Faithful, Fearless, Contentment, Disciplined == Surrendered
At North Coast Calvary Chapel the pastor is doing a series on the Invasion of the Soul which is dealing with the transformation of us into the people God wants us to be. At the same time I'm re-reading Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
. The key to transformation always comes down to surrendering to God and I've discovered four key words that I need to focus on being:
Faithful - I need to be faithful to God. I'm easily distracted and have issues focusing on something I can't see or touch. I know God is there as I have experienced and felt God in the past but my lack of faithfulness to Him results in being more distracted.
Fearless - I've always had too much fear which leads to worrying. It results in behavior that shows a lack of faith in God; whether acting the mother hen to my kids, worrying about my job, not taking risks. Frankly, fear has prevented me from enjoying life. A lot of progress has already been made in the last year but I need to stay on top of it.
Contentment - Comparing myself with others is just stupid. Whether it's the car I drive, the house I live in, the job I have, the money I make and the rest it doesn't matter. Sometimes life isn't fair and people seemingly who don't deserve certain things get them anyway. I cannot let that bother me. Taking action based on what other people have or do is a complete waste of energy.
Disciplined - This is a big one. I wear one of my attachments on my sleeve (or my belly). The other ones can be hidden pretty well. The use of time reflects discipline. I need time for one-on-one with God (back to Faithful), time with my wife and kids, time for exercise, work, sleep, reading/learning and time for service. I also need to back away from the junk food, TV and internet. Moderation in those 3 items is key. Well, in the case of junk food a severe cutback. TV and internet cannot be a replacement for the more important items listed above.
All these things work with a complete surrender to God. Dealing incorrectly with these items brings a separation between God and myself and it is noticeable.
Posted by Tim at September 19, 2006 07:35 AM
