Passive vs. Proactive

Pastor Fred told us at church this morning that one of the main reasons we need to keep our noses in our Bibles is because "the devil will try to beat you down." His words resonated in my head for a few moments... Beat down. If I had to describe the way I've felt over the last six months, that would be it. I've known all along that a big part of why I've had such a rough go of it lately is due to full-on spiritual attack. The reason why I say it's part of the reason and not the only reason is because the enemy hasn't exactly been alone in his efforts. I've done my part to help him. Not consciously by any means, but still -time when I could have been praying, reading Scripture, seeking out a new church- I was choosing to be passive instead of proactive.

A while back my friend Micah told me there were three things that God will not do, and the one that's stuck with me is that He will not do what He's asked us to do. Whoa. That's heavy. Did you hear that? He will do what we're supposed to do, i.e. He will not fight our battles for us. He'll give us the equipment we need, but He's not going to come down here and do what He put us here to do. Think about it- if He had to do that, then why bother with us??? (Sometimes- OK... MOST of the time I wonder why DID he bother with us, but that's a whole other blog...)

Troops in the military are issued equipment and spend countless hours in training in order to ensure that they are able to carry out their duties safely and effectively. Can you imagine how dumb it would be for a new soldier to blow off basic training because he just didn't feel like going? As soon as the bombs went off, his @$$ would be grass. He'd be running around frantically not knowing what to do, where to go, how to put on his safety equipment or use his weapon. It's funny to think about, absurd really, but that is how so many Christians are. We are being attacked, but instead of fighting back, we run around crying, not knowing what the heck is going on, when we need to be in the Word, in church, in fellowship, in the Spirit, and wearing the full armor of God.

It's easier said than done, but as much as I hate to admit, this life isn't supposed to be easy. If it was, then Jesus wouldn't have had to go to the cross. As much as I'd like to concern myself with things that don't matter, like money, what kind of car I drive and how nice a house I live in, and spend my time in working out, tanning, and getting my hair and nails done, there's more important stuff to worry about then me, myself, and I. Those things are fine, but my life has to be about more because His life was about more. His life was about me. So shouldn't my life be about Him?

On a lighter note, tomorrow is the first day of summer for me! (a.k.a. I don't have to go to work tomorrow.) I'm totally stoked! What's on the agenda? Hair appointment, tanning, gym, manicure/pedicure (maybe), and shopping for the following: laptop, bicycle, bedding, running shoes, books for summer reading. I'm pretty much going to do all the things I needed to do but couldn't because I was always at work.

Peace!