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When Life Takes Over

“When Life Takes Over” February 16, 2017

It’s hard to believe its February 16, 2017. I had committed in 2017 to post two days every week and here it is roughly 6 weeks since I posted last. At first I thought, I’m really bad at this blogging thing. Then I thought, maybe I don’t have anything to say. Then I realized, “Life Has Taken Over”.

“Life Has Taken Over”: My wife’s cancer treatments, my anemia & kidney stones, a special needs child, a daughter who is a senior in college, the dog is on seizure meds now, and preparing to preach and teach every week. It sounds like whining, but it really isn’t intended to be. It’s a statement of fact. “Life Has Taken Over”. Ever sit in church on Sunday and say, “I’ll make this week count for Jesus!” only to wake up and realize it’s Friday and wonder where the week went?

What do you do when “Life takes over”?

1. Let urgency run you. If we are not mindful we will not have a life, but life will take over. Control is surrendered to the events and urgencies of the day. We forsake the important for the squeaky wheel.
2. Just give up! How easy is to become overwhelmed and just give up? No fuss, no muss. Park myself in my chair, grab the remote, and let life have its way.

OR

3. Choose to make a Choice. Taking control doesn’t happen by accident. We have to make a decision to take control. Get yourself on a calendar and prioritize those things that are important. The key here is you have to say NO to those momentary distractions to focus on completing a task that really needs to get done. Decide to make a choice!
4. Take captive your thoughts. Paul teaches us this. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV)
   ^“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”. Don’t let the Thought Train take you down a track you don’t want to go.
5. Trust the Lord. Proverbs 3:5 (ESV)
   “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” When “Life Takes Over” we must trust the Lord and stop trying to figure it all out. Our understanding of our life circumstances may not be as true as you think they are. More than that, what we think we should do in response to those circumstances may not be as right as we think. Our ways are not God’s ways, so why would we trust our thinking over God’s?
6. Keep your walk with the Lord going. I was taught to never change directions in a storm because now you really don’t know where you are going. Tired? Weary? Don’t think anyone cares? Stopping your faithfulness will not get you where you need to be. Get up, go to church. Get to your small group. If you can’t read your Bible today, listen to Christian music, listen to an online Bible reader, watch a sermon online from your pastor, DO SOMETHING to stay in walk with the Lord.

 What do you do when “Life Takes Over”?

As Moses spoke to Israel at the passing of leadership to Joshua he spoke from the Lord these words, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)  

“He will not leave us or forsake us.” So don’t you give up! Make a choice to live a life that directs attention to the Lord. Don’t let Life Take Over.

5 Minutes A day

Happy New Year's!

With most transitional events in life we tend to create goals and resolutions. The problem is we think we can go from 0 to 100 in one fell swoop. The bigger problem is that we cannot. At Beavercreek Baptist Church we are striving to grow in our personal discipleship one step at a time. The only way to experience sustainable growth is one step at a time. Sustainable growth is rooted in a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

So let's get started. Over the next 2 years we are going on a journey to, "Build Community One Relationship at a Time." The ultimate goal is for us to become deeply committed followers of Jesus Christ and then translate that commitment into building a church (community of believers) that is deeply committed to leading others to become deeply committee followers of Jesus Christ. Some will be just starting their journey. Others are already on their journey and have more growth to go, but have learned some things to help others on their journey.

We will get to issues of sharing our faith, participating in community, etc. later, but we must take the first step. If you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, then that's where you start. Join us this Sunday at Beavercreek Baptist Church at 10:30 AM for worship celebration and then talk to me after.

If you are already a believer, then your first step is to connect with God every day. That is where the "5 Minutes A Day" comes into play. Take 5 minutes a day and connect with God. You can pray or read your Bible, but we all need some kind of guidance. Keep in mind all devotional books are just people's words. Any good devotional must be biblically based and have you read scripture every day.

You can utilize many devotional sources. YouVersion is a website and an app that is free and has many choices. There are others as well. The point is to commit to 5 minutes a day. That may not sound like much time, but it is a starting point.

Are you ready to take the journey of your life? Join God every day for 5 minutes. Then join us every Sunday at Beavercreek Baptist Church for small groups at 9:15 AM or for worship celebration at 10:30 AM.