Archive for April, 2025

Why Can’t LIFE be Easy?

Posted: April 27, 2025 in Inspirational
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I wrote a blog post a few years ago called Why can’t life be easy? because it kind of fit where I was at that point. What I found interesting today is after reading it again, it seems to apply all over again, not just to me, but to all of us. 

None of us understand the ebb and flow of life and why things change the way they do; both personally and professionally. I found the worst part is how those changes affect us.  These waves roll in and they roll out with some just being a minor annoyance while others will knock us off our feet. 

I wrote this post just to serve as a milemarker along your journey of life to remind you NOT to give up. Stay your course and be strong for the people that need you. I hope you enjoy the new and improved version of Why can’t life be easy…

Have you ever wondered why God allows or even requires our Christian walk to be filled with pain, problems, unhappiness, and sometimes even misery? Because I have… 

Why does God put so much emphasis in scripture on our persevering, or striving for the prize and winning the race as Paul writes in Philippians? 

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:14

I believe that all the lessons and experiences we learn through lifes challenges; like those “Iron Sharpens Iron” moments like we read in Proverbs 27:17 have a purpose. I am referring to the the falling down and getting back up opportunities, but most importantly, trudging through the adversity and our ability to keep our eyes focused on Him in spite of whatever is set against us.

Let me give you one Old Testament reference and I promise to be quick.

Do you remember the Israelites in Egypt? That group of people who, as we recall, spent 400 years in exile and servitude to the Egyptians. You may forget this point, but they went to Egypt voluntarily and were promised by God to be made into a great nation (Gen 46:1-4) and then almost went extinct during that 400 years. During that entire time, no word from heaven was heard and once Moses, the deliverer was announced, no explanation was given.

Why do I give you this story? because if you signed on with Christanity thinking you can just skate until He returns, you are sorely mistaken. I hope this is not the first time anyone has told you that.

The Christian walk is a marathon that God intended specifically to be ALL about the journey. 

In life, God focuses on how WE handle problems we face in this world. Are you the kind of guy who gives up and just walks away? Or do you get back up and keep forging ahead? 

Guys, I believe that the men who pick themselves up from their problems and still keep their eyes on Him… are the ones that I firmly believe God will choose to surround Himself with in eternity. 

Look…we know life is hard…but you can’t just give up and let it overwhelm you! You must fight back…

One of my favorite warriors of the Bible was David who wrestled with these very same questions. Look at what he says to God in Psalms:

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?  Psalms 10:1

The reality is that David, who is literally in the lineage of Christ, struggled just like you and me. He wrestled with pain and suffering and he cried out to God continuously…and do you know what? 

God did NOT forsake him.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, Lord, for you have never forsaken those who seek you.  Psalms 9:9-10

Guys, this blog is titled, “Why can life be easy?” because there are times it seems like the only luck we have is bad. But I encourage you today to remember that your main job is this difficult life is just to trust and believe that God will do what He says He will do. Claim these verses above because you are not alone…I know that for a fact-

Guys, enjoy your journey and keep the faith because ultimately you will overcome.

Until next time Guys…

By NOT making a choice, you have made a choice.

Posted: April 19, 2025 in Something to think about
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You are either for us or against us. Have you ever heard that expression? You are either all in or all out and there is absolutely no gray area to work with. I completely understand this mentality, especially if we are speaking about a professional sports team or a military mission. You cannot have anyone sitting on the fence with indecision. And that is exactly where we as Christians find ourselves with our Lord. 

There is no gray area with God. We either decide to submit to Him or we don’t..

Then the next obvious step is that those who do NOT submit themselves to Christ remain under the influence of the enemy. I am going to try and unpack that statement a little bit.

The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  2 Cor. 4:4

As I’ve said many times before in this blog, Satan, or the god of this age, currently holds a great deal of power which was given to him by our God. We also know that Satan’s rule or his earthly kingdom is temporary and is conditional. Satan is allowed to operate only due to God‘s permissive will until the end of history. (Yes, God has a Permissive Will…which is whole other blog)

For you and me, that means a choice must be made. We can either submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for everyone so that we might have salvation and eternal life… Or… We can submit to the god of this age; Who only has empty promises.

I need to say this again because it is critical to grasp: Those who do not submit themselves to Jesus remain under the power of Satan. And as Paul says, he blinds their eyes to the truth to the glory of the gospel in order that they might not be saved. Satan is running defense to every single play in God’s offense. 

Satan intentionally puts up obstructions to keep you from moving in the direction of Christ.

The only solution to this guaranteed fatal situation is what a Pastor would tell you. One must tie-up the enemy’s activity through intercession or group prayer and then to preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is so people can hear and understand, and then choose for themselves whether to believe or not to believe. 

I know this is a lot to take in. I also know there are a whole lot of other things you would rather be thinking about right now than my words but at the same time, EVERYTHING about you is at stake. As I’ve told you before; there are no do overs or Mulligan’s in life. You and I must choose who we are going to believe. If we wait too long, then the enemy’s  influence can be overwhelming. Think of it this way;

By NOT making a conscious choice, you have made a choice.

Guys, I encourage you today to take this verse I shared into your heart. I challenge you to make decisions for you and your family. Dont’ just surrender because you are too busy. Dont take the easy path.

Until next time guys 

Having a God Mindset

Posted: April 12, 2025 in Tough Times
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For some reason, I have always loved the word mindset. It is one of those words that identifies your clarity or focus for whatever the topic might be. As an example, he or she might have an engineering mindset, which gives us an idea of what their expertise is. But when you apply God to the word mindset, you come up with a completely different category.

The apostle Paul did the same thing. In fact, he wrote about it in the first chapter of second Corinthians, where he said “now this is our boast: our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have not done so according to worldly wisdom, but according to God‘s grace.“ 2 Cor. 1:12.

The easy translation to this verse is Paul is actually boasting that his life plan is to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are familiar with Paul at all, you will remember that he worked overtime NOT to boast about anything. What I find interesting is then only time he decides to actually boast, he tells us up front. And what is he boasting about? His God mindset.

Paul tells you and me that he made a choice. He decided that he would serve God. Period. Moreover, his service to God required a mindset at a whole other level to be successful. One that was focused exclusively on the Lord Jesus Christ and if you’ve read Paul, you know that he suffered greatly in this role. He literally has multiple near death experiences; he was shipwrecked, jailed, bitten by snakes, punched, and spit on… You name it, he went through it.

But what can you and I learn from Paul’s mentaility? Is it possible to have a God mindset in 2025 even with everything going on in this world? What about all the chaos in the mayhem we see each day on the news? Shouldn’t we be thinking about just hunkering down and weathering the storm? 

Guys, my answer is simple… Not only is it possible, but it’s critical that you and I maintain a God mindset, especially during these difficult times.

I have said this before and I’ll say it again… Our enemy is alive and well and he is looking to devour and swallow both you and me whole. If you and I don’t make the intentional choice to be strong about our “God Mindset”; I can assure you, we will be swayed In the wrong direction. And we cannot allow that happen.

That is my charge to you guys today. Having a God Mindset is for you to be intentional and focused on your Christian walk by making choices that identify who you serve. Let me clear; make “who you serve” obvious so that there is no question what side of the fence you are standing. When people look at you or speak to you, they know. More importantly, be that strong intentional role model for your wife and family.

Be like the warrior Joshua when he said below:

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

Until next time guys-