Day 90 - what to say, what to say

Extreme Faith Workout

http://www.gbcwestlake.org/



This is day 90 of the extreme faith workout. That is a pretty big deal, at least for me. I've done 90 day workouts (physical) before and it is very difficult to stick with it until the end. But, in the end, I feel better, and I can see the results. This is longer than a 90 day workout because it lasts until I am done preaching through James, but today is day 90 and I feel really good about lasting this long. The workouts, based on the messages through James, on Sunday mornings, have been 6 days through the week of studying the passage, looking up other passages of Scripture, answering questions, memorizing and meditating on Scripture, and then applying it to life.


Even if no one else is doing it, it has been incredibly useful in my life. It has allowed me to not just prepare to preach and then preach, moving on to the next preparation; but it has forced me to spend an extra week thinking about, studying and applying what I already preached. I try to apply the message to my life before I preach, but it has been great to do it after I preach as well. This has been timely for me, as God has been taking me through a very growing time in my life and ministry; and James has been the perfect book to be a part of that.


Every week, I come away from a message, doubting if I communicated well. It is always a challenge, trying to decide how best to communicate the truth, trying to listen to the Spirit and say what He wants me to say. Many times that is risky, because I realize that some people might not like what I say. However, I am encouraged, that if I study, and pray, and pray some more, I can confidently say what I believe God wants me to say, and leave the rest with Him. I had to say some very uncomfortable things last week, and it is no different tomorrow. I have considered not saying them, but unless I feel that God has released me from saying them, I will go ahead with it. But for now, I pray.