'd be going to choir practice that I'm going to put choir aside for a while and really focus on what I can do to better prepare myself in sharing the Word with others.

As much as I've loved singing in the choir for the past 3 years, things have begun stirring within my heart that have pointed me toward taking a class like this. I may rejoin choir once the classes are done but I really feel like I need to become better prepared for something that's much bigger than I know at the present. I've often felt that God has been creating something within me for a while now and this class may just be that spark to ignite the fire within.

I'm very excited to think about what God is going to show me, teach me and prepare me for. I only pray that His name would be glorified through the words I say and that my life will become that beacon of drawing the lost toward Him. I cannot save anyone...only God can save.

But I can allow Him to use me to reach others.

That is how I want to finish the race...

being used by Him to have an impact on those around me for the furtherance of HIS kingdom.