​What to put on today? (Read time ≈ 4 minutes)
Romans 13:14
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
 
Every single day you choose what to wear. Yes, even the days you stay home and don’t even change out of your PJ’s… you still chose to wear that. Every day we put, at least some thought into our outfit. Some days more than others. Some days matter to us and we want to dress as if it matters to us. Other days we didn’t want to wake up and everyone can tell by the way we dressed ourselves. But each day, it is a choice. You might not look around and agree with the choice everyone makes that they put on, but they also might not like your fit either.
 
Every single day you choose what to wear. Now spiritually speaking, the question is, will you put on Christ? Or will you put on yourself and leave room for the flesh? Some days you might not feel like getting out of bed and other days you are excited and eager to get to the day. But every day, as disciples of Christ, we must choose each day to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” as our chosen spiritual attire. To put on Jesus would equate to wearing the correct clothing for the season. You don’t throw on your shorts, tank top and flip flops when you have a blizzard outside. Nor do you bundle up in as many layers as you possible can when its 108° outside either! What is this? This is wisdom and discernment in action. Although, to choose the right clothes for the weather does not require much wisdom and discernment. Each day, we must choose to put on Christ in order to stand the spiritual climate we are in. The main difference is, to put on Christ is appropriate… scratch that, it is necessary, all year round.
 
But what does that even mean? To put on Christ means to put off the flesh. To put on Christ is like wearing clean clothes instead of dirty ones out of the dirty laundry hamper. To put on Christ is to follow and to walk like Christ. Just as choosing what to wear every day, this is a choice we make with each day God allows us to open our eyes. This is a choice to pick up our cross and follow Him. This is a choice that we must make daily (Luke 9:23). This is choosing to love your co-worker *cough cough* I mean enemy (Matthew 5:44). This is choosing to serve your brother or sister (Galatians 5:13-14). This is choosing your words carefully (Ephesians 4:29). This is proclaiming the Gospel (Mark 16:15). This is contending and believing for miracles (James 5:14-15). This is looking for hurting people and offering them hope (Romans 15:13). This is forgiving people who don’t deserve it (Colossians 3:13). This is pressing on each and every day to be more and more like Christ (Philippians 3:14). We think our circumstances dictate our behavior but they do not (Philippians 2:14-15). We must choose to put on Christ despite these things. This is a daily choice. What will you choose today? What will you choose tomorrow? What will you choose thereafter? Put on Christ today… and every day.
 
 

​Proverbs 19:20 (ESV)
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.
 
                “Man, that was awesome!” This is what we say, or some variety of that is what we say after impactful experience such as Pioneer Rally, Conference, revivals, or even just a Sunday morning service that hit a little more than usual. We say this because God spoke directly to our hearts because of the wise council of a man of God preaching the word of God. We say this because God dealt with us, convicted us, showed us things, and instructed us, in one way or another but simultaneously, God showed us His grace, His mercy and His power to intervene in our foolishness and show us a way out. There are few things as exciting and fulfilling as feeling like a sermon, or several sermons were handwritten by God directly to your heart.
 
                Great! Now do it! These experiences are crucial to our walks with God. However, they are ultimately pointless and wasted if they are not followed up by us with action! It will never be enough to hear the wisdom… to hear the word preached… to hear the wise council and simply just say, “Amen! Hallelujah!” and then proceed to not act. To not act on wise council from the word of God is to reject the validity of that council. To say with our mouths that it is good is worthless if we do not then change our lives according to the life-giving wisdom that was imparted. In Matthew 21:28-32 Jesus tells the parable of the two brothers… Simply, the father tells both his sons to do their chores. The first one says, “Nah” and the second one says, “Yessir!”. However, the first son who said, “Nah” realized he was wrong and went to do his fathers will. The second one, for some reason or another, did not go. Jesus then asks, “Which one did as their father asked?” Clearly, it was the second one. This tells us something, if we’re being honest, we already know. Words only mean so much. Words not followed by action is only lip service and does not accomplish a single thing. This enforces the saying, “actions speak louder than words”.
 
                The word we so often use as Christians, “amen” simply means, ‘so be it’ or ‘let it be done’. In other words, it means, I agree! I will do it! God doesn’t want your verbal “amen”. He wants your physical “amen”. He wants an amen in action! He wants you to “Listen to advice and accept instruction”. Pioneer rally, conference, revival services, Sunday morning services… Council sessions, phone calls… even blogs… the purpose of these is to provide seed to be sowed. Seed that cannot be sowed by anyone but YOU! Wise council does not change your life… putting wise council into practice does! Review your notes, pray, seek more council and then DO IT! No fruit will come from these things we do without action by you. There is a certain spiritual harvest field within you that will remain baron if you yourself do not sow into it because no one else can. No amount of preaching and teaching can sow into that field. It is a field of action. A field of change. A field of repentance. A field that you need to tend. So, let us say “amen” and then put that amen into action and we will see God move! Amen!
 

​The Mental Warrior (Read time ≈ 8 minutes)
Proverbs 16:32 (ESV)
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
 
                True strength starts in your mind. Physical strength, being in shape and caring for your body is important. I believe it is crucial to be good stewards of the body that God gave us as we use it as a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Obviously, if your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit this implies a responsibility of care and maintenance for that very temple. Beyond that, though, if we only gain physical strength, we are missing a more crucial part of the equation. This proverb makes the statement that being slow to anger, being able to rule your spirit, is greater than being mighty, greater than being able to conquer a city on your own. So, in other words, it is better to be a mental warrior than a physical warrior. Caring for your body is important; being physically capable is important. In fact, I would add, it is essential to effectively carry out the will of God for your life as the will that God has for us is never carried out without straining ourselves both physically and mentally. The proverb is without a doubt, not condemning being a physical warrior, but rather emphasizing the importance of self-control. Being a physical warrior without self-control is like driving a Ferrari with only a gas pedal and no brakes; you can get going fast! But you’re headed for trouble in a hurry.
 
                Whatever we gain, or whatever we lack, physically and mentally, needs to be effectively reigned in by a warrior mentality of self-control. The mighty can conquer cities and win battles. But without ruling over your spirit, being slow to anger, sure, you might win some battles, but they may have been battles you were never meant to take on. We see many times in the Gospels where Jesus leaves from conflict with the pharisees, or He chooses to say nothing rather than engage in the conflict before Him. We know that Jesus is capable of defeating the pharisees and easily winning a debate with… well, anyone! He is the Almighty, all-powerful God after all! So, is Jesus showing weakness by not fighting back? Conquering literally anything was always well within the capabilities of Jesus. A fool says Jesus is showing mental weakness, but rather it is on the contrary.
 
                Jesus understood something that we all need to understand. There are souls at stake in all battles we face. When there is a winnable battle before us, we need to count the cost. Will there be souls as collateral damage if I win this battle? We know Jesus could have decimated all His enemies at any given time, but at what cost? All war has collateral damage (collateral damage definition: injury inflicted on something other than an intended target | specifically: civilian casualties of a military operation). If we find ourselves continually winning battles with brute strength but have no spiritual fruit around us, then perhaps we are killing more than we are allowing to live. Had Jesus faced all opposition with a defeat all mentality, then perhaps it would have killed possible followers, or even current followers. Being slow to anger, ruling over our spirit… these things slow the process down. Capable of winning the battle? Perhaps, but did God call me to battle? This needs to be answered. Or if God does call us to battle, can we still practice self-control so that we win with precision and grace.  Jesus practiced this. Yes, He did flat out walk away from certain things, but He had His fair share of victories as well. But before we engage, we need to ask ourselves, what is at stake? Jesus certainly weighed these things out. I wonder, had Jesus lacked self-control (obviously He didn’t, being perfect and all), what would it have cost? Jesus engaged regularly with the pharisees. Jesus desired to see them repent, not be defeated. The cost will sometimes be more than we would expect. Jesus considered these things. After Jesus hung on the cross and died, He was then buried by two men: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Both men were once pharisees. The very group of men we root against in the Gospels. What good would it have been if Jesus, in all might and power, “took the city” and killed these men when in contrast, their destiny was quite important. Self-control resists unnecessary battles so that those who did not die in battle may live later on and fulfill their destiny. A mental warrior fights the most crucial battles that never leave our own head. A mental warrior is slow to anger, and quick to count the costs and is precise with their words. A mental warrior is the one who wins battles that save lives, not takes them.
 

​Set Your Mind on Him (Read time ≈ 7 minutes)
Colossians 3:2 (ESV)
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
 
 
                It is hard… maybe even impossible, to do the will of God when our priorities lie heavily on earthly things. The greater our concern is for things of this world that will perish (Matthew 6:19-24), the lesser our concern will be for eternal Kingdom business. This isn’t a matter of right vs wrong or righteousness verses sinfulness. It’s not a matter of letting go of sinful ways and choosing holiness (although those things are important). No, this is simply a matter of focus. Set your mind on things that are above! Not on things that are on earth. In other words, keep your focus on God and His will. Sometimes, it is the innocent things that really cause us to stumble. The things that are not bad… not sinful… maybe even good! That when our primary focus is shifted from Jesus to these things is when we have an issue. This is why Jesus said it is harder for a rich man to enter into heaven than for a camel to enter through the eye of the needle (Matthew 19:23-24). Not because riches are evil… but because they are distracting. You know the saying, “more money, more problems”! I think we all can agree, the simpler and less distracting times of life are the times when we are doing better in the areas of eternal value. But when we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, we seem to naturally push these things to the wayside.
 
Why on earth would we do that? What could possibly cause us to take things of ETERNAL VALUE and set them aside for things of momentary value? I’m going to answer that with the simple, but hard truth… Because we aren’t very smart, and we are easily distracted, simple creatures. The phrase “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” is an accurate phrase invented by humans because we, in some ways, understand our own nature, even though that very nature can be our greatest downfall. We have things constantly squeaking at us for our attention. Demanding work schedules (overtime… Saturdays? Even Sundays?!), family time, advancing our education, friends, hobbies etc. These things often come to us and demand our attention and therefore, our time. Your work will call you and schedules you, family, of course is important and has it’s needs, school papers are due, friends texting and calling… These things come to us and demand of us our time and attention. All the while, our Bible sits quietly on the shelf, collecting dust. Our prayer closet sits empty, unused for days. Evangelism goes neglected because it’s too time consuming (Saturday outreaches go unattended). Brothers and sisters go unprayed for, and intentional conversations, not had. This life is full of squeaky wheels. But if we are not careful, we will spend all our time greasing wheels while the vehicle stays idle, never moving forward. This is because no matter how busy we get. We are not truly moving forward unless we are advancing Gods Kingdom
 
This is why Paul warns us we must set our minds on things that are above, not things that are on earth! If we naturally gravitated towards the things above, this warning would not be necessary. Even the great apostle Paul understands this struggle (Romans 7:15-20). If you are reading this you likely are desiring to be closer to God, and to understand Him and His will more. You likely desire to focus on things that are above yet you also understand the struggle of being distracted by things of this earth. So, what’s the solution? In some ways, the issue may be unique from person to person. Ultimately, it really comes down to doing what is necessary to “set your mind on things above”. What do you need to do to keep that focus? Accountability? Have someone check in on you regularly and make sure you’re not slacking and getting distracted! Using tools and resources? You schedule so much of your life, can you just pencil in your calendar time for the things of God? Eliminating distractions? Sometimes we have to look at things and simply realize, this thing is detrimental to my spiritual health, and it simply must go! These things will help, but ultimately, they are not enough on their own. Accountability will only go so far without conviction. Scheduling and planning will only go so far without resolve and dedication. Eliminating distractions will only work for a season until more distractions arise (and they will). We have to choose to engulf our life in the things of God. We have to choose to invest in eternity. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 16:21). If we take our whole life and give it as a living sacrifice to God, we will see our mind shift more and more from the things of this world, being renewed by God to focus on eternal Kingdom business. To successfully set your mind on things above, is to give your mind, and the rest of you to God. To place it all in His hands and allow Him to rearrange your life and your mind to the point to where, no matter how much this earth calls out to us to focus on other things, our mind says set on things above. Our mind stays set on HIM!