An idea came to my mind this morning while reading the blogs. There are a few blogs that make my daily rounds on the Internet. One pastor writes of his week dealing with those who do not have a relationship with Jesus. He also notes his encounters with church people along the way. It struck me today that the conversations with the "heathen" are often more spiritually uplifting than those with the churched. If you asked me, and you may not have asked me, he is right on target. The thing that caught my eye today was his comment on how the devil seems to get in the midst of the religious to keep us from a godly focus.

My view is we shouldn't give the devil his due. Biblically speaking, the only due the devil is given is a final destination too horrible to imagine. Yet, there is this nagging thought of how much of God's purpose goes undone due to his influence. It never ceases to amaze me how the people of God can be distracted by the enemy. The devil seems to be in attendance at far too many church business meetings. The devil seems to be busy wrecking havoc among the members in their relationships. The devil appears too often in the choir, the deacons, and the church office.

My view is that Satan doesn't do his thing through the typical methods seen in movies or in books. My view is the responsibility lies square on the shoulders on us. It is our self centered living that invites the enemy to do his work. We want to blame books or music or outside influences but my experience says we are all too willing to let the devil in our life. We are the ones who refuse to control our tongues. We are the ones who insist on harboring bitterness or grudges against others. We are the ones who find other things to do than develop a godly spiritual life. We are the ones to blame.

From the first instance of Satan in operation in Genesis 3 his approach is to keep us acting on desires that are all too human. His question to us revolves around our being in charge of our lives, not God. While we redefine sin into big and little categories he uses the little to cause big problems. When we decide our rights are more important than obedience to God then he has his way. Who do we blame? We blame Satan all the time the problem lies in our heart. After all, it is far easier to fault another than to realize we are the ones who need repentance.

Bro. Trey

The biggest temptation for me to avoid while blogging is to give way to venting steam. A few of the blogs on my reading list tend to become outlets for anger rather than constructive places for others to read. My return to blogging is meant to be positive rather than negative. Anyone can complain but only a few can contribute to a solution. This is one area of life where venting becomes a real possibility if the heart isn't guarded.

If I were to vent, and of course I will resist temptation, my most common topic would be negativity. My guess is that venting on this would only be negative. However, my guess is that others wonder why folks can be so negative. The history of too many churches is determined by those negative ones who find fault on a constant basis. For 25 years far too much of my time is consumed by those who criticize without contributing to the mission. To be honest, a great deal of time of minister meetings revolve around those same ministers trying to cheer one another up. The other time is used comparing scars from past church wars.

The list of negative issues would be endless. What is sad is most if not all of the conflict would be cured by a dose of obedience. It becomes difficult to obey when in the midst of conflict. All we can see is our view on the issues. Our blindness far too often leads to bitterness. It's what happened to Saul with his jealousy of David. Moses had to endure way too many nitpickers on the way out of Egypt. Even our Lord endures His share of critics all the time He gives grace away to others. The common thread is how our selfish heart blinds us to greater issues of God. This is the cause of my grief over complainers. They never seem to consider others and their need of God's grace.

How did those in the Bible keep going in the face of the negative? One thing they did was to never forget God's call on their life. This is never easy but it is essential for spiritual health. The negative want to hijack us into their world rather than God's. We have to be sure our focus stays on Him. That leads to another step which is to make time to spend alone with God. Believe me that it is a real temptation to hear the critic more than God. We absolutely need those quiet times with our Heavenly Father to offset the negative words we hear. He is the One who called us at first. He is the One who nurtures us into growth. He is the One who promises to meet us when this life ends. No critic can ever take that from us.

Bro. Trey

The Blog is Back!!

Welcome back to the blog of First Baptist Church of Tatum, Texas. We took some time off during the summer to regroup as well as deal with other issues. This summer is the hardest that I can remember in terms of juggling work and life. School starts today so it is the best time to return to blogging. My goal is to write no less than 3 times per week. Some of the writing will be personal. Some writing will be biblical in nature. Some of the blog will be for information about events going on locally. There is no set schedule yet when the bog is going to be updated. Just come by often to see if there is a new post here.

Sometimes we need a break. Even God took a day off way back in Genesis 1. When He gave guidance to His people on how to deal with life, He commanded taking time to rest. A few years ago, it was reported that there would be more free time with all the advances in technology. Now it seems there is less time than ever for people to have recovery time. It is also true that when that time is available that too often we consume it for our interests and not God's. That reflects the nature of our heart more than the amount of time to enjoy.

Every athlete knows the importance of recovery time. Whether it is in running or weight lifting the body needs time to recover. Muscles do not grow because there is constant pressure on them. A day away from working a set of muscles actually contributes to growth. How we spend our free time determines the type of person we become. God said it is good to take one day out of seven to spend time with Him. Today we read that as spending one hour of that day with Him. Every day is indeed divine as a follower of Jesus. Our need to to make sure we disengage from the other stuff of life to focus on the One who makes that life worth living.

Bro. Trey