30 for 30 RESET – Day 28

Gatheringplace   -   September 28, 2024

Christianity is not a lone ranger program. It is not a solo sport like tennis, though even tennis players have trainers and coaches. No, Christianity is a team sport, and according to the Bible, if you try to go it alone, you are going to end up in real trouble.

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT

Jesus always sent His disciples out in twos, never alone.

Do you know what lions look for when they are hungry? The loan wildebeest! The one who has wandered off from the pack.

Speaking of Satan, the one who is out to kill, steal, and destroy you, Peter says this:

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Who is the easiest one for him to devour? The lone Christian.

The writer of Hebrews gives us this stark warning about trying to go it alone:

“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.” Hebrews 3:12-13 NLT

“Warn each other every day.” If you are alone, you will have no one to warn you when they see you going down the wrong path. No one to recognize when your thinking is off, or your mannerisms are changing for the worse.

Fortunately, though irritating at times, I have so many friends surrounding me that when I have a bad attitude, or am believing something inaccurate, or am not handling a situation right, someone inevitably calls me out on it. And THANK GOD FOR IT! It’s not comfortable, but it is critical for me to succeed in who God has called me to be, and what He has called me to accomplish in life. The same goes for you, too.

One small, but important example is how one day I was at a roundtable with key civic leaders in our city. I was there representing the churches in the area. A very good friend of mine, who holds a prominent position in the city, and who is a very strong believer, was at the meeting. At that time I was under an enormous amount of stress, and I guess it was showing. After the meeting he pulled me aside and said, “You have an edge that I haven’t seen before, and it isn’t wearing well on you.” In other words, you are going to diminish your influence if you don’t get ahold of yourself.

This was the wake-up call that I needed at that time in my life. It made me go to God and get my heart and perspective back to a godly place. A RESET. And the reality was, it wasn’t just manifesting itself in that meeting, but in all of my relationships and endeavors. I mean, you take you with you everywhere you go, right?

But what if I had not developed that friendship over the years? What if I had chosen to isolate due to pressures, hurt, offenses, and maybe just plain business over the years? What if I did not do the hard work of developing, nurturing, and cultivating deep meaningful friendships, like the one I had with that particular friend? I may have gotten stuck in that negative rut, for who knows how long, and it probably would have gotten worse and caused serious damage in other areas of my life. The write of Hebrews calls this a “hard heart.”

Life has a way of hardening our hearts if we let it. And one of the main keys that will protect you from this happening is to have friends in your life, godly friends, church friends, who know you well enough to detect when something is off.

Are you in a Connect Group? Are you on a serving team at church? Do you have a prayer partner? These 30 for 30s are designed to strengthen your personal prayer and Word life, but you need more than that. You need community.

If you have started to isolate, I encourage you to RESET your commitment to community. It will be one of the smartest decisions you have ever made.

John

 

QUICK TIP ON HOW TO SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH GOD (REMEMBER: This 30 for 30 is a tool to help you, not a rule to shame you. Just do your best and let God do the rest.)

“Upward, Inward, and Outward”

  1. Upward: Get quiet. Settle down. Begin to thank God for Who He is – patient, kind, merciful. A God Who forgives sins – Who has forgiven your sins. A God Who cares, Who listens to your prayers, a miracle-working God. (There are many other attributes you can thank Him for. Go HERE for a prayer guide as well as a list of God’s names that will help you thank Him for Who He is)
  2. Inward: Read a chapter in the Bible. I would suggest one Psalm per day. Start with Psalm 1 and go from there. Or read one chapter of Proverbs per day. Start with Proverbs 1 and go from there. And as you read, stop, and think about what it is saying. Take your time (even if you do not get through an entire chapter – it is okay!). Ask God to speak to you through it.

A deeper dive: For those of you who would like to read the Bible in a year, here is a fantastic way to do it. It will take more than 30 minutes per day, but it will be well worth it. It not only gives you a reading plan but each day there is a short, very well-produced video explaining what you are about to read. Go HERE for your one year through the Bible reading plan.

  1. Outward: Ask God to show you how He can use you to reach those around you. Then begin to pray specifically for individuals. Pray for your family members, your boss, co-workers, classmates, friends, your church, its members, its mission, and its leadership. Pray for our city and our nation – that God would rule and reign in every mountain of influence, raising up leaders who fear Him: Church, Family, Government, Education, Media, Entertainment/Arts, and Business. You will not be able to get to everything in 30 minutes, but that is okay, just pick an area or two per day.

PRAYER POINTS

Personal:

  • Closeness with God
  • Deeper devotion to Christ
  • Renewed vision
  • Renewed passion
  • Strength
  • Joy
  • A profound commitment to act as Jesus would during this election year.

Church:

  • And increase of God’s manifest presence.
  • To see more CHANGED LIVES!
  • An increase in Miracles
  • Salvation for those far from God (make a list and pray for them every day)
  • More young people joining the vision at GPC.
  • New building for GPC

World:

  • A mighty harvest in our city and nation.
  • That godly men and women will fill the seats of government at local, city, state, and national levels.
  • For our missionaries (Use the bookmark handed out at church, or go to our website and check out our Missions page HERE)