Why Even Do This?

Via The Joshua Commission

Because Talk is Cheap. 

Everyone loves a good story, but a story isn’t what’s for dinner. 

Eventually, I had to wake up and be about my walk with Christ. Walking out of church feeling like a million bucks, but then life happens immediately. The stressful moment arrives. The sinful temptation presents itself. My goals require me to do things. 

It’s not enough to want to do things. James warned us: 

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. James 1:22-24

So what do I do? No really. What exactly? I needed specific advice. Have you ever put yourself or someone else to the test who had lofty high-falutin ideas but could not tell you “how”? Try it. You’d be surprised how many people are just walking around talking smack (myself too!). 

I didn’t know how to plan my walk. I had trouble breaking down my will to follow Christ into the actions needed to do so. 

That’s why we are doing this Year of Action. 

You and I need to SEIZE those spaces in our lives. We need to put them back under the control of God. There is a “how” to doing that. I’m talking about my health as well because my body is God’s temple! I’m talking about my home and work and everywhere I go. God told Joshua that’s what he was to do and he believed and he set forth to do so…but HOW? 

You and I need to DEDICATE those spaces back to God. We need to turn them over to his will by forming our personal covenants, by choosing our mission, and actively consecrating ourselves and our families on the daily, weekly and yearly. It’s time to get moving! It’s time to get going. Joshua didn’t wait on the wrong side of the river for very long. 

You and I need to HOLD those spaces. Evil is real. Sin is real. Satan is real. The Christian has a spiritual target on his or her back. I’m sorry. We may not have chosen to struggle, but here we are - but HOW? How will I recognize sin against my wrong discernment? How can I effectively battle the forces that seek for me to give up ground like Joshua did? 

You and I need to THRIVE in our spaces. The struggle has nothing to do with the battle. The battle is already won. The struggle is against trickery - against false despair - against resistance to discipling others. How can we cause the tree to produce fruit? What is the warfare of being “strong and courageous”? What are those strategies? 

You and I need to actually make a stand and actually work towards what we are aspiring to become: a more present, more fully integrated, more connected and fully grafted disciplemaker in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Learning to do and doing by learning, with God. 

52 Skills. 

One year. 

Training. 

That’s what is happening here!