It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve had a chance to write a blog. So much is going on in my and Susan’s life that it sometimes causes us to lose our focus of what God is doing in church. I don’t know if you face similar situations, but somehow I feel, as a church, we all go through these times together.
And I know why. God has called us into a season of prayer and this requires a great deal of focus. The enemy is trying to distract us from the call of God on our lives to pray. He just wants to keep things stirring around us so that we cannot get down to serious prayer that will set the enemy and his activities at bay.
Being distracted is not because we have lost our love for God, his church, our his purpose. It just creeps up on us. We say, “I’ll take care of this and get right back to the things of God.” Then this, and then this, and on and on it goes. It’s a subtle deception, but day goes into day, and week into week, until we have missed God and have forgotten what we were working on for him.
I have found this can even happen in the busyness of ministry also. There are so many things that need to happen each week I seldom have time to veer very far off course without getting behind in the things of ministry. As a matter of fact, I always feel I’m behind in the things I need to do each week. Because of this, I compromise the quality of what I do for the Lord just to get it done. How much more I want to invest, but think, it just means more time and more labor. Being lost in time and space has always been a frustration to me. Like Jesus said, “The time is short.”
“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:
the night comes, when no man can work.”
John 9:4
I greatly appreciate all the people who recognize this in our lives and have stepped in to help, not only in the work of the church, but financially as well. I know that many of us have struggled with our finances, yet, you have been so generous to help Susan and I in recent days. We will soon be back on track and we will not forget your love for us that has been expressed in so many ways.
Nevertheless, I wish I could get more done in a week, all the while, remembering the Lord insists I take a Sabbath Day each week. So far that has been working out to be Thursday. I am still struggling to enjoy it, because I feel there is so much I should be doing at church. However, it has been good for Susan and I and our relationship together. Susan has become more and more helpful to me in these past few months. Partly because she sees the strain I’m under and partly because she has grown so much in the Lord lately.
This year will prove to be pivotal in the life and growth of our church. The things we learn through prayer will become the foundation of a new generation of believers here at Calvary. I want so much to be a Pastor to this new generation. Sometimes I wonder if I work too hard trying to stay current and relevant. I’ve never been one to jump into the latest fad. I’ve also seen many new teachings come and go without leaving any impact on the church. Yet, I have greater thirst for the things of God than I ever have.
Sometimes I want to take some time off just to sit and study the Word. There are so many things that fascinate me about the Scriptures, but I feel I have to limit myself to the things I need to minister each week. I remember the years long ago, when I seemed to have great amounts of time to listen to Christian music. pray and study the Word. I kind of miss those times, but I realize, it was a season of preparation for the ministry I am now in.
I’ve talked with my own sons about this. They too, reminisce about simpler days where we had time to visit, play and enjoy ourselves. Many of those things now seem simply a distraction. My sons work hard to make an income and pay their bills. I work hard preparing messages, music, and other activities for the church, and this cycle happens on a weekly basis.
I wonder sometimes if there is something I’m missing, because I am amazed at Pastors who get so much done in a week. I would hate to think that I have maxed myself out already. What I rather think is that I have not clearly determined what is necessary and what are still just distractions in my life.
I recently said at church that I felt God was dealing with me about greater self-discipline. I feel that if I am going to be the Pastor of a new generation at Calvary, I need a more disciplined life. It has started in some areas (less eating and less television). There are some scheduled things that I do make happen each week, regardless of how I feel. In other areas there are still things I neglect because I either don’t know how to do them, or how long they will take, or what the outcome is supposed to look like.
Then there are goals. I’ve become so distracted by all the things that need to be accomplished that I have lost sight of immediate my goals. Each week Susan and I struggle to define what our schedule should be. The reason we plan a schedule is so we can fit more into our week. As a result, like everyone else, we realize, it all just won’t fit. So we must prioritize. I don’t like prioritizing. I want to do it all. However, this year, prayer must be the priority of our lives. Other things must be defined as distractions. Focusing on prayer must also be the concern for our church as a whole. God wants to transform our priorities through prayer.
I have stated many times that this year is transitional. My prayer is that it will also become transformational. May our season of prayer change the things we do, may it change the way we look at things, and may it change the entire course of our times together.
As far as the enemy goes, he starts out with distraction. If that does work, he moves on to aggravation. Then if he hasn’t got our attention, he begins the assault. Like I’ve mentioned before, Romans 12:12 must be our response to his every attempt to get us to cease praying.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12
If we will remain hopeful and patient, and continue steadfast in our prayers, God will break through to us with the next great thing for our church — a revival among our sons and our daughters. To this end I have started reading a new book called Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. He’s also the author of In a Pit with a Loin on a Snowy Day.
“O Lord God, eliminate the distractions in my life and make me steadfast in prayer.”