A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Proverbs 25:28

I know Lent has just come and gone and a lot of people gave up a lot of things for a period of time. It’s a great practice. Personally, I don’t celebrate Lent, but I do celebrate the principle of giving things up for a season of time.

Throughout the year, I’ll notice certain things taking too much control of my life. Some examples in the past have been: Social media, coffee, having constant access to my phone, exercise, the list goes on and on. When I notice something taking too much control over my actions and emotions, I know I need to take a break from it.

It can be a hard thing to go without something for a period of time. For me, I just came back from a blogging and social media break. Going from blogging daily, to not blogging for two weeks was hard on me, but it was great for me!

I would just challenge you with one question today: What do you need to go without for a while?

It’s probably the thing you don’t think you could go without. However, if you’ll learn to have self-control over an area of your life, it won’t control you anymore. You’ll be free! And that my friends, is what going without is all about!

Thoughts?

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.                                                                                               -Mark 16:15

Do you ever doubt yourself? Doubt anyone will listen to you? Doubt you are making a difference? Doubt that you matter? Doubt that your work is making a difference? I know I do all the time, but then I will have someone share with me that I have made a difference in their life and it encourages me to keep going.

I got the following message on Facebook from someone I have not talked to in 10-12 years. I get messages like this often and they always encourage me to keep going:

“Bubba, I’ve been meaning to get in touch with you. I have been following your postings and reading your blogs. Honestly, everything you write is extremely uplifting. I could have the worst day and I will read a quote you posted and it will immediately make me feel better! I want you to know, you have very much made an impact on me, and I’m sure so many others…”

I don’t share that to make myself look good, I share it because I want want to encourage you. What you have to say matters. When I get messages like this, I am reminded that what I have to say matters. A lot of you think that if you write a blog post, tweet a tweet, preach a sermon, share the Word with someone, or just simply call or text someone to encourage them, that it won’t really matter. That is a lie. The truth is: It does matter. It matters a lot. What you say matters.

When you believe you have something to say, and you say it: you never know who you could impact through your words. When you encourage a friend, you never know what you’re helping them get through. When you share the gospel with someone, it could change their life forever.

Bottom Line: You could change the world through what You have to say!

The best part: If you’re a Christian, God already gave us our message. We just have to share it with the world. In everything you say, just point people to Him, if you do, you’ll make an incredible impact in your lifetime.

So keep blogging, keep tweeting, keep preaching, keep getting the word out. Whether you know it or not, people are paying attention to you. You have a voice. You matter. Believe it!

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

I heard Bob Biehl tell a story of when he was doing an internship while he was at Michigan State University:

He was interning at a psychologists office one summer and a client came in and started talking to the psychologist. He said, “I just had my third baby, and life is crazy. I am so busy and there is so much going on, when is life going to get back to normal?”

The doctor smiled and said, “This is the New Normal. Life will never be as easy as it was 10 years ago, 5 years ago, or even a year ago.”

In life we all have different seasons we are in. At some point, the season we are in will come to an end, and we will begin a new season.

When we begin new seasons, it’s time to re-prioritize everything.

Every time you start another season, you have an opportunity to grow to another level. What worked last season, may not work this season. You will have to cut things out, add things, become more intentional about how you spend your time, energy, and resources. Everything changes!

I am in the beginning of a new season of my life. I just started a new job, I’m helping plant a church and run a youth ministry. It is a new normal in my life. Right now, I’m taking a lot of time to just evaluate where my time is going, what I am spending time doing, and who I am spending time with.

The question that has helped me the most is: What does the Word of God say about how I should live my life in this area? And… Are my priorities being governed by those principles?

I have found that if we will build our belief systems on the Word of God, then no matter what our “new normal” is, God will give us the grace to go to not only adapt to the new normal, but to go to another level in every area of our lives.