Soul Searching

I’m doing some real soul searching today.  We are in the midst of revival services at church and I’ve been challenged each night by the speaker.  Today was especially challenging as I thought about where I am in life and what I am doing.

If you follow my blog at all, you know we sold our houses in Georgia and moved to Pennsylvania.  This is not a “sellers” market.  We took huge financial losses in order to move but felt the Lord was leading us to do that.  Originally, I felt it was because we were to be closer to our families.  Now, I’m not so sure.

The challenge this morning was to get out of our comfort zones and into the battle.  The accompanying Scripture was 2 Kings 7.  The story here was about a city under siege.  The enemy had surrounded the city and had cut them off from food and water supplies.  The people inside the city turned on each other to the point that they started to eat their children.  God promised them victory if they would just step out and fight.  They stayed inside their walls.

The church does the same thing.  We stay within our walls.  We turn on each other. We fight and argue over petty things.  We kill each other – perhaps not physically but how about emotionally?  The real battle should be outside the church walls.  We should be coming to the aid of people in the community and focusing our fighting efforts at the devil.

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

As a church, we are not to occupy until Christ comes but we are to fight until Christ comes.  We are to man the battle lines, get involved in the lives of the hurting, give hope to the hopeless, do something…

This really challenged me.  I’ve been involved in Christian ministry most of my adult life and now find myself in a new community, new church, new job, and I don’t know what to do.  Where do I fit in?  Where can my gifts and talents be used?  I don’t want anyone to feel like I am pushing my way in.  People have been at this church for a long time.  How does a new person really get involved?  Or perhaps God has something else in mind?  How do I know? 

I will continue to seek the Lord and ask for wisdom and guidance.  I will not be satisfied to be on the sidelines when there is a war going on.  A war for the souls of men and women.

What about you?  Are you in the battle or on the sidelines?   Have you found a place where you can serve the Lord and really make a difference?