Performance Focused

It has been almost a month since I last posted and I'm sorry for the delay.  Sometimes I have these training requirements that take me away from computers, the internet, and phone service.  While that sounds pretty extreme and rough, it is also very beneficial.  Every time I go on one of these trips, I learn so much.  They have a way of stretching and growing me in ways that my day to day life can't.  

These last few weeks were no exception.  The work was hard and I faced many challenges but God never left my side.  He showed me how I was making the process more difficult than it needed to be.  Let me explain... 

I was in a new environment and was put in a position where I didn't know how to do the required task.  I became extremely overwhelmed as I kept thinking about how little I knew and how much was expected of me.  Everyday I would go to God with raging emotions and many tears and I would ask for His peace.  It took me a week to realize that I was spending my time thinking only about my performance.  The thought came as a bolt of lightening through my mind!  I wasn't acknowledging and relying on God's power and ability because I was trying to do the work by myself. 

Paul reminds us in Galatians that we are not made right with God by what we do.  We are made right with God by faith - faith in Jesus Christ.

               yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 

                              Galatians 2:16 ESV

Many people take this truth to mean that they can live however they want because they are saved by their belief in Jesus.  There are others, though, who think that they still have to perform well or do specific things in order to receive right standing with God the Father.  Neither one of these beliefs are accurate. 

This verse actually reveals that the motives behind why we do what we do makes a huge difference.  Motives point to who or what we are trusting in.  I was worrying about doing the job right on my own.  My trust was in my ability to perform and because I focusing on how little I knew, I hadn't asked God for His help.

My performance focused mentality kept my attention solely on myself.   My trust was in me and what I could do.  In my little  world, I had left no room for God.  I was stressing over how "I" was going to get the job done without making mistakes.  How was "I" going to complete everything on time?  What if "I" did it wrong?   The quality of my performance was all I focused on.  I was so wrapped up in my abilities and my understanding, that I failed to acknowledge the affect that the limitless power of God could have in that situation.

After I realized that I was only thinking about how I was going to complete the mission before me, I was able to move out of God's way and let Him be glorified.  I repented immediately asking God to forgive me and help me.  Then God, true to form, showed up.  He took the worry and the stress away from me.  His Holy Spirit helped me understand and learn the process of this event and my role in it.  The whole operation became easier for me from that moment on to the point that  my teammates noticed a difference in me.

How many times have you got so carried away trying to make something work out that you didn't ask God for His help?

What area are you struggling with right now because you are trying to take care of it on your own?

Stop making things harder on yourself than they have to be.  Asking for God's help and actually letting Him do His thing decreases the load you are carrying.  It takes the pressure off of you because now it's not about how well "you" do.  Now it's about how big and mighty and great your God is.

David was a small teenage boy when he killed the giant, Goliath.  There is no way that David could have had such great success without God's help.  You can defeat the giants before you too.  There are no limits to what you can do if you rely on God's strength and wisdom to help you.

When you are faced with a big job remind yourself how much bigger your God is.

When you are faced with violent storms remind yourself how much stronger your God is.

Talk to God about whatever you are struggling with.  Ask for His help and then let Him help you.  Don't make things more difficult, ask the Lord for the wisdom, strength, and ability to handle and overcome whatever is before you.  Expect His assistance, thank Him for it before it happens, and then watch what He does.

Live today, God first.
Heidirn