There is a personal development expression I heard that goes, “There is no growth in the comfort zone, and there is no comfort in the growth zone.”

In a way, this is what Paul meant in Hebrews 12:10-11 where he wrote, “but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

My definition of discipline is, “knowing the right thing to do, and doing it.” God’s discipline may be helping us see the right thing so we will do it, or it may be giving us discomfort doing the wrong things until we do the right thing. Either way, the right thing is often the more difficult and uncomfortable thing to do.

When we are experiencing difficulty and challenges, we should try to think, “Is God disciplining me for some reason?” “What am I supposed to be learning from this negative experience?”

We know, however, as Paul says in Hebrews 12:6, “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, He disciplines each one he accepts as his child.”

Dear Lord, Thank you for caring about us enough to discipline us. Help us see our challenges and discomforts in the right context so that we may grow and become better servants for you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Some people are born “Sales People,” they have no trouble spending lots of time trying to convince someone else of their idea, sell them their product, or in the case of Christianity, walk through the neighborhood knocking on doors telling people the Good News. Praise the Lord for those folks! For the rest of us, the idea of being “pushy” with our faith seems impolite and overbearing.

Good news for us introverts, the bible tells us that just living as a good example is witnessing. Among other passages, 1 Peter 2:12 says “live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he returns.” In 1 Peter 3:15 Peter writes ” always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks the reason for the hope you have.”

So one way to witness is to live as a good example and be prepared to talk about your hope and faith when you are asked.

Dear Lord, help us feel the immortal value of our hope in you and be anxious and prepared to share it with others when the opportunity arises. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

There is a scene in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where Indiana Jones is standing on the edge of a gorge. He, is looking at a diagram in an ancient book that indicates a bridge should be there, but there is no bridge. After studying the ancient document, he believes he has it figured out, that the only way to find the bridge is to step into the abyss, and the bridge will appear. Without seeing, he must act, and he does.

Paul writes in Hebrews 11:1, “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” TLB

In the same way, Jesus’ teachings in the bible are our ancient map, and in order to see the support God promises us is to step forward in faith.

Dear Lord, it is very difficult for us to take that first step of faith that we know you want us to take, whether, volunteering in our church, inviting a friend to worship, witnessing to someone in need, or putting our tithe in the offering plate, we all have a step we could be taking. Give us the courage to take the step and experience the joy of trusting you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Just prior to Jesus being betrayed and arrested, he prayed that he might be spared from the suffering he knew was coming, but he end his prayer, “..nevertheless not my will but thine, be done.” Luke 22:43

Proverbs 3:5,6 tell us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

If you are like me you try to figure out what you have to do to accomplish the things you want. We need to turn this around, and seek what God wants for us, and trust him to lead us there. We don’t have to figure it out, just submit, trust and follow.

Dear Lord, Thy will be done. Amen.

In Romans 12:9 Paul tells us, “Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.” Most of the time, we can look at a situation, and differentiate the good from the evil (bad), though we may have trouble overcoming the temptation toward what we know is wrong.

Some of you may have heard this from a Pastor we know, he has a concise practical way to follow Paul’s direction saying, “Touch holy things, and don’t touch evil things.” The “touch” is meant to include what we see, or hear, as well.

James tells us in James 4:7, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

If we want to make an improvement in our lives and our walk in Faith, a big step is deciding to turn toward the good and turn away from the evil.

Dear Lord, Help us make the decision to turn from evil and resist the devil. Then give us the strength to hold fast to what is good. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.