Life is like a short-term mission trip. What does it feel like to know that we only get a limited time on this earth and that making the most of it is paramount? Satan has no intention of allowing us to be a difference maker for God’s Kingdom here on Earth. If he can influence us into bad behavior, otherwise known as sin, and get us sidetracked, he wins. In his world, we just become one more neutralized Christian.

I found myself in a futile attempt to manage my sin instead of finding the underlying cause of my bad behavior.

The serpent started by lying to Adam and Eve in the garden, and he continues to lie to us every day about who we are and what we need from God to thrive in this life. Thinking God is holding out on us, we choose between the fear of missing out (FOMO) and His love that says I got this.

Oswald Chambers put it like this, “Most of us are not consistent spiritually because we are more concerned about being consistent externally.”^[i]

Who do you think keeps whispering in our ear that self-gratification should be our primary concern? That the externals are what matter most? The only consistency in my life was my desire to make it work on my own—with all the bells and whistles I could accumulate. It all looks great on the outside but with no depth on the inside. Chasing these outcomes is not all that helpful in our pursuit of happiness, although certainly consistent with the world’s view of success.

All that did was land me in the pokey.

[i] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (Updated Ed.), Nov 25