Stop Wanting. Start Doing.

For years now I have been having conversations with people about their spiritual lives. One of the frequent lamentations people share with me is that they want to be better and stronger in the Lord. "I want more faith." "I want my study life to improve." "I want to feel closer to God." "I want to grow but I am just dead inside." "I want motivation." "I want a more consistent and more meaningful prayer life." "I want more out of worship." "I want to get over guilt." "I want to learn how to forgive."

I appreciate the sentiment that refuses to be satisfied with mediocrity - we should constantly strive to be better today than we were yesterday, especially over spiritual matters. But I would like to just be blunt and tell you that you need to stop wanting and start doing!

I have been there. All of these "wants" I have also wanted. All of these spiritual struggles I have also experienced. But something happened to me that caused me to stop wanting and start doing. I got cancer. That's when the train hit me. That's when I came to my senses. That's when I realized I didn't have tomorrow or a week or a month or a year from now to get myself in gear. Mike Dyer mentioned in his great sermon on procrastination last week that people wish their lives away. How true! I see people do it all the time. I am not bragging but I stopped wishing a while ago and I started doing.

If you want faith, read your Bible (Rom. 10:17).
If you want your study life to be better, schedule it (Eph. 5:15).
If you want to feel closer to God, spend some time with Him (James 4:8).
If you want to grow, demand spiritual food as if your life depended on it (1 Pet. 2:2).
If you want to be motivated, think on the cross (Heb. 12:2-3).
If you want a more consistent prayer life, pray (Psa. 55:17).
If you want more out of worship, put more into worship (Psa. 111:1).
If you want to get over guilt, press toward the goal  (Phil. 3:13-14).
If you want to learn how to forgive, realize the level of your own need for it (Matt. 18:35).

Do you really want all these things? Well did you even look up the Scripture references? If not, then maybe you don't even want the things you often say you want. If not, I am praying that you will start wanting the better things - the eternal things. But if you do want these things, stop wanting and start doing. Sign up. Make the commitment. Hold yourself accountable. Write down your goals and measure yourself daily. Stick with the program.

In the meantime I am praying for your wake up call. If it has to be the worst thing that ever happened to you, so be it. If you respond properly to it, it will turn into the best thing that ever happened to you.

You have one trip on this globe. Make it count. Stop with the wanting already! Start with the doing!

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." (Rom. 13:12).