If you watch TV at all, read the news paper or surf the web, it is hard to avoid seeing what is going on with the Dallas Cowboys and the season they are having. The beginning of the season started with such promise and hope, only to be the complete opposite. One of the most storied franchises in sports history are playing at their worst and each week we are reminded that there is something just not right and that is evident in the play on the field and the results at the end of each game. The dream of being the first team in NFL history to play in their own stadium in the Superbowl is all but over and now the team is faced with just trying to win a game. Each week, you hear the players , coaches and even the owner talking about how they are going to “right the ship” and the results just don’t end up being what they are preaching. They fix what is wrong in areas they have struggled the most in and they break down in other areas giving the same result as previous weeks…. A Loss. The organization is a proud organization and they have reason to be. Some of the greatest players and teams have proudly worn the Star on their helmets and have wowed us over the years. As a fan I have been disappointed this season not in the effort but in the results of what is taking place on the field of play. No matter how hard they try it seems that they just are not able to get it together and do what it takes to win a ballgame. With all the talent and experience they have, something needs to change…….
Have you ever felt in your walk with the Lord that you just were not getting it done and no matter how hard you tried things just don’t seem to go the way you planned or expected? I have been there…. I grew up with Parents who always showed me the right way to live and always gave me what I needed to be prepared for my walk with Christ. Did I always do what they said? No. but I tried.. Was that good enough? I don’t think so. Was it the fault of my parents? Of course not, that blame all falls on me. I had all the information, all the tools all the training and for some reason something was still missing…. I took for granted the gift that was given to me. Does that mean I did not love God or that I was not truly a Christian? Not at all, I just let other things, thoughts and distractions creep in until I was not totally focused on what God was calling me to do and how He wanted me to live.
Has God given up on me and moved onto the next candidate? I don’t believe God works that way. This past week our Pastor was continuing his series on Samson and during the message I realized something I had never seen before…. Samson repented and even though his life did not turn out the way it had been planned, he was still used by God to destroy more Philistines in one act than he had in his entire lifetime. All because he sincerely repented before God. Judges 16:28 “Then Samson called to the Lord and said, O Lord God, [ earnestly ] remember me, I pray You, and strengthen me, I pray You, only this once, O God, and let me have one vengeance upon the Philistines for both my eyes.” Even though Samson had fallen short of what God had planned for him, because he “Earnestly” Repented before God he was able to fulfill what God had called him to be. Thankfully we do not have to have our eyes gouged out or worse when we fall short of what God has called us to do or be. Just like the Dallas Cowboys need to find what it is that is keeping them from Victory, You and I both need to examine ourselves and seek God to find just what it is that has kept us from Victory ( Victory = God’s plan ). Most people who end up like this simply allow the little things to affect them greatly. Song of Solomon 2:15 “ the little foxes spoil the vine” Three things you can start doing today that will get you back on track and closer to what God has called you to do and be….
1. Pray – daily communication with God is paramount and essential to successfully walking with Him – 2 Timothy 1:3 “ I thank God whom I worship with a pure conscience, in the spirit of my fathers, when without ceasing I remember you night and day in my prayers” (Amplified version)
2. Read The Word – Daily reading of the Word and study of the Word. 2 Timothy 2:15 “ Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.”
3. Sharing your Faith - There is no better tool than showing people how God has transformed your life and sharing your experience is one of the most effective ways of Sharing your faith. John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me.”
Make these simple changes in your life and watch God perform above and beyond your understanding.
Can I Get a Witness?
K
