One of the blessings of fall, is to watch college football games. My husband and I sit there mesmerized as we watch the young, enthusiastic players pass, catch, kick, and run. Such energy! Such determination! Part of the excitement is that you never know who is going to win. State of mind and determination can sometimes override sheer size and talent. But not always.
Last Saturday we watched one of our favorite teams, Ole Miss, get defeated by Texas. It’s a building year for Ole Miss, and Texas seemed to be already built! There was an obvious difference in size and experience. But we were really proud of our team. Even though they had a chance to be discouraged, they never gave up. They even continued to squeeze in 31 points of their own. They had nothing to hang their heads about. They left the game, knowing they had done their best, and they would continue to build.
In the middle of the night, I awoke and felt that the Lord was talking to me. He said, “The church feels like Ole Miss felt. It seems that the state of affairs in our country – and with the church- is one of being out-sized and out-experienced when coming against the foolish and even evil forces in our world.” And you know that that is true if we are depending only on our strength.
The good news for us is that we don’t have to depend on our own strength. We can count on God and all of His forces to help us when we do things His way. Pray, stay focused, and continue to build.
Hebrews 6:11-12 says, “We desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
So let’s remain diligent – or in some cases, get diligent. We can’t stop. We can’t give up. There may be forces coming against your personal life, but don’t let them cause you to give up. Refocus and face the giants again.
In many cases, we may think that we need to rebuild. Well, let’s do it! We rebuild our faith in God by meditating on His Word. We rebuild our faith in ourselves by prayer, listening to God, and, oh yes, by meditating on His Word. We rebuild our churches, our communities, and our world by prayer and sharing His Word.
We are in a big game! There may be giants facing us, but we can do this. Pray, focus, and build. Pray, focus, and build. Pray, focus, and build.
Let’s be not sluggish, but diligent, and see a turn around in our world.
Forever Upward!
Suellen Estes
