​We've been working on this concept of "Spiritual Discipline" for a few weeks in our Sunday services.  We spent eight weeks talking about worship and we're currently 3 weeks into our talk about Bible reading.

Let me ask...

How many of you are already discouraged because you know you're not where you want to be in your worship of God?

How many of you are already discouraged because you know you're not reading your Bible as often as you'd like?

Let me say this - please DO NOT be discouraged!!  

Why?  Let me explain - I'm not where I want to be with those things either.  And I'm the lead pastor.

I'm learning that I need to choose each day (and sometimes each hour) to honor God with whatever it is that I'm doing (and if I'm not honoring God with what I'm doing, maybe I shouldn't be doing it).

Life is difficult sometimes.  You're NOT perfect.  Stop trying to be perfect right now and start trying to see progress right now.

A wise man once said, "be not afraid of moving too slowly... Be only afraid of standing still."  The wise man I heard say that was Wilson, from the tv show Home Improvement.

I agree with what he said... In our culture of "I want what I want, and I want it now," we expect perfection right away, and when we don't see it, we want to quit... And when we do, we fall right into the enemy's trap.  We begin believing the lie that we can't change... That we're not good enough... That something's wrong with us... That everyone else has this figured out and we're so far behind everyone, we should just quit.

That's the lie we believe.

But here's the truth - we CAN change.  We CAN grow.  We CAN be more.  We CAN do more.  Not because we're wonderful, but because God is!! Hebrews 10:23, among other verses, makes that PLAIN for us to see.  “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

He is faithful.  Even when we're not.  Therefore, don't lose heart.  Keep pressing on!!

Your grip on hope is slipping. The diagnosis is crushing. The addiction is suffocating. The worry and anxiety are draining you to nearly nothing. You feel like the rope you've been hanging on to is slowly sliding through your fingers. Your hands are burning, cramping. You're down to the final few loose threads. You're squeezing the life out of that fraying, lifeless rope.

Let go.

Did you hear that?

LET GO!!!

You won't fall into oblivion or hellish chaos.

You'll fall where you've actually been all along, even while tenaciously clutching your rope.

You'll fall into Jesus' arms. Into His love and protection. Into His care for you and your future.

You do have a future, you know. It may not look exactly like the future you were envisioning. It may include hurt that you weren't planning for. It may include more years…or fewer. It CAN include more joy and peace, and less worry.

But it's exactly the future God planned for you from the beginning. He knows you better than you, better than any of your doctors, your specialists, your friends, your family...

You may be mystified by what's happening in your life, bewildered by the decisions that need to be made, uncertain of what tomorrow will bring.

But never forget: You have hope.

Instead of a weak and raveling rope, hang on to your Creator, the source of your hope.

He's got you and your future in his very skilled hands.