I’m Surrounded!

Happy Sabbath, everyone! Good afternoon. We got that wrong. Howdy! Howdy, y'all! Good to be here in Dallas. I guess this has become our tradition. Every time we have a Ministerial Conference in the area, we get to come to Dallas for Sabbath. Great honor to be here. Happy to be here with my wife, Kathy, and I. It's good to see you once again, old friends, and get to know some new people as well. So it's good to see you all. Good to be here. Thanks for the beautiful special music. I've never heard that version before. I'm not sure if maybe you wrote it? Is that right?

Maybe? Where is she? Oh, there you are. Yes? Oh, nice. Well, really, wow. That's a pretty gutsy performance to get up here with just your voice and a couple of instruments. Very nice. Really appreciate that. Thanks for bringing that. Powerful words, for sure, and when you hear it in a different way, you hear some different things sometimes. So appreciate the special music. Of course, we are here in the area for the Ministerial Conference that's coming up. We're going to be meeting in Texoma with the South Central Regional Ministry. So we're really looking forward to that. The Cubics are flying in tomorrow, so we're going to pick them up and then head up to Texoma tomorrow. We have the opportunity to be with the Martins tonight, and so really enjoying the time we've been around. My wife's mother lives near Corsicana, so we were able to come in a little bit early to spend a little bit of time with her and her husband, so we really appreciated that as well. Now, about a sense of humor. I don't know about that. Someone said my wife has a good sense of humor. Well, she married me, so that must be obvious, I guess. But it is good to be here, and so we'll hopefully be able to catch up with many of you following services as well.

We know that we've been given an opportunity to come out of this world. It's one of those chief responsibilities that God's given us, and for centuries, Christians have tried to do just that. Have you ever heard of the man named Simeon the Stylite? Probably not. He was a man who lived way back in the fifth century, and do you know how he tried to escape worldliness?

He decided to do just that. He would live on a pole, and so he built a little platform, and at one point ended up to be about 50 feet high, and he lived on this platform in order to escape the world. Now, do you know how long he lived on a platform? Okay, not just a couple of months, not just a year or two, but he lived on a pillar for 37 years. 37 years, thousands of people would come and kind of flock around him and see him perched up on this pole and listen to him preach. In fact, he kind of spawned a movement of other pillar dwellers that kind of lasted for more than 500 years. Now, is that how we're supposed to come out of the world?

I mean, this is something that's been going on for centuries. We know that even today, there are religious groups that are known for their distinctive clothing, for the things that they wear, because their lifestyle and the clothing they wear, the things that they do, separate them from society. And so, many times people think that's the way to go. Perhaps you come out of the world by not having anything to do with technology, don't have anything to do with driving cars. In fact, not all that long ago, there was a group of people who became known as the black bumper Mennonites.

Ever heard of the black bumper Mennonites? Okay, maybe you have. Great! Do you know what their claim to come out of this world was? Well, it was okay to drive a car, but it couldn't have any chrome, because as we all know, chrome is worldliness. And so they couldn't have... so they'd paint the chrome black, because that was something that showed they weren't a part of the world. And of course, we know it's also a biblical thing.

We find many biblical examples of individuals who tried to come out of the world in a similar way to the black bumperites and the stylites as well. How about the Pharisees? The Pharisees thought that in order to be holy, you had to forsake anything that was of the Greek culture and try to avoid contact with all sinners. Well, in order to do that, you sure don't want to hang around tax collectors or fishermen or any of the kind of people that Jesus hung around. But that wasn't his example. And so is that what we're supposed to do?

To try to avoid any contact with anyone that has any connection to sin. But we know that doesn't seem to be the case either. And yet, when you consider the other hand, some of us may seem so much like everyone else in the world that you really can't tell the difference. And that's not right, either. We know that Christ actually spoke quite a bit about this concept, maybe one of the most familiar sections of Scripture that talks about our relationship to the world.

It's found over in John 17. You'll find this to be a very familiar section of Scripture. In fact, Christ spoke these words just before the crucifixion, and he's praying to God. He's praying for his disciples. He's praying for us as well. Notice this familiar passage, John 17, verse 15. Here's what Christ prayed. He said this as he prayed to God the Father. He says, I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. John 17, 16. He says, they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I've sent them also into the world. And for their sakes, I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. And so, as you look at this passage, you might summarize it by saying, yes, we have to live in the world, but we're not to be of the world. Ever heard that before? We're in the world, but not of the world. But is there more than just that, that Christ is really getting at here?

Certainly, as we think of the world, we're not just talking about trying to live up in space or something like that. We're talking about the system of this world. We're talking about the culture that we live in. We're talking about society around us. And we understand very clearly, this is a system that is ruled by dark forces. We know Satan himself influences society and culture around us. And we're not to be ruled by sin.

We know that's the case. We're not to be accepted by this world. We're not to be shaped and molded by this world, its principles and its morals. We're not to have anything to do with it. We're not to have that standard for our life. And so we recognize we're not of this world.

But did Christ put it in those terms? Right here in John 17, he says, yes, we're in the world. But he says, I'm not praying you should take them out of the world. But what did Christ emphasize? Did you notice here? Verse 18, as you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And that's a key. The key is not being of the world. Well, that's a part of it. But the greater sense of what Christ is saying is that we're not of the world, but we are sent into the world.

We're not of the world, but we're sent into the world. And that's a special calling that God has given to us. As we are called into God's way of life, our life, you might say, our calling, is kind of like being in a boat.

And I'd like to focus on that metaphor as we consider this section of Scripture, that we are not of the world, but we are sent into this world. And after all, what is a boat designed to do? Well, a boat's supposed to float. It's supposed to float in the water. And if you're going to be in the water, that means it's everywhere. Water is all around us. It's on all sides. And we got to keep the water out of the boat, because that's what a boat is designed to do. It's to be in the water, but not to allow that water in. So our God-given goal is to keep afloat and not allow the culture, not allow this society inside the hull of this boat that we are floating in this world.

And so as we consider this metaphor, I'm surrounded. Now what? Now what? Christ, in a way, is saying just that. We are surrounded. He sent us into this ocean of a world. And so think about our options for a moment. I mean, first, I could dock the boat, right? That's an option. I could be like a simian. I could be like a black bumperite. I could separate myself from the world and just stay at the marina. But is that what a boat is designed to do? I mean, some may even think, I should get one of those fancy boat lifts. You know, you put this thing on the boat and you crank it up and it's right out of the water. I mean, is that what we're supposed to do? I mean, our intentions are good. I recognize that. We may want to protect ourselves or protect our families or children from the sin in this world. No doubt about that. And it might seem even easier to live by God's standards if we just remove ourselves, get out of the water, and totally get away from that influence. But there's a big problem with that. That's not what Christ said in John 17. He said, He sent us out into the ocean. He sent us. In fact, that was the purpose of our calling.

That not to be of the world, but not to take us out of that water, but that we are sent into the waters of this world. In fact, how many times did He say it? In fact, He used other metaphors, didn't He? He said, we're supposed to be the light of the world. We're not supposed to be in darkness. We're supposed to be like that city that's set on a hill. That's another metaphor that Christ used. Can you think of another one? Well, He said, we're supposed to be the seasoning. We're supposed to be the salt of the earth. And so we're to be in this world. And of course, then there's a similar passage to John 17. It's over in Matthew 28. You just write down Matthew 28, 19. You know this passage? In fact, we sing it all the time. Go ye therefore and dock your boat or lift it out of the water. Oh no, it doesn't say that. Go! Go into the world! Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I've commanded you. So sometimes that's known as a great commission. Christ says, you get out there and yeah, you will be surrounded. I'm surrounded!

Now what? All right, I could dock the boat. Another option, I could begin to take on water. I could begin to take on water because no doubt as we launch our ships into this culture, it's pretty easy to take on water. In fact, more often than not, boats get out in the water and they do take it on. And it might be from rough waters. It might be from a storm, from the rain that comes or a leak in the hull. It could be from a number of different things. We could have some spillage. And of course, that bilge water that begins to mount is found just about on every vessel. And spiritually speaking, that can equate to us making accommodations. That can mean we're compromising with the ways of this world. And we may yield to the influences of society. We may begin to deviate from the course that God set us on. And we begin to go a little bit different directions. We begin to compromise. And Christ spoke a lot about that. You may remember the example of the sower and the seed. You could just make a note of Mark 4.18. I won't turn there. But he talked about the various kinds of seed. And he talked about the seed that fell among the thorns. He said, they're the ones who hear the Word. But what happened to them? He talked about the cares of the world. The things of the world begin to infiltrate. The deceitfulness of riches he spoke about. The desires for things of the world. It enters in. And of course, for our metaphor today, it gets through our whole and begins to saturate our boat. And so the love of money, the worries of this life, everything else that we could have or we could want that's out there, the lure, the enticement, that begins to weigh down our ship. And sometimes it's just anxiety. Sometimes it's just worries. Just worries. Our own thoughts can begin to weigh us down. And a wave can come and overwhelm our ship. And so the worries that we may have, and all the things that we have to accomplish, the things we have to do, taking care of our families, and then the things we like to get, you know, the things that are out there. You know, all of those kinds of things can begin to overwhelm us. And the stress that may come tries to capsize our life.

And so when we consider this, we have to be so careful not to take on water.

If we're not living by God's standard, we can let a common problem begin to sink our boat. You know one of the most common problems for boaters that can begin to cause them to take on water? You're one of the chief causes? For getting to put the drain plug back in.

People get out on the launch. They launch their boat and they forget.

I've been known to do that myself. And suddenly the kids are saying, Dad, there's water up to our ankles because it just starts flowing right in. Because you forget the drain plug. We don't protect ourselves from the world's influence. We don't put ourselves on guard. And sure enough, that water is going to become seeping in so quickly that soon we're up to our ankles in water. And we begin to take it all on. And it's amazing. Just a little hole. Just the smallest of holes can cause a compromise to our spiritual boat. And we may not even realize it's happening at first. But we begin to take on water. And it seems pretty slight to begin with. But it doesn't take much. It doesn't take much. Imagine just a little hole. Just a little two-inch hole that's below the water line. A little two-inch hole one foot below the water line. Do you know how much water you would take on in a minute?

You take on almost a hundred gallons of water in a minute. Now you might say, well, that doesn't seem like very much. But translate that to weight. And within a minute you've taken on 500 pounds of extra weight. And if you don't do something about that hole pretty quickly, it's going to take you down. And so spiritually speaking, I have to ask myself, am I taking on water? Am I allowing the culture and society around me to infiltrate my spiritual life? Am I taking on water? And how can I seal it up? Because this boat was meant to float.

I'm surrounded. Now what? I think a third option is to sail. Is to really sail. In other words, when we consider this, we better get our spiritual sails out there, flapping in the wind, so that we can be guided by God's standards. Because there's no doubt, as we look at the example of Christ, He set sail in this world's culture with a whole different mindset, a spiritual mindset. And so He was directed, and of course He was God in the flesh. He lived by God's standards. But for us, for Christ as well, He was tempted as we are, in all points. And we may find it is difficult. It's sort of like trying to paddle that boat upstream. But sometimes in life it's even more difficult than that. It may be like trying to go up Niagara Falls with this little dinghy that we've been given. It's tough, and life is challenging in this way. But we have to remember the goal. The goal is not of this world. Not of this world is not the destination that we've been called to. We don't want to be fooled by that. Being not of this world is the starting point. That's the beginning point. We are called to go somewhere. We are called to really set sail. And Christ emphasized that point, that we are set. We are supposed to be in this world of water, and not to be influenced by it. So if we've been sent on a journey, on a special mission, and the mission is not just to dissociate with the world, that's only a little part of it. But we are sent into this world. An interesting passage over in Ephesians chapter 4. Take a look over there. Ephesians 4, right at the very beginning of that chapter. Here, the Apostle Paul, in a sense, uses this metaphor as we look to Ephesians chapter 4, and this calling that we have of being sent into this world. To shine like a city on a hill, living by God's standard, out in the oceans of this society. But not of it, but sent into it. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1.

As Paul begins to write, he says he's a prisoner of the Lord. This is one of the prison epistles. He writes this from prison to God's people, to us by extension. And he says, I want you to get out there and float. Better yet, sail. Okay, this is the Myers revised edition here.

He says, I want you out on the waters, not just to walk worthy, but to sail, to truly sail. God's called you on a special voyage. I don't want you just floating around, drifting on your own, down some little creek that's going to take you to nowhere. He says, I want you to sail with lowliness and gentleness, long suffering, bearing with one another, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Really set sail. Do this with humility and discipline.

And so, no wonder Christ said, Father, don't take them out of the world. But instead, I want them commissioned as naval officers to sail into the world, as my ambassadors, as those that I have commissioned in this spiritual navy. That's what God has called us to do.

And yes, we are surrounded. Now what? I mean, let's think about this. Let's break down for a moment. When we think about really sailing, truly being called and sent into this world, really sailing, I mean, that means we have to be ship shape. Ship shape. When we talk about that, if you've ever been in the navy or been around naval officers, that means your ship better be in order. Everything in its place. You can't have things rolling around the deck. That's going to be a danger. Everything has to be neatly stowed, organized properly. Think about that spiritually for a moment. My life. I've got to have my life in order. It's got to be efficient and effective. Got to put things and arrange things in the way that they should go. And if I think about that metaphor, I mean, that points to where sin begins. Where does...really, I think we could say, where does all sin begin? It begins in my mind, in my thinking. I need to take an inventory of my life. Where am I weak? Where am I most tempted? Where am I most tempted?

And I need to go before my commanding officer and ask God, help me to identify weaknesses in my life. Help guide me and lead me. Help me to take the steps I need to be spiritually ship shape so I can get my spiritual boat in order and properly arranged. And that means I've got to be on guard. I've got to put myself on guard. Guard my mind. Guard my heart from temptation. Guide my eyes. Things that I watch. The things I see. My screen time. God, help me with those things. Guard my hands. Guard the things that I do. We know Ecclesiastes 9 and 10 says, whatever my hands find to do, I should do it with my might. Which means I've got to be working in a way that honors God. Because I know if I'm idle, if I'm just kind of drifting around, I've got time to kill, that's going to be the time I'm more susceptible to do the things I shouldn't be doing, or think the things I shouldn't be thinking, or click on the things I shouldn't be clicking on. It's going to take me in a bad direction. I have to guard my mind because that's where sin ultimately begins.

And whose fault is that? Can I blame that on the waters of this world? I don't think so. I mean, it can be a temptation, no doubt, but what does the Apostle James tell us?

James 1, verse 14. James 1, 14 is such a great reminder for us because it reminds me, who's steering this spiritual ship of mine? Well, God's given me. He's given me the oars. He's given me that direction. And so he tells us here in James 1, 14, each one of us is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Yeah, it's my fault. It's my fault. He says, then when desires conceive, it gives birth to sin. Sin, when it's full grown, brings forth death. And so my first line of defense has to be to refuse to even contemplate, to even think about wrongful thoughts that turn into wrongful actions. And that means I better take precautions. I better take precautions. I better recognize God's got to be leading me. God should be in charge of the direction that I'm sailing. And every good sailor knows, every good sailor knows the course. Where we're supposed to be sailing. Every good sailor should know his compass, his direction. And of course, every good sailor better be aware of the weather, the currents, the tides. And so it begs the question, then, what spiritual measures am I taking to avoid disaster? To avoid disasters?

You may have heard in the news just recently about that tragic California fire that was on a diving boat, on a scuba diving boat. They had been out there and they all went to sleep at night.

You remember hearing about this story? It was just a couple weeks ago.

And a fire started in the middle of the night and every passenger lost their life.

Every single one of them. Something like 34 people died. Do you know why? I mean, yeah, you could blame the fire that began.

But there was no night watchman. None of the crew stayed awake through the night. Not a one. In fact, that's maritime requirements. That somebody stays up on a ship. But nobody did. And nobody could catch the spark as it started. No one could get that fire out because it just got out of hand almost instantaneously. And no one was awake. No one was awake. And so as we pilot this ship that God has given us, certainly we've got to recognize God's got to be in charge. God's got to be leading us. God's going to direct us. And He promises to do that as long as we guide this ship His way and follow His course and His direction. And that we're on watch. And that we are on watch. Because sometimes, boy, the waters can seem pretty nice. Sometimes waters are pretty calm. We've got it all under control, spiritually speaking. But we know life isn't very stagnant, isn't it? Things can come up. Storms can arise seemingly out of nowhere. And we better be prepared. We better be spiritually prepared for this. We also have to recognize the fact, even though the waters may seem calm, what kind of waters are we sailing in? I mean, the society of this world, we are in shark-infested waters. There's no doubt about that. Peter wrote about this. 1 Peter 5, verse 8. Another familiar passage of Scripture. Take a look at 1 Peter 5, verse 8. Notice how it connects in this whole concept of being ship-shape, making sure we've got our spiritual ship in order. Because the waters that we're sailing in are dangerous. Storms can come up at any time in the society of this world. Even though it may seem fine right at the moment, there can be difficulties at a moment's notice. Peter wrote about this. Notice what he says. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, swims around like a hungry, great white shark, ready to attack and devour. Okay, it doesn't say that.

But I think for the metaphor today, it could just as well.

That's the kind of waters we're sailing in. Be on guard, stay awake, he said. Keep your mind clear. Keep it focused on God. Be alert, be careful. Be sure there's a watchman. Be sure you have set your mind and your heart to watch out for this great enemy, this great white that's out there. Because ultimately, he's out to sink us. And this outward appearance of things can sometimes fool us. And whether it's sharks or spiritual stingrays that oppose us, yeah, we're facing spiritual hosts of wickedness. And they can be barracudas or eels that are out for us. And so I've got to be sure that I get rid of the things that constantly cause me temptation. I can't think the waters are calm and then just stick my toe in the water, because they'll come along pretty quickly, take me right under. And so if that current begins to cause me to drift, I better open up those sails and get going.

Get going, because I better be ready for anything, because the current of this society wants to drag me a wrong direction. In fact, if we spiritually consider the motto of the United States Coast Guard, not a bad spiritual motto for us. What the motto of the Coast Guard is?

It's Semperperatus. Semperperatus, it means always ready, always ready. We must always be ready.

If we're going to be ready, really, really sailing, we better be ready. We better be ready. And of course, because we are surrounded, really sailing. What does that mean? I think a second aspect is not only to be shipshape, but be immersed. Be immersed, not immersed in the waters of this world, not that kind of immersed. Maybe a different way to think of it. To be submerged in God's Word. If we're going to control our thinking and be shipshape, we better be submerged in the Word of God. Do I really know the truth? Do I know the truth inside and out, back and forth? Do I really understand it? Would I really recognize something that was out to sink me? If I heard it, if I saw it, am I really obedient fully to God's Word? Because if I really want God to guide me and lead me, I know I've got to be responsive to His Spirit. God leads us through the power of His Holy Spirit. He's given us the power to overcome the waters of this world. By the power of His Holy Spirit, we can overcome. And so, am I really listening?

If I'm submerged in God's Word, the more I read, the more I meditate on God's Word, the more I think about it and fill my mind with it, the less I'm going to be influenced by the waters around me. I can respond and submit to God's Spirit that much more when I really am submerged in the Word of God. After all, how many times are we told to do just that? To be submerged? Maybe not in those terms. But don't we find that concept over and over and over again throughout Scripture? How different would history be if God's people had only done that? Truly been submerged in the Word of God? I mean, think back. Think back as Israel came out of Egypt, and they were going to come into the Promised Land, God gave Joshua those exact commands, didn't he? Take a look back at Joshua 1, verse 8. Joshua 1, verse 8, our naval commander gave Joshua just that rule, to be totally submerged in his Word so that he could be ready to be led God's way. If we're going to stay afloat in this world and really sail, we better be recognizing God's impact in our lives. Joshua, he told verse 8, Joshua 1, very beginning as Joshua is beginning to lead God's people. God says, "'This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it.'" Occasionally, once in a while, look it up only when you're in trouble. No, none of those things. You should think about these things. Really focus on it. It says, "'Day and night that you may observe to do according to all that's written in it.'" You see, if that scuba boat had done all that was in the maritime rules, might have been a totally different outcome. But here we see, when we really are submerged in God's Word, God says, "'For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.'" I mean, think about the opportunities that we have today. It is absolutely phenomenal. The blessings that we... This would have been a little bit of a challenge for Joshua to do this, wouldn't it? I mean, he would have had to get out of scroll. I mean, he didn't have a nice book like we have, did he? This would have been a little bit more of a challenge for him. Think about where we're at today. I mean, we can read our Bibles on our phones. How great is that? I mean, that's absolutely amazing. You can get out your tablet or your computer. You can read it right there. In fact, you don't even have to just read it. That voice can read it to you. I mean, that is phenomenal. We have that blessing. And so we don't have the difficulty that a Joshua would have had, or most of those in the Bible would have had a challenge in that. We don't have that. What a blessing for us to really be immersed in God's Word, to be submerged in His Word. We can hear it in our cars we're driving. We can be surrounded by it, and we can study that Word. And of course, we have the resources as well to really submerge into God's way in His will. We can go online.

ucg.org. Are any resources there? Wow! It's phenomenal the number of articles that are on the web, the number of sermons that are out there. We can watch videos where we can listen to sermons. We can do all this online. And we can make choices that really do submerge us. We can choose to be at services and submerge ourselves in God's Word. We can talk about it, and we can blog about it, we can chat about it, we can tweet about it. And I can look at all these various things so that I can begin to truly apply those things that I hear and I read. Because there's no doubt I have to be prepared. I have to be ready. I was reading in the Safe Boating Council's guidelines. And that's exactly how distracted I got as I was preparing the sermon.

But those guidelines say this. One of the best ways to be prepared is to use a pre-departure checklist before each trip, even short trips. It goes on and says, this type of checklist is easy to review and make sure you're not caught unprepared. I mean, think about that in a spiritual sense. Have we been called on just a little excursion, just a little short trip? Have we called for just a three-hour tour? I mean, is that what our call... I mean, that's not it! God has not sent us on just a little short, little spiritual excursion. We're called on a journey. We're called on a voyage, really the voyage of our life. And that voyage is to be distinct from this world, to live in obedience to God and His will and His Word. And it's only by the power of God's Spirit that we can do this. And so I have to ask myself, how does this scripture that I'm listening to, that I'm reading, that I'm studying, how does that apply to my life? What difference does that make to me? How do I need to change the way I think? How do I need to change my attitude? What habit is one that God really wants me to destroy?

What character aspect do I need to grow? What quality do I need to make a part of my life, of my character? How can I be more Christ-like? How can I get this pre-departure checklist ready? Not just on a once-in-a-while kind of basis, but this is every day. How do I need to change my daily schedule in order to really fulfill this voyage that I'm called on? That's the kind of officer I'm supposed to be. In fact, it's interesting when you look at some of the statistics when it comes to boating. There's a group that puts out a most wanted list for safety improvements every single year. That's the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. Hopefully you wrote that down because there'll be a test later. No, there won't be. National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. They put together a top 10 list, a most wanted list, for safety improvements every year. How do you know one that hits the list every single year, almost at the top every single year? A safety improvement? What would be one of the most challenging things that boaters would face? You know what makes that list every year? Distractions. Distracted boating. One of the most wanted improvements because of the number of fatalities from those that just... I mean, just google it on YouTube if you want to. Just look up distracted boaters and you'll see pictures of boats on top of other boats and crazy pictures. Boats on top of telephone poles. You wonder how in the world did that get there? But they stopped paying attention and then there was a huge accident.

And spiritually speaking, we've been called not to look the other way. Paul wrote about this. 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 35. Let's notice what the Apostle Paul said. Not specifically talking about boating, but certainly the spiritual aspects of the voyage that we've been called on. Paul is definitely addressing that because Corinth and their waters of the world that they were floating in, they were certainly impacting their spiritual journey. They were being flooded with the society and the culture and the values of Corinth. So no wonder Paul wrote this. 1 Corinthians 7.35. Paul writes, I say this for your own profit. Not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper. We should be free sailing in this world, accomplishing God's mission.

But Paul says, you better do it God's way, though. He says, I'm telling you this, that you may serve the Lord without distraction. Paul's most wanted list as well, spiritually speaking. We can't allow ourselves to be distracted. We can't have any reservation. We can't have any division when it comes to our focus. God's got to have our undivided attention. So we are undistracted. No reservations. And we put God in His direction above all else, which then ultimately means we've got to retrain our brains. We've got to untrain our brains from society and culture around us and focus on God's way. And one of the things that seems to always impact us is those distractions. We are surrounded by distractions. Turn on the television, your phone, your computer. I mean, do we have this constant need to be entertained? Constantly! We've got to have something on. Screen time has got to be there. I mean, what happened to the things that are most truly important? And I've got to stop that urge to pick up that button and light up the senses with whatever video, audio experience that might take me off course. And whether it's phones or texting or videos or movies or entertainment or video games or my earbuds or whatever it may be, that's got to be in the background.

We have no doubt become to hurried and distracted people. There's so many things that get us off course. But Christ says, I've sent you into this world on a different voyage. He tells us it's time to catch the wind. And have we truly caught the vision that God has not only called us to be, but He's called us to do. What is my part of what God wants me to do? Not just coming out of this world, not just staying afloat, but truly being sent on this godly mission out into the world. Every one of us have been given a boat and sent on this mission. I'm to be a representative, every one of us, a living, breathing illustration of God's way of life. And so I can ask myself, how does God want me to be used? How does God want to use me to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God? Yes, we are in a spiritual boat. But we're not to be like Simeon the Stylite and live life out on a pillar for years and years. We're not to be a black bumperite. None of those things. We've been sent. And so let's truly grasp our God-given mission, embrace His vision, and truly dedicate ourselves to really sail.