Author: Scott

Recently, I was talking to one of our veterans about what they saw during combat. Believe me, it wasn’t pretty. I cannot imagine having gone through something like that. Hearing stories like this really emphasizes that what we do is so very important. Many of us, if not all of us, have seen or done things that beat us down emotionally and spiritually. Things that we can’t seem to let go of. Things that can take us to dark places. Things that lead us to points of anger. Even to points of rage. Or maybe to points of extreme anxiety or depression. We get caught in the downward spiral and we find ourselves in places we cannot handle, and then we react or respond in ways that are not rational. 

Satan is good at using this tactic against us. But as good at this as he may be, our Lord and Savior is even better at what he does. He has this covered. He has already defeated our enemy. He has already taken our times of emotional turmoil and cast them aside. He has beaten Satan back. He did that for us. He is beating him back now. And he will continue to do so. 

But why? Why does God allow these times in our lives? I believe he allows these moments so we can turn to him. We can pray to him. We can ask for his help. And when we do, we get to witness the awesome power and glory that only his grace provides. His love for us is beyond all reasoning. And these are moments we can learn from and build our faith stronger on. Then just think of the testimonies we will have to share with others. We will be able to witness to them because we’ve been through it. Oh isn’t that incredible! God’s plans are beautiful. And going through tough times are part of his plans. And the reward of eternity is awaiting us who trust in Jesus. Because God loves us. Always has. Always will.

This past Tuesday was the Presidential election. Those of you that follow what we write, saw where we said that we were glad it’s over. That is because of the bickering back-and-forth between people. I’m sure most of you saw where people were bashing celebrities/entertainers for taking a stand. Making comments along the lines of: “Shut up and just play.” I get the logic behind that. I just am tired of the ugliness. But, I do realize that there are people in this country who allow their thoughts to be dictated by what their idols are saying or doing. They believe this or that because…such and such person believes this or that. So that leads me to this set of questions. What are you reading? What are you watching on tv? Or listening to on the radio? Is there a blog or a podcast you’re following? The reason I’m asking is because these forms of information can have direct impacts on our lives. How is that? 

Here is what I think about this. What we are thinking impacts our lives. Our thoughts do. If they are healthy, they can positively affect our lives. If they are toxic, they can negatively affect our lives. Our relationships. Our everything‘s. I’m not saying that what you are reading, watching, listening to, etc., are bad. What I’m saying is that “how” you take all that in can be. How you let them impact how you think can be. It’s no secret that I am a 1980s hair band fan. Def Leppard. Motley Crue. Metallica. But they are simply entertaining to me. I don’t let them control how I view things. How I see things. How I think things. How I do things.

I’m not trying to tell you what to listen to or watch. I’m not trying to tell you who it is you should let yourself be entertained by. It’s not my place to do so. But I am saying this…If you find yourself allowing what you read, watch, or listen to impact your thoughts, maybe you need to be careful. If you find yourself allowing the results of Tuesday impact you enough that you are celebrating in the anxiety of those around you, maybe you need to be careful. What I am trying to tell you is that our thoughts do matter. They matter more than we realize. They matter because they are important in determining who we are. Who we become. How we act. What we believe. They matter because they can keep us from God‘s truth. And that’s where the danger lies. Toxic thoughts can destroy us. Without us even realizing it. They can tear our lives apart. They can ruin our relationships. So, maybe it’s time to analyze our thoughts and see how they are directing us. Maybe it’s time to take inventory on what we allow ourselves to be impacted by. Or even more importantly, maybe it’s time to let God‘s word take over and let God take control of our thoughts. If we do that, he will take control of our lives. And how awesome will that be!

This past week or so, our yard was covered in leaves. Especially out at the new farmhouse. A month ago, it was still dirt and grass. Then the acorns began dropping. And the leaves. Now, you cannot see the ground. Temperatures have changed as well. We went from 90° to 50° in what seemed like overnight. Clearly a sign that Fall is at hand. Winter is just around the corner. And the seasons are changing. And just as there are seasons that we live through on earth, there are different seasons that we go through in our lives spiritually. Let me explain.

For 15 years of my life, I was an educator in the high school system. I worked daily with kids trying to figure out and navigate through their teenage years. During a time of development in their lives. Not only was I teaching them the curriculum put in front of us, I worked on trying to show them how God could use them. Not only after high school, but while they were in high school. That season came to an end for me in for me in 2011. In 2006, I began a private basketball program for junior high and high school age. We used basketball to teach morals and values of being young Christians. Basketball was the tool to bring us together. But the purpose was to show God’s glory. That season ended in 2021. It ended because the season that I’m in now is Charlie 22 Outdoors. It requires my attention. And the purpose with is not much different than the seasons before. Just where and who I work with is the difference. 

Each one of us has a purpose. Ultimately, it is to pursue and serve God. But how we do so is probably different for each of us. And chances are, how we do so, probably changes as we go through our lives. Thus, the different seasons. And chances are also that while some of us may know our purpose, others are still trying to figure theirs out. I believe it’s because you are where you are supposed to be right now. Being prepared. God is preparing you for what is to come. Sometimes preparation is short. Other times it takes a few years. And that is fine. Don’t fret. Don’t worry. Just keep striving. Just keep asking for him to show you how to he will use you for his kingdom. And he will. God will show you when the time is right. He will guide you through the different seasons of your life. But you must ask him to do so. 

Sometimes we find ourselves holding on to things that we can’t seem to let go of. Sometimes we have a guilt of some thing that we have done. Other times we have hatred or despise others for what they have done. These are easy for us to do because we are human. Holding on can be detrimental. Holding on can hold us back. Our minds and our feelings can be dangerous places for us to go. Because they can keep us from being close to God.

Now, I am not saying that we should forget all of these type of things. Not at all. We just need to be aware of the snake lurking around. And that is that Satan will use our minds against us. He will use our thoughts and our feelings. That’s how he does things. He sneaks around behind the scenes attacking us without us even knowing it. Sometimes he uses our guilt. Sometimes he uses others against us. All in his plan to keep us from God‘s grace.

But there is good news. God has you. God has me. God has all of us. He is in our corners. Helping us fight these battles daily against the attacks that come from Satan. The attacks that come from inside our own heads as well as from others around us. Even better, victory has already been declared for us. The cross did that. The sacrifice was for us. As terrible as it must’ve been for Jesus, he did it for us. So we can grow closer to God. God will renew our hearts and our minds. He will take away all of the outside noise that’s keeping us from growing closer to him. All we have to do is let him in and help us fight this battle. I know these battles may not be easy. I have been through them. I still am. But God will see us through. And as we said earlier, the victory has already been declared. Remember that.

When we are saved in Christ, we are renewed. The old sinful person we once were has gone. It has left. But that doesn’t mean we are sin-free. It doesn’t mean we are not going to sin. Or not be tempted by sin. It means that the sacrifice on the cross has taken the burdens of our sins away from us. 

But we must be aware that this “renewed” life comes with some responsibilities. We weren’t given a free pass when we were saved. We weren’t given a “get out of jail free” card. Our salvation has given us a path to follow. And the Bible tells us that that path is narrow. And what that means is that not everyone is going to follow the path. That is so unfortunate. There are people that you know. People that I know. People all around us. People that are not going to be in heaven. Wow!

For me it was a struggle to remove the old sinful self. I had been living my own life far longer than I had been a believer of Jesus. I still face temptations. I still live in this world full of sin. We all do. But I know these truths: If I stay steadfast in my relationship with God, He will continually work in my life. He will continue to “renew” me. He will continue guiding me down the path to rid me of the stains of my sin. He we continue leading to the moment when I will see him and be in his presence for eternity. And as much as I know these truths are for me, I know that they are for you too. They are for everyone. Jesus didn’t pay the price just for me. He paid the price for all of us. The last time I checked, the word all means all. So that means everyone. And that one reason alone is enough for me to think we all should do what we can to serve him by serving others. No matter what we do. No matter where we are. No matter who we are. We should find ways to serve him by serving others. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

On our way to church yesterday morning, we reached the stoplight at the junction of Madison and 171. For those of you that live in the area, you know what that means. If traffic is heavy, you can be at that light, waiting for your turn to come for around 5 to 6 minutes. seems like an eternity. Just waiting. This life is full of times where we catch ourselves waiting. Sometimes it’s at a stoplight. Sitting there waiting for it to turn green. Seems like that takes forever. It can be frustrating. Other times, it’s waiting for something glorious. Like the birth of a grandchild. Frustration is replaced with nervous anticipation. But it can also seem like it takes forever. Either way, we find ourselves waiting at different times of our daily lives. 

When we find ourselves in moments where we are waiting, I suggest that we turn our thoughts towards God. And that means in both types of moments. Those that are frustrating. And those that are glorious. Maybe you already have. And you feel like you have been left to deal with the situation on your own. I know I have felt that before. I have been there just looking for a small sign that God is there. And it was hard to hold onto hope when I didn’t see him. Or I don’t see him now. But I know this too. When I don’t see God, is when I’m not focused on God. And that’s on me.

God is not absent unless we make him absent. God will not forget us. He is there for our frustrations. And he is there for times that are glorious. God cares so much that he wants us to turn all things over to him. That’s hard for us to do. I’m aware of that. But that’s what he wants. And that includes those times where we find ourselves waiting. Maybe even more so during those times. Because, it’s during those moments that we may have “more time” on our hands to focus on him. Finally, here is something else that I read about waiting. And it is spot on. “It is in the waiting that God will change you, but maybe not your situation immediately. In the waiting that your very heart will change from pleading to gratitude. From patience to grace. From failure to freedom.” Wow! How powerful. 

Sometimes our lives get into such a funk that it’s hard for us to believe that God is near. It’s hard for us to hear him. When that happens, maybe it’s time for us to focus on trying to hear him. Practice and work at hearing him. But be ready. Because sometimes what you’re going to hear, is not what you want to hear.

Here’s what I know. There are times that we get desperate. We want to lift our hands up. We want to surrender our hearts. We can’t go on anymore. We can’t do it the way we’ve been doing it. And we long to hear God. But we don’t. We think we cannot go on like this. There is no hope. When we find ourselves in moments like these, I want to say this: Maybe, just maybe, we don’t hear God because we are not listening like we should. Read that again.

When I was playing basketball, I would imagine situations before they happened. I would close my eyes and put myself in the situations and visualize playing through them. It would even include details down to the point that my shooting form was perfect. This was a tool that I used to help me be better prepared for what was going to come. So here is some advice. Try to spend a few moments imagining Jesus. Try to visualize him and feel his presence. Try to listen to what he’s telling you. Imagine him walking you through the hardships and obstacles that you face. Look at the picture of him in your mind and know he is always with you. No matter what it is that you’re bearing. And know this: God loves you. Always has. Always will.

What is it that you prepare for? What is it that takes your time and attention to get ready for? If you ask yourself that question, and you’re honest about it, I bet you realize that whatever you prepare for is important to you. Things that require your attention and time are important to you. God has prepared eternity for us. Let’s read that again. God has prepared eternity for us. That is awesome. But we must be aware of this other truth as well. Satan has done the same thing. Let that sink in. And if they are preparing eternity for us, then it must be important. Actually, probably better put it this way: They are at war over our eternity. Therefore, you better believe that it is important.

We are all going to die someday. That’s reality. And…reality is that we will all spend eternity somewhere. So living on this earth isn’t our forever home. As Christians, we rejoice in knowing where we are going. And how glorious that is going to be. 

But, we don’t have a free ticket to heaven. To get there requires action on our part. And here are probably the two best pieces of advice I can give you. I may be off a little bit, but this is what I believe. I believe that we must repent and ask for forgiveness. I believe those are the two foundations to live as believers. Second, the Bible tells us that the way to heaven is through Jesus. Believing in him as our Lord and Savior is the key. No way around that. And with that reward awaiting us, we should live our lives serving others trying to show them the glory that is awaiting them as well. Eternity with Jesus! Wow! We can’t even begin to imagine what that’s going to look like. Now go and love God. Love others. Serve the world.

We all have heard the saying, “Money makes the world go ‘Round.” And there is definitely a lot of truth to that. So much so, we all have most likely worried about our finances at some point in our lives. Being good stewards of our money is biblical. And we should strive to be in control of our money. And not let money control us. But we are human. We make mistakes. Sometimes those are financial. Many of us do not make mistakes. Yet, we still find ourselves in financial situations that are overwhelming. So it’s easy to be worried about the bills and other things we need to pay for.

I think it would be great to get to a place where we truly trust God to be our provider. To not worry about money. The Bible tells us God provides for birds and flowers. It tells us he values us far more. And we know he sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. So meeting our needs must be part of his plans. I’m fully aware that difficult times come and worrying is a human response. But, let’s try to remember through what the Bible teaches us. God is our Provider!

Now…I bet you are wondering where am I going with this. Please stay with me as I stumble through this. When we seek God first, he frees us from the worries and pressures of earth because our eyes are fixed on Him instead of the temporary things that weigh us down. And that includes financial concerns. Always remember that God can meet all of our needs. Now, this is not a free pass to do nothing and expect God to take care of us. I’m not saying that at all. Actually, probably just the opposite. We are still called to do our parts. And that’s where being good stewards comes in. Let’s just be aware that we need to put him first. He will then show us the way. He will provide. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.