Rejected

 I saw this young high school girl approach a group of students asking if she could take a selfie with them. Those students were from a different school than the girl one who wanted to take the selfie. Every one of them turned and left declining the selfie. I know the girl who wanted to take the selfie. I have never in my life seen someone rejected more by her peers than she is. She desperately tries to fit in. Everywhere she goes she is isolated from the group. EVEN AT CHURCH. 

She tries to make friends. She excitedly acknowledges other students when she sees them. They all reject her. Not one time have I ever seen her sitting with a friend. I see her with her sister and parent, but never with a friend. It breaks my heart. To see her so blatantly rejected repeatedly crushes my heart. She is ripe to be taken advantage of by some evil hearted boy who will use her for self gratification and reject her afterward. 

She is not the only rejected person. These people are numerous. They lurk in the shadows because their wounds are deep. They learn over time not to trust others. Some were rejected by parents early in life. They may not have been kicked out of the house, but they got the message loud and clear that they were not loved or wanted. Some of them will go their whole lives without knowing love. Not feeling the support system of those who care. Their precious hearts will get harder until they are petrified in self preservation to protect themselves. 

Jesus loved the unlovely. He did not reject them.  The lepers. The blind. The lame. The demon possessed. The immoral. He loved them and accepted them. He touched them and transformed them. That can't always be said about His churches. Many are judgmental. Instead of the church operating as a hospital for sinners, it acts like a members only welcome country club. Lonely people might be tolerated, but they are certainly not welcomed and embraced in some faith communities. 

I was told a story recently of a rejected woman in another community. She felt like nobody cared for her. Not one single person. In desperation she went to social media. She made three posts pleading for anyone who cared to reach out to her. Nobody did. Each post got darker as she explained her living conditions and the condition of her heart. Not one person reached out to her. Her last post  reported she had given up on humanity. 

A few hours later she walked to some train tracks and waited. When she heard the train coming she resolved what she would do. She stepped onto the tracks in front of the coming train when it was too late for the train to stop. She was killed instantly. All because she was rejected. She lost hope. She cried out for help. Many people saw her posts, but nobody got involved. Nobody cared. The woman died alone with a broken heart. I wonder if she ever  experienced the love of Jesus. Did she ever get saved in younger years. It is heart wrenching to think this lady could have sought  relief in death only to find the flames of hell a much worse torment than she ever knew in her life. 

It comforts me to some extent to think that perhaps she was a Christian. Unlike some people, I do not believe suicide is the unpardonable sin. Jesus said the unpardonable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It comforts me to think that after she died, if she was a Christian, that she experienced the greatest acceptance and love in the after life. 

I experienced rejection as a child. The last one picked on the playground for teams. Rejected by friend groups. Rejected by girls until I was in high school. Rejected by more churches than I can count to become their youth pastor or pastor. Rejected by people planning youth camps and revivals in favor of other evangelists. It hurt. My solace? A loving Savior who accepts me and a wife who does the same. What Jesus did for me He can also do for all rejected people. His love and acceptance are life transforming. 

Clapping for Joy

 Imagine a court room. Only this court room is not of earthly origin. Imagine it is heaven. God sits behind an exalted desk as the Righteous Judge. The prosecuting attorney is a slimy fellow know as the Accuser of the Brethren. The defendant is another hopeless sinner. One by one offenses are read out loud. The sinner can only hang their head in shame because every accusation is true. Guilty on all accounts. Shame and condemnation abound. The Righteous Judge listens attentively taking every trespass into account. 

Suddenly the defense attorney rises and says, "Your Honor, the debt has been paid. Every offense has been atoned. Father, I died on a cross to take all the guilt on myself and bestow righteousness onto them." With those words God the Father brings down the gavel pronouncing the sinner pardoned and not guilty. 

That is part of a message I preached yesterday morning. I gave the invitation for people to ask Jesus to rescue them. I exhorted people to formulate their own prayer asking Jesus for salvation. I asked people to indicate their encounter by lifting up their hand. I scanned the room, but saw no hands lifted. I did see a woman sitting to my left clapping her hands slightly in a circular motion with pure joy on her face. We dismissed the service and I glanced in her direction when I walked past her. She had tears in her eyes and clutched her daughter's hands. When she reached the back, I asked if she prayed for Jesus to save her. She smiled and told me she did. I gave her a high five. 

Luke 15:7 reminds of us that God finds more joy over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who do not need to repent. Put another way, God delights in bringing new people into the family. He loves pardoning sinners and offering them the free gift of salvation. This young mother experienced that yesterday. Her clap of joy was the outward expression of the inward work of the Lord in her heart. We celebrate with her and look forward to her future baptism. 

The saving work of God goes on and on. All over the world people are meeting Jesus. He is transforming their lives. Those people are expressing joy through tears, clapping, and baptism. It never gets old. Adding new Christian to churches is exciting. It is a work based on the love, grace, and mercy of God. No person deserves to be pardoned by God. God does not base His pardons on the merit of our deserving it. It is solely an act of God's love demonstrated by allowing Jesus to substitute in our place taking our punishment. 

I hope God allows me to see those claps for joy in new converts hundreds and even thousands more times. I hope my joy cannot be suppressed and my excitement not be stifled. The angels do not hold back in celebrating. Why should we? May claps of joy abound among new members of the family of God. May the saving work of God spread further and broader as one saved sinner tells other sinners where to find pardon and salvation to the glory of God. Please do it over and over again God. 

Stay Enchanted With Jesus

 Followers of Jesus are not immune to suffering. Jesus Himself suffered. So did the disciples and the Apostle Paul. Through the ages Christians have been persecuted, marginalized, ostracized, and even killed. Following Jesus does not always lead to an easy road. It is a road marked with suffering at times. 

Why would Christians endure such ill treatment when denying Christ would lead to an easier life? That easier life is only temporary. There is much more that follows our physical life in eternity. Living for the temporal is a no win proposition. There is something else that drives Christians to endure dark seasons of depression, rejection, hardships, and unrelenting pressure among pagan people who want Christians silenced. The enchantment with Jesus supersedes all the hardships. 

What do I mean when I write stay enchanted with Jesus? The word enchanted means to be filled with delight and charmed. The closer Christians get to Jesus in their personal walk the more enchantingly delightful they find Him. Knowing Jesus is greater than anything in the world. Paul wrote about the "surpassing value of knowing Jesus," in Phil 3:8. He went on to write that he counted everything else as loss compared to Christ. This is not religion. It is all about a personal relationship. 

Jesus wants to be known. He wants to reveal Himself to serious seekers. Millions of Christians have learned through the ages that knowing Him, put another way being enchanted with Him, is better than anything. It gives courage to suffer. Jesus does not abandon His followers in their sufferings. He draws near to them. He comforts, sustains, strengthens, and produces perseverance. He does not abandon His people during hardships. He knows what it is like to suffer and ministers to His followers out of His experiences of suffering. 

We stay enchanted with Jesus when we seek Him daily. When we spend linger long in His presence in private devotions. Even when we question why such intense suffering comes our way. We may not get the answers we want to all our why questions, but we will discover that He is sufficient. He is sufficient in suffering. He is sufficient in pain. He is sufficient in doubts, depression, discouragement, and dry spells. He is enchanting. Reflection on His cruel death on a cross is enough to cause the greatest delight to our wounded souls. He agonized so we could escape eternal suffering. He died so we could live and enjoy everlasting life. 

Staying enchanted with Jesus means discovering more about Him. It means getting to know Him and not just about Him. It means experiencing the joy of His presence in each season of life. He rejoices when we rejoice. He weeps with us when we weep. He hurts when we hurt. He is invested in His followers. His love is indescribable. According to Rom 8:35-39 nothing can separate us from His love. For those reasons and many more we must and should stay enchanted with Jesus during the hard times. He will walk us and talk us through them. Stay enchanted with Jesus through it all. 

Transformed

 I did not deserve it. I sure committed my share of blunders. Errors in judgment abounded. Early in my teenaged years I found myself drowning in sin. Nothing I tried made any difference to stop sinning. I went to church on a few occasions with friends. It felt awkward. I did not know the lingo nor did I understand the gospel message. I thought if I went I could get some sins knocked off my account. 

On other occasions, I attempted to read the Bible. I did what you do with any book and started at the beginning. This was another attempt to erase some sins from my account. It did not take long before I got bogged down in long lists of names I could not pronounce. Some of the stories were cool to read, but I never made it to the New Testament. 

I attended some youth events for a trip to an amusement park and for a girl I was interested in dating. A guy preached, but I did not understand what he was talking about. I used the church to get what I wanted, but had no use for it after that. 

Not until my junior year in high school did somebody sit with me to carefully and clearly explain the message of Jesus, salvation, and the hopelessness of trying to work my way to heaven based on good deeds, which were not that good after all. I sat in that football stadium, while the JV football played on the field, mesmerized by the message shared with me. It all clicked. My sinfulness. My helplessness. My need for a Savior. It was then and there I bowed my head and asked Jesus to forgive me, save me, and take control of my life. He did all three in glorious fashion that Thursday night back in October of 1983 at Abe Martin Football Stadium in Lufkin, TX. Jesus transformed my life that night. He has continued doing that ever since. 

A few nights later that same youth minister, who talked to me at the stadium, stopped by my house to invite me to church. All my distant church going relatives were either Methodists or Nazarenes. This guy was a Baptist. To my knowledge, I am the only person in my family who ever joined a Baptist church. I did not know the difference. All I knew is that Jesus transformed me. I hungered to know more about Him. I attended everything I could. I followed in baptism a few weeks later. 

Did I sin again? Absolutely. I felt guilty and lived in shame much of the time. Jesus kept getting more and more of me. He continually transformed me, drawing me into a better understanding of Him and a deeper walk with Him. He called me to preach only one year later. I had very limited knowledge of the Bible when I enrolled at Howard Payne University to play football and study for the ministry. I certainly did not fit the mold of the rest of the ministerial students. My professor to the introduction to ministry class at first thought I did not belong in his class. He thought I was just another football player. He did not know what Jesus had done for me and in me. 

I am thankful for those years at Denman Avenue Baptist Church as a teenager learning the Bible from pastor Brother Charles Roberts and the student minister Eli Bernard. I learned so much from both of them. I learned foundational Bible doctrine like the inerrancy of scripture. I learned how to witness to other people about Jesus. I learned what a healthy family looked like observing the families of some of my new church friends. I learned to have quiet times and study the Bible. I read my Bible before football games on Friday nights. That church licensed me into ministry and gave me my first preaching opportunities. I cherish that church. 

My Howard Payne days deepened my faith. I learned about prayer. I learned about revival. I made lifelong friends there. I also met the love of my life Brenda. Her affectionate love for Jesus attracted me to her as much as her beauty. We dated off and on and were married on June 29, 1991. God blessed us with four sons who all met Jesus as their Savior. I baptized all four of them. We are still madly in love with each other and treasure time with one another. 

I'm still preaching and sharing the transformational message of Jesus. I delight in seeing Him do for others what He did for me 41 years ago. Every good thing I have in my life I owe to Jesus. My salvation. My wife and sons. My calling and purpose. My friends. My education. My house, vehicles, books, bicycle, furniture, clothes. All of it blessings from my King Jesus. I owe Him my life and seek to live sweetly surrendered to Him who transformed my life. 

Looking Back and Believing for Future Faithfulness

 Where did the time go? My mind races with childhood memories and dreams. I'm classified as a senior adult though I have no intentions of joining AARP. Where did the time go? One day I was playing football for the Lufkin Panthers dreaming about playing in college. I blink and then I'm playing for the Howard Payne University Yellow Jackets and meeting Brenda. I fast forward and I'm a youth minister at Rochelle Baptist Church in the tiny community of Rochelle, TX. Next, I graduate from college and move to Fort Worth to go to Seminary. I dreamed of serving a church and waited for a door to open. I taught youth Sunday School in the church Brenda and I attended until God did open a door at Spring Creek Baptist Church in Weatherford, TX where 30 years later we returned as pastor. 

Time passes and Brenda and I get married. I started a ministry career serving at different times as a youth minister, evangelist, pastor, and church planter. There have been numerous youth camps, revivals, and retreats. We moved multiple times following God from one ministry assignment to another all over the state of Texas east, west, central and north. We enjoyed wonderful blessings of God in most of those places. We endured excruciating hardships in a few. Along the way God blessed us with four little boys who grew up into four men. 

Now I sit in my office in Fritch, TX located in the Texas Panhandle 30 minutes north of Amarillo. We have been here 11 months. In that time, we found a house and secured a loan located less than 30 seconds driving time and less than one minute bike riding time from the First Southern Baptist Church where I serve as pastor. Hardly a day goes by that I do not plead with God to pay that house loan off early. We have seen numerous people saved and baptized. The church has grown modestly. The people have endeared themselves to us as we seek to bond with them and the community. I've worked hard to earn the right to be called pastor and not just preacher. Even the last 11 months is a blur of activities in my mind. 

Truth be told, most of my time is spent looking forward. There are so many things I prayerfully believe God to do in the future. More salvations. Many more baptisms. Great moves of His Spirit.  Transformation of lives, families, churches, and communities. There is so much more I believe God wants to do. I'm not thinking about retirement or slowing down at my age. I'm ramping up for greater moves of God. Trusting for strongholds to be torn down. Hoping for Jesus to rescue the perishing. Travailing for revival. Believing for a growing church that impacts the community. 

My head is filled with many memories. Some pleasant and others not so pleasant. I'm not stuck in the past though. Dreams compel me by faith to the future. There is so much more to trust God to do. So many more testimonies of His future faithfulness to share. This is not a time to gear down and coast into retirement. Retirement is not on my radar. I'll retire in heaven. As long as God gives me breath, mental clarity, and a body to hobble up and down from the pulpit, imagination and inspiration to write, I have work to do. I believe for God's future faithfulness to empower me to be His productive servant until my time on earth comes to an end. I hope what I leave behind brings no recognition for me, but great glory for my King Jesus. 

Wind and Fire

Being a resident in the Texas Panhandle has given me a new appreciation for wind and fire. We recently had a blustery day where wind speeds howled as high as 70 mph. By the noise outside my office, it has been a windy day here once again. I heard the whistling winds in a different part of our church facilities earlier so loudly I actually thought someone was in the building whistling. 

It is very dry around here. We have had very little moisture of any kind for months now. High winds mixed with dry conditions and low humidity make for wildfires. There have been numerous this spring. One burned over 200,000 acres. The wild fires of 2024 burned over a million acres. Thousands of cattle were burned alive devastating ranchers. 

Wind and fire can be destructive. Winds from tornadoes and hurricanes cause catastrophic damage. Fires are equally destructive in the form of lightening strikes, arson, forest fires and wildfires. When the power of wind and fire are harnessed, that same power can be used for beneficial purposes like windmills, sails on a ship, and combustible engines. 

I pray for the wind and fire of God to move in the churches of this town and region once again. The wind of the Spirit blowing through congregations and communities powerfully. Empowering ministry endeavors. Convicting and converting the unsaved. The fire of God falling on cold apathetic hearts, ushering in days of  refreshing and revival, and calling people to repentance and renewal. We need the wind and the fire of God. 

Without them we have dead churches. People content themselves with stale religion without life. People sleepily sit in the pews unphased by music or sermon. The dry rot of religion keeps many people in a rut where they high center in lukewarmness. The wind and fire of God shakes up the status quo. It brings passion into worship gatherings. It produces sold out followers of Jesus who impact the world around them. Acts 17:6. 

Like I heard a preacher say, "God can do more in days than we can do in decades." The wind and fire of God unleash power like in the days of Acts. I've seen what God can do when the wind and fire fall. People get serious about God. The lost are transformed. The congregation gets clean before the Lord. The message of God travels faster and broader than in normal times. Worship is intensified. The altar gets crowded. People hunger for more of God. Those are all things I long to see again. May the Lord send His wind and fire across the land before it is too late.

One Down Five to Go

 I love testimonies. When people share what God has done it inspires hope in listeners. That is what I hope to do today. To inspire hope in people who may are having a hard time. To remind people how mighty God is and how puny our problems are to Him. He is so much more able to do impossible and improbable things than we can conceive. 

I bet most reading this know what it is like to pray in faith for something and have God either deny or delay the answer. I have been in that season. Two years ago I saw the writing on the wall. The five cars we asked God for and received debt free back between November and December of 2017 were old with many miles when we got them. After seven years, I could see each of them were getting on their last legs. I started asking God to provide six vehicles for my family without any debt. He provided five in 2017. What is one more? 

I prayed diligently through 2024 and 2025 with no answers. There were days when my faith soared high and I expected the answer to come at any moment. There were other days when doubt clouded my faith vision and it seemed God would never to come to our aid. According to Luke 18:1, we should always pray and not lose heart. So, I kept asking. At times, I even stated publicly what we trusted God to do for our family. People doubted. One person smirked, "That is a lot of vehicles." This is not the first time people have doubted God to answer faith prayers I petition to Him. God has proved doubters wrong before. I trust He will do so again. 

Three weeks ago that two years of praying paid off. God worked His miracle answer. A man met me after church and told me he was reading his Bible Saturday evening when he felt God prompt him to give away a vehicle that sat in his driveway unused. He felt like he and his wife were to give the car to Brenda and I. The transaction was completed this week. They had new tires put on the vehicle, replaced the struts, replaced the battery and had the car detailed. We could not believe how clean and fancy the car is. The car is a 2013 Ford Edge. It looks much newer. This is a crossover SUV. It has remote starting, heated seats, two DVD players with headphones connected to the back of the front seats, a sun roof, leather seats and much more. It is the nicest vehicle we have ever owned. God blessed us with the vehicle debt free. It is the tenth time God has blessed us with a vehicle in answer to prayer. Praise His mighty name. 

We have good financial credit and could have financed a vehicle. I made a vow to God several years ago I would trust Him for future vehicles and would never go in debt on a vehicle again. We trust to save enough to pay cash, for God to provide the money or to be blessed vehicles, so we wait. Waited in faith and in prayer for two years. God came through! He did it again. Praise His name and all glory to Him. We rejoice. Brenda told me last night while driving, "I still can't believe it." I can. I travailed for two years to see that miracle vehicle sitting in our driveway. God had the answer in mind all the time. He waited for the right time and the right receptive hearts with a heart to bless others. Brenda testified to the ladies at her work about the blessing. I am doing that now and will testify before the congregation this coming Sunday. 

One down and five to go. When that man told me they felt God wanted them to give us a vehicle, I rejoiced and silently prayed, "Thank you Lord. Now five more to go." The same God who provided the five vehicles in 2017, provided a Lincoln Continental before that, a Mazda 6, a Silverado truck, and a Caprice Classic in the past, is the same God I trust to replace worn out vehicles for my family. Tanner is next. His car has a slipping transmission, well over 200,000 miles, and has hail damage all over it. I am praying for him next. Turner's truck already has the transmission gone out. He is driving the Mazda 6 Brenda used to drive. The Mazda 6 is a 2006 model with high miles. Turner will be next in line. Taylor does not have a working vehicle. He and his wife are sharing a vehicle now. He does not even know I am praying for God to bless him with one. Tucker is next. His Kia is in bad shape. It is well over a decade old with high mileage, a dangling front bumper and fading paint. Lastly, I drive a 2004 Yukon. It has multiple issues and one mechanic told me needs a whole new engine. Most days I don't have to drive far. I determined up front that I would be the last one to receive a vehicle. For my other sons, I ask God to supply trucks. I will drive whatever God provides for me when that time comes. I cannot bring myself to ask for anything specifically. 

One of the first times I mentioned publicly I was trusting God for six vehicles, the listeners ridiculed me. I wish I could see their reaction when they learn God provided the first one. I will remind you that Brenda and I do not ask people to meet our needs. We ask God. The only reason I even state what we trust God to do here is so that when He does it, you will know this was a direct answer to prayer and not a random coincidence. 

I give God glory for the one. I will give Him glory for the five. I pray to the God who calls things to exist that do not exist. Rom 4:17 I don't know how He will do it. I don't know when He will do it. I do believe that He will provide another five vehicles for my family without debt. The reasons are to glorify His name, give us a broader platform to testify, build faith and hope in listeners, and build our faith to believe Him for bigger things in the future. Nothing is impossible with God. Not even five more. 

Living in the Sweet Spot

 From time to time some children hear the words, "You were a mistake. I never wanted you." This is devastating to a child. To grow up believing they were an unwanted accident damages the psyche. Read this very carefully. NO CHILD IS A MISTAKE. THEY WERE CREATED BY AN INTELLIGENT MAKER. I know I will get push back from that statement. Questions may arise as to why certain children are born with birth defects, disabled, or who will not live long after birth. The short answer goes back to Adam and Eve and their choice to sin. Their sin has impacted every person naturally born from that day to this day. Sin has cursed our world. Some of the consequences bring about sickness, disease, and disabilities. 

God creates people with purpose nevertheless. I know a disabled man, who even as an adult, has to be cared for by his aging parents. His name is Kyle. He is one of the most outgoing extroverts I have ever met. He is never shy about making new friends and talking to people about Jesus. He brings joy to everyone who knows him. His mental capacities are that of a young teenager even though he is nearly 50. He is also incredibly joyful. He impacts many people and never uses his disability to hold him back. At some point he learned to play the drums. His parents keep a set of drum sticks in the back of their vehicle so Kyle can pound away on the seat in front of him keeping the beat with songs playing. 

We are the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus. That is how Eph 2:10 phrases it. We were created with purpose. I did not know it as a child, but God created me to preach and write. I discovered the call to write in elementary school back in fifth grade. I loved to write so much that one year I asked for a typewriter. What twelve year old asks for a typewriter? We are talking pre computer days. I did not discover His call to preach until July 4, 1985 at a youth camp. For the past 40 years I have spent my life preaching and writing. 

You have some unique calling on your life for God too. He uniquely gifted you to do something. Some teach, nurse, coach, cook, clean, manage wealth, practice medicine, legislate, practice law, write, serve in law enforcement, own a business, repair vehicles, and a host of other things. God created you for something. He gave you a unique personality, passion, and mastery of skills to do something. Some can sing, play an instrument, paint, act, organize, operate computers, fitness train, farm, and ranch. 

There is lady named LaFonda whom we employ to clean our church. I cannot rave enough about the fantastic job she does. She is diligent, thorough, industrious, faithful, attentive, and willing to go the extra mile. So much so that one weekend when we had guests ministers in town, whom we gave a tour of the building, they commented about the cleanliness of the facilities and even said something about her from the stage on Sunday morning. She does a fantastic job that testifies to her talents and work ethic. I told her last week what a fantastic she does. She has earned my deepest admiration and she inspires me to work hard at what I am called to do. No joke, as I was typing this, she just knocked on my door to vacuum the carpet and to empty my trash. I asked her permission to include her in this article. She gave me permission and said, "Nobody has ever written about me before." She seemed surprised and at first thought I was kidding until I pointed out this paragraph to her. Her great work speaks for her. If you know her, give her a pat on the back or a word of encouragement. 

God created us with purpose. It is our job to seek Him to discover that purpose. When you are living in your purpose, it is what I call living life in the sweet spot. Have you ever hit a baseball with a bat? If you hit the ball too close to the handle it will jar your hands. It is a totally different feeling when you hit the ball in the fat part of the bat known as the sweet spot. Living life in your purpose is living in the sweet spot. I hope you discover yours. 

Unmotivated

 Have you ever felt unmotivated? Unmotivated to clean the house, go to work, complete that unfinished project, read the Bible, pray, or workout. It happens to most of us at some time or another. What do you do when you are unmotivated to do anything? Some people stay in the bed for extended periods. Others sit in an easy chair snacking and watching television. There are people who get absorbed in toxic thinking. Many just go through the motions each day. 

Where do we find motivation to be productive when we lose our motivation? Some people are self motivators. They motivate themselves into action through sheer will power. These are the early rising gym rats who do predawn workouts. These are the people who make to do lists and feel accomplished as they check one item after another off the page. These are the goal setters who strive toward a targeted goal. What if you are not one of them or even if you are, but lost the motivation to be productive? 

Are you depressed? Has something got you down in the dumps? Depressed people are not motivated people. Toxic thinking can sure impact not just how we feel, but our motivation to want to be productive. If you lose hope it is hard to be motivated to keep pressing forward. God is the source of hope. If we spend time dwelling on the things listed in Phil 4:8, we just might find a way out of depression. 

Another question to consider is are you burned out? I've learned over the years that I can push myself and my body hard for weeks on end. I also know that a day will come when I hit a wall and need to physically, mentally, and spiritually recover. The way I do this is by taking a couple of days to slow down. I pray and read. I work at slowing my pace of life. I force myself to slow down eating meals, getting ready each morning, and sometimes getting a way.  I find after a few days of this, I am recharged and motivated to hit the ground running. Just like a vehicle was not designed to run at maximum RPM's continuously for long periods of time. Doing so repeatedly will result in engine failure. The same is true for our bodies. We may not like it or even admit it, but God knew what He was doing when He designed one day to be Sabbath to rest. It is difficult to be motivated when you are not just tired, but burned out. Even Jesus took time to recharge. Mark 1:35

One final question. Are you disillusioned? Have things not worked out the way you planned? Have your dreams been dashed on the rocks of reality? Maybe you prayed your heart out until you no longer have a prayer to pray because you did not get the intended results. Therefore, you are no longer motivated to ask God for help. Maybe you worked hard at work and instead of being rewarded you get overlooked and passed over. You read stories of people in the Bible who had the opportunity to be disillusioned, but they kept trusting. They experienced breakthrough moments. Joseph went from the dungeon to second in command in the palace in one day. Gen 42-50 Martha and Mary went from grieving sisters over the death of their brother to front row spectators of Jesus resurrecting Lazarus from the grave. John 11. The disillusioned disciples went from cowards to courageous warriors for Him when the resurrected Jesus appeared to them. Luke 24. 

God can help with depression, burn out, and disillusionment. In gaining victory in these areas, He can also supply the motivation to be productive. Just a few moments ago I was unmotivated. I still chose to click on the computer and to type this article trusting God to overcome my lack of motivation. I did not even have an idea to write about. I sighed a silent prayer when the word unmotivated came to mind. Just typing the first few words in faith God made up what was lacking in motivation. Maybe this will help someone find new motivation. .