MORE TIME

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

 …reserve a daily time with God for Bible reading, self-examination and prayer in order to know God and his will for my life and to gain the power to follow his will.” – John Baker/Rick Warren – Life’s Healing Choices

Are you doing this?

Are you “recharging” daily; reserving time for GOD? Are you gaining access to the power GOD has for you and for the day or days ahead?

John Maxwell suggests a “Question for God” every morning:

What is the main event today? What do you want me to focus on today?”

Last night I again had the privilege of sharing with a few of the inmates at the MONTGOMERY COUNTY JAIL.  Our lesson focused around relapse; around taking the steps to “maintain the momentum” of their recovery and their rehabilitation once their time of incarceration had ended. 

Why?

For when we went around the room, there were mostly “repeat” offenders sharing their time with our team; men who had made some mistakes, paid for them yet continued to make choices that landed them "back on the block" as it were again and again.

So the teaching was focused on while they had time and access to resources, to RESERVE time for GOD each and every day.  To ask the question of GOD, what was the main thing to be learned today, what should be an area of focus for their journey back to society? 

Makes sense.

Lamentations 3:40(MSG)

Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living and reorder our lives under God.

But let’s all be honest for a second.  We ALL could use MORE time with GOD.  We could all stand for more time in PRAYER, more time in HONEST SELF-EVALUATION, REPENTANCE and CONFESSION.  We ALL have ROOM to grow, things to “chisel” out of our lives, habits to diminish, hurts and issues that NEED GOD’s healing!

I know I do.

For far too many days I suffer from “MARTHA-SYNDROME”.  

You remember the story of Jesus coming to visit Mary and Martha and Martha being so consumed with the work, the stress, the anxiety of the job at hand that she sacrificed time at the feet of Jesus for the busyness. (Luke 10)

That is me.  

And not only do I sacrifice time with GOD to “work” for GOD, I often allow the frustration of the work and my frailties to intersect, making me a GOOD candidate for potentially “sinful” stress relief because of the work.

That is NOT GOOD!  A little wacky when you pause and think about it.

But something tells me I am not alone.  I mean there were 14 inked-up dudes dressed in blue with little armbands that can testify to that.

So daily it is important to heed the words of Paul and…

2 Corinthians 13:5 (MSG)

Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.

I love that last line. 

If you find yourself drifting or in other words entertaining “slipping toward” old copings and behaviors, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Mark 14:38 (MSG)

Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don’t be naive.

Ask yourself:

“Do you think God can be trusted? Or do you think you need to take things into your own hands?”  ― Andy Stanley

That answer is an easy one!

Carve out some time to RECHARGE today! Don’t put yourself at risk like me.  Get out that BIBLE and read.  Get on your knees and pray. Tune your ear for the answer to the question of focus and direction!

Remember!

Zechariah 4:6 (GW)

You won’t succeed…but by my Spirit, says the Lord…

 

I love you all

Have a GREAT weekend!

Freedom Church

 

Pastor GDelaney