How many of life’s pleasures and stresses seem to bring difficulties on your spiritual walk and on the life of your church? If we are honest, there are quite a few. Every four to six months pastors and church members want to give up, asking questions like, “Is it really worth it?”. Paul had some advice for young Timothy in one of his times of distress.

Not only were the stresses of building and strengthening a church in a pagan culture plaguing Timothy, his mentor, the Apostle Paul was in prison for doing the work Timothy was trying to carry out. It is understandable that Timothy would be feeling the pressure.

In 2 Timothy 4:5 Paul told young Timothy, “But as for you, keep a clear head about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” This is good advice for everyone of us today. Fulfill your ministry – your specific calling from God.

God knows what you are facing. He understands the trials of today, and He is with you. He has promised to walk with you through those trials – everyone of them. He may not remove them, but who greater than the creator of the universe to walk side by side with you through your trials?

It would do each believer and each church well to at least annually reconsider its focus. Are you kingdom-focused? As an individual, as a church? It is easy to fall into the trappings of societal beliefs mixed into your spiritual beliefs. It is part of what I refer to as the “westernization of Christianity”, and it is leading millions of people away from biblical Christianity.

God created you to fulfill a specific purpose, His purpose. The right and true goal of every Christian and every church is to be Kingdom-focused as God is Kingdom-focused. Unfortunately, the westernization of Christianity has brought with it the idea that, “if I like it and it feels good then it must be from God. That is the farthest from the truth as you can get.

Even Jesus Himself underscores this goal and principle as we read in John 5:19-20, “I assure you, the Son of man is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees His Father doing. For whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing, and He will show Him greater works than these so that you will be amazed.”

Notice it says the Son does “in the same way”. The Son does not have permission to twist and change up what the Father is doing to suit himself. It is when we resist the temptations of doing “worldly ways” that people are “amazed” because it is God working through a Kingdom-focused mindset.

What will you do today to insure yours is a Kingdom mindset prescribed by the Father and not of your own design?