Striking Out Spiritually

Today's sermon is part of a series Brother Archie is doing called "What Are You Waiting For?" #WhatRUWaiting4? Central Baptist Church has a very comprehensive website, and the notes from the sermon are on the link, as is a video, or just the audio, of the sermon.
These are my notes from the sermon and my own take on what I got from the word.


So what is holding you back from having the relationship with your Heavenly Father that you know you're supposed to have? It's sin. Simple. Is it fear of the future or guilt of the past? Is it bitterness, inability to forgive, it is alcohol, sexual immorality, anger, lies, jealousy, other sins of the flesh that are holding you back?

Using a baseball analogy, everyone strikes out eventually. How many times have you struck out standing? You have His will tossed across the plate three times, and you never once took a swing? There's nothing to be ashamed of if you take a swing, and miss. That's what second chances are for. And third chances, and fourth... When you live with a wickedness, living in hypocrisy, it is only by the grace and mercy of God that He doesn't strike you down dead in your tracks.

A relationship with God doesn't just happen. Three things have to happen:
1.) Time to totally surrender
2.) Time to renew your mind
3.) Time to experience the will of God in your life.

Romans 12:1-2 (NASB) Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

What is holding you back from total surrender? Your body is how you serve. Everything you do is to serve God. One doesn't have to teach a class, sing a special, or even work in the nursery to serve God. While these things are important, that isn't the only way to serve. A kind word to someone, opening the door for a stranger, it's known to many as random acts of kindness, are all ways to serve God. These acts show the love of Christ by our words and actions far better than a position in a church or a name in a flier.
The Old Testament required a burnt offering as a sacrifice. The New Testament sacrifice is a living sacrifice, our bodies (hands, mouths, brains, etc) to serve God, but the requirements are the same. The best of what we had was to be offered, the lamb without blemish, to be spotless. We have to come to the Father, having repented of our sins. If we have sinned against others and know of this, we HAVE to ask forgiveness from the one we have wronged. Just for clarification, any apology has to be true and heartfelt. "I am sorry" is reserved for those who are truly sorry and have no intentions of a repeated offense. You have to make amends.

The next verse speaks of not being conformed to this world by to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

We have to find the things that are making us bitter, angry, the temptations of the flesh. Once we have these identified, we have to avoid them. We have to forgive those who don't deserve forgiveness, and not because they asked for it. Forgive them because the bitterness holds you back from true happiness. This is one of my weaknesses.

Spend more time meditating than on social media and I promise you will find yourself a whole lot less bitter. Don't play into the whole passive/aggressive game of talking about folks on your social media pages. It never works out for you or those who partake in the discussion. If you have beef with someone, talk to them. If the beef is between other people, keep in mind why you haven't been brought into it before that point. Stay out of other people's business and you'll be much happier. Let's also remember that it hurts your witness when you act like that. Non-believers are watching how we act and when we trash each other and then sum it up with, "cuz God said so," goes against the message we try to send that God is love.

You will see things on media that will make you want to reply, to nearly bait you into further discourse. Focus less on what other people are doing and more on what you can be doing for other people. You don't know why people make the choices they make. You haven't walked in their shoes. You don't know the whole story. We are to judge people by their fruits, that's true. However, focusing on what they are doing isn't productive. Try praying for them instead of condemning them.

Encouraging vs Boasting

Matthew 6:3-4 NKJV

But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

That is today's verse. Love it on so many levels. It reminds us of why we are to do good.

My favorite sister in law is currently undertaking a month of random acts of kindness as a lead in to her 30th birthday. A last hurrah, if you will, for her 20's being gone and heralding ina new decade. Rather symbolic of the chnages made in her spiritual life, as well. She is chronicling her mission through her blog and facebook and on her birthday our gift to her is for us all to post what we did for someone that day.

This, folks, is how you show you're giving while encouraging others to follow suit and challenging them to one-up you! There's no sense of boasting. Not a drop of glory soaked in. She knows who has given her this gift and she wants to show the world, starting with her town, then sharing it with others.

A long winded speech from a pulpit, or a brick with my name on it showing I spent more than someone else, a building with my name on it even... these are not what it is going to take to earn favor with my Father. It can't be earned, nor can it be lost.

You can't good-deed yourself into heaven, but the love of Christ shines when good deeds are done. When others see these acts performed out of selflessness, that is how we win people to Christ.

When good deeds are done selflessly,  a warm glow washes over you. Don't panic. That's not a medical condition. It's love. It's pretty awesome.

So my dear sister, rock on with your random acts. Hopefully it's contagious!!!!


♡♥♡ you Nic♡♥♡